Oct 30, 2026 Custom printed zipper bags
What Are Grommets and How They Extend the Service Life of Plastic Pouches | LVFENG PACKING
Metal grommet reinforcement prevents hanging holes from tearing on PVC, EVA and TPU bags. Learn grommet types, installation, load testing and custom options for wholesale packaging.
What Are Grommets and How They Extend the Service Life of Plastic Pouches
Why Ordinary Die-Cut Hang Holes Tear Easily
If you have bought cheap hanging plastic bags before, you may meet this problem: after hanging products for several days, the hole at the top tears, and the whole package falls from the display rack. This problem is extremely common in retail packaging, and the root cause is simple: the plastic film itself is thin, and all the weight concentrates on a small circle of cutting edge.
When the product inside has a certain weight, continuous downward pulling force will create tiny cracks starting from the edge of the hole. Under gravity, vibration during transportation and repeated taking off and putting back by customers, these cracks spread quickly. Ordinary die-cut holes are only suitable for ultra-light products such as stickers, thin cards and lightweight paper accessories. Once the packed goods are heavy, such as hardware, power cords, tool sets and thick accessories, simple cut holes cannot meet the requirement.
Metal grommets, also known as eyelets, are the most mature and economical reinforcement solution for this pain point.
What Is a Grommet and How Does It Work
A grommet is a small metal ring pressed onto the pre-punched hole of plastic film. When the machine crimps the two sides of the metal ring tightly, it wraps the edge of the plastic hole completely. The pulling force originally concentrated on the sharp plastic cutting edge is dispersed to the whole metal ring. The metal bears most of the tension instead of the plastic film.
This small accessory greatly improves the maximum load of the hanging hole. It stops cracks from spreading along the film. Even if the bag shakes continuously during logistics, the hanging position keeps intact.
Common Grommet Types for Plastic Packaging Pouches
Round Standard Grommets
Round grommets are the most widely used type. They have stable stress distribution, low cost and mature installation technology. They fit most retail display racks with standard hanging pegs. We supply different inner diameters: 6mm, 8mm, 10mm and 12mm. Smaller sizes for light goods, larger sizes for thick rack rods and heavy packages.
Oval and Slot-Style Grommets
Oval grommets are selected when buyers need euro slot shapes. They are designed specially for supermarket standard hanging racks. Compared with round ones, oval grommets match the long slot peg structure of large retail chains. They are often used for packaged electronics, home accessories and auto spare parts sold in offline supermarkets.
Colored Grommets for Brand Matching
Most grommets are silver nickel-plated metal. We also support black, gold and bronze colored surface treatment. Some high-end brands choose colored grommets to match their packaging tone, improving the unified visual effect of the whole package. Colored grommets have slightly higher unit cost and longer production lead time.
Material Compatibility of Grommet Installation
Grommets can be pressed on PVC, EVA and TPU bags, but we need to adjust the pressing pressure according to different film materials. PVC has good hardness and stability, which is the easiest material for grommet installation. TPU has high elasticity. If the pressure is too high during crimping, the film may wrinkle around the grommet. Our workers adjust the machine pressure parameter specially for TPU orders to avoid deformation. Soft EVA is more flexible. We usually suggest adding a small double-layer film patch behind the EVA hole before pressing grommets, to get better reinforcement effect.
We do not recommend adding grommets on ultra-thin film below 0.12mm. Thin film cannot provide enough support, and the grommet will easily pull loose after bearing weight.
Load Testing for Grommet Reinforced Pouches
We carry out static load testing for every new grommet pouch sample. We hang the filled sample bag and keep static pulling for a fixed time, to check whether the grommet loosens, whether the film around cracks or deforms.
We separate the load standard for different specifications:
- 6mm silver grommet, suitable for goods under 0.8kg
- 8mm grommet, suitable for goods from 0.8kg to 2kg
- 10mm and above thick grommet with double-layer film patch, for goods over 2kg
These data are for reference only. The final bearing capacity is also affected by film thickness and sealing structure. If your product is close to the upper load limit, we will suggest upgrading to thicker film or double-layer reinforcement.
Design Notes When Adding Grommets to Your Packaging
The position of the grommet cannot be placed randomly. We need to reserve enough margin between the grommet and the top sealing line. If the hole is too close to the seal, the heat seal edge will split under pulling force.
We also remind designers to avoid printing logos and key text right under the grommet. Metal pressing may slightly flatten the printing, affecting the display effect. If your design requires printing near the hanging position, we will adjust the layout in advance.
Cost and MOQ of Grommet Customization
Adding grommets will increase a small extra cost for each bag, including the metal accessory and the processing fee. Many buyers worry about MOQ. Standard silver round grommets have low MOQ, because we keep stock of common sizes in our workshop. Special shapes, special colors and customized size grommets need higher MOQ, because the factory needs to open special molds.
If you are tired of complaints caused by torn hanging holes, grommet reinforcement is a cost-effective upgrade. Send us your product weight, rack peg size and bag material, we will recommend the suitable grommet specification for your packaging.
