Price Guide
All quotes include pricing for one color imprint and one location.
You’ve decided to order custom reusable grocery bags. Now you need to pick a material. The three main options — non-woven polypropylene, cotton canvas, and laminated — serve different purposes, hit different price points, and work for different types of businesses. This guide gives you the real tradeoffs so you can choose based on your budget, timeline, and how you want your brand to show up.
The Short Version
Non-woven: Cheapest, fastest, highest volume. The default for most grocery stores.
Cotton: Premium feel, biodegradable, machine washable. Best for boutique and organic retailers.
Laminated: Full-color printing, water-resistant, rigid structure. Best for chains with complex branding.
Non-Woven Polypropylene
Non-woven is what most people picture when they think “reusable grocery bag.” It’s the material behind the Metro Reusable Grocery Bag and the Original Standard Grocery — our two best-selling products. Made from thermoplastic fibers bonded under heat and pressure, it produces a smooth, lightweight fabric that’s tear-resistant, water-resistant, and takes a clean screen-printed logo.
Cost per bag: $0.59–$3.00
Minimum order: 200 units
Production: 4-5 working days
Printing: Screen print, 1-4 spot colors
Lifespan: 300+ uses
Washable: Spot clean only
Recyclable: Yes (polypropylene type 5)
Biodegradable: No
Choose non-woven when: Budget is the primary driver. You need bags fast. You’re ordering at scale for checkout operations. Your logo is 1-3 colors. You want the widest selection of sizes, shapes, and stock colors.
Cotton and Canvas
Cotton is the premium grocery bag material. The natural texture, the weight, the fact that customers can throw it in the washing machine — all of this signals quality. Cotton bags get kept longer, used more often, and seen in more places than non-woven. The Cotton Canvas Reusable Grocery is our most popular cotton grocery bag.
Cost per bag: $3.01–$7.00+
Minimum order: 100 units
Production: 5-10 working days
Printing: Screen print, 1-4 spot colors
Lifespan: Years of regular use
Washable: Machine washable
Recyclable: Yes
Biodegradable: Yes
Choose cotton when: Your store positions itself as premium, organic, or eco-conscious. Perceived quality matters more than per-unit cost. You want the lowest minimum order (100 units). You want a bag that’s machine washable and biodegradable. You’re using bags for loyalty programs, VIP customers, or gifting — not just checkout.
Laminated
Laminated bags have a glossy or matte film layer over woven polypropylene. This creates a rigid, water-resistant bag with a smooth surface that accepts full-color CMYK printing edge to edge on every panel. The Laminated Grocery, Retail, Trade bag and the rPET Shopping Bag are the most popular laminated grocery options.
Cost per bag: Varies (higher than non-woven and cotton)
Minimum order: 2,500 units (some styles at 200)
Production: 60-90 days
Printing: Full-color CMYK, edge-to-edge, all panels
Lifespan: 500+ uses
Washable: Wipe clean
Recyclable: Yes
Biodegradable: No
Choose laminated when: Your logo includes photography, gradients, or more than 4 colors. You want edge-to-edge artwork on every panel. You’re a chain or high-volume operation that can meet the 2,500-unit minimum. You want the most durable, rigid, water-resistant bag available. You can plan 60-90 days ahead.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Cheapest per unit: Non-woven ($0.59-$3.00) beats cotton ($3.01-$7.00+) and laminated.
Fastest turnaround: Non-woven (4-5 days) and insulated (4-5 days). Cotton is 5-10 days. Laminated is 60-90 days.
Lowest minimum: Cotton at 100 units. Non-woven at 200. Laminated at 2,500.
Best print quality: Laminated wins — unlimited colors, photographic quality, edge-to-edge.
Most durable: Laminated (500+ uses), then non-woven (300+), then cotton (years but susceptible to staining).
Most eco-friendly: Cotton (biodegradable, renewable). Non-woven (recyclable). Laminated (recyclable, longest lifespan).
Widest selection: Non-woven with 56 products. Cotton with 18. Laminated with 12.
The Mix-and-Match Approach
Most grocery stores don’t pick just one material. A common setup:
Non-woven for checkout: High volume, low cost. The bag every customer gets.
Cotton for loyalty / premium: A step-up bag for loyalty program members, reusable bag promotions, or customers who ask for something nicer. 100-unit minimum makes it easy to stock alongside non-woven.
Insulated for perishables: A thermal-lined option for customers buying frozen foods, dairy, or meat. Available in the insulated bags category.
This gives every customer the right bag for the right occasion without over-investing in any single material.
Ready to Choose?
Browse the full selection of custom reusable grocery bags to compare products across all three materials. Request a free quote on any product page, or call 877-334-5323 to discuss your store’s needs.