What jute sandbags are
A jute sandbag (also called a hessian sandbag) is a coarse woven jute sack, filled with sand or soil on site to build flood barriers, retain earth, ballast structures or absorb blast and erosion. They ship empty, flat and tightly baled, then are filled at the point of use. We weave them in our own mill in Bangladesh in hessian and sacking weights, so size, fabric weight, tie and treatment are built to your specification, and we supply them in bulk by the container, not in retail packs.
Jute vs polypropylene sandbags
This is the real decision for most buyers. Woven polypropylene (PP) sandbags are cheaper and waterproof, but they are plastic, degrade and shed microplastics under UV, and are increasingly restricted on environmental grounds. Jute sandbags are biodegradable and breathable, hold sand firmly, knit together well in a wall, and break down naturally after use rather than leaving plastic in waterways and soil. For flood agencies, councils and contractors under sustainability scrutiny, jute is the defensible choice; for long-term stockpiles that must survive years of UV, a rot-retardant jute grade or PP may be specified instead.
What jute sandbags are used for
- Flood control and civil defence, the core use, building barriers and diverting water during flood events.
- Erosion and slope control, holding soil on banks, dunes and construction sites, often alongside jute geotextile.
- Construction ballast and counterweights, anchoring scaffolding, marquees, signage and temporary works.
- Military and emergency works, blast walls, bunkers and rapid barriers, where rot-retardant grades are common.
Standard sizes, fabric and fill
The common size is around 14" × 26" (33 × 66 cm), holding roughly 15 to 20 kg of sand when filled to a workable, stackable level (a sandbag is filled to about half to two-thirds, not packed solid, so it beds down into a wall). Fabric is hessian or sacking jute, typically 7 to 10 oz, with an open mouth or a sewn-in tie string. We produce other dimensions, weights and printing to order.
Standard vs rot-retardant grade
Standard jute sandbags are ideal for single-event and short-term use, days to a few weeks in the field. For longer deployments or pre-positioned stockpiles, we supply a rot-retardant treated grade that resists fungal attack and extends field life. Tell us the deployment length and we will quote the right grade.
Supplied empty and in bulk: MOQ & container loading
- Format: supplied empty and flat, pressed into bound bales for dense container loading.
- MOQ: bulk export quantities; we quote per size and grade. One 20' FCL carries a high piece count because empty bags compress.
- Incoterms & lead time: quoted per order (FOB Chattogram, CFR/CIF on request).