Palmetto Industries offers dry bulk container liners for sale that turn standard 20ft, 40ft, and 53ft shipping containers into clean, efficient bulk transport vessels for grains, resins, powders, and pellets. Since 1994, our Wraptor® liners have moved free-flowing dry bulk products across global supply chains. We engineer every dry bulk liner for ocean freight, road, and rail.
Our dry bulk container liners ship from BRC and AIB-certified facilities, with a vertically integrated manufacturing base in Pondicherry, India, that we have owned and operated since 2006. This direct control means we manage quality from raw resin to finished product. Few other U.S.-based suppliers can say the same.
Tell us about your shipment, and our team will recommend the right liner — contact us to get started.
Why dry bulk container liners save you money
Dry bulk container liners eliminate the cost of specialized bulk vessels by converting any 20ft, 40ft, or 53ft shipping container into a dry bulk carrier. This single change cuts packaging, cleaning, and freight expenses while protecting your dry cargo from contamination. The result is a leaner supply chain.
The U.S. exported over $2 trillion in goods in 2024, with containerized ocean freight handling a significant share, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Dry bulk container liners let shippers tap into this network without investing in dedicated bulk equipment.
Compared with rigid IBCs or drums, a single 20ft container fitted with a dry bulk liner can hold roughly 20-25 metric tons of free-flowing product in one trip. Our team can help you map out the freight savings for your specific route and product mix.
Additional reading: bulk container liners
DRY BULK CONTAINER LINER TYPES FROM PALMETTO
We manufacture five core dry bulk liner styles to match different products, loading systems, and discharge methods. Each style is built from food-grade or industrial-grade fabric, depending on the cargo. All liners ship globally with full technical support.
FRONT SPOUT/BACK FILL CONTAINER LINERS
Front spout and back fill liners are designed for door-end loading of free-flowing dry bulk products. They install inside any 20ft, 30ft, 40ft, or 52ft shipping container and handle everything from food-grade powders to industrial pellets.
- Container compatibility: Fits inside 20ft, 30ft, 40ft, and 52ft shipping containers. Drops in with minimal setup.
- Loading flexibility: Loads from the door end using a belt thrower, pneumatic pump, conveyor, or gravity feed, depending on the product and equipment available.
- Product range: Handles dry, free-flowing granular, powder, pellet, or flaked products. Available in food-grade and industrial-grade.
- Discharge options: Designed for loading or discharge with one or both container doors open. Speeds up turnaround at the destination.
- Film specifications: Built from food-grade high-tensile co-extruded LLDPE film with strong water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) barrier properties.
- Static control: Antistatic and dissipative options available for sensitive resins and electronic-grade powders.
- Recyclability: All component parts are 100% recyclable through standard plastic film recovery streams.
TOP FILL CONTAINER LINERS
Top fill liners load from above via gravity, making them ideal for facilities with overhead silos or hoppers. They suit dry bulk products that flow easily and need straightforward discharge through the door end.
- Container compatibility: Installs inside 20ft, 30ft, 40ft, and 52ft shipping containers.
- Loading method: Loads from the top hatches via gravity fill. Reduces equipment needs at the origin facility.
- Product range: Capable of carrying free-flowing granular, powder, pellet, or flaked dry products in food and industrial grade.
- Discharge method: Designed for discharge via letterbox hatch or hatches at the base of the container end.
- Application fit: Works well for grain elevators, plastic resin plants, and food powder facilities with elevated loading positions.
- Film options: Food-grade and industrial-grade film options available, sized to match the product weight and route.
THERMAL CONTAINER LINERS
Thermal liners protect dry bulk products from environmental damage during long-haul ocean transport. They are the right choice when humidity, oxygen, light, or odor could compromise your cargo.
- Container compatibility: Installs inside any size shipping container, including rail and trailer configurations for dry bulk transport.
- Barrier performance: Up to 80 times more effective than 125mu PE film at preventing moisture damage during ocean voyages.
- Material construction: Aluminum barrier foil laminate built from co-extruded PE / PET aluminum foil / co-extruded PE.
- Loading options: Open-ended top loading or end-filling via loading spouts, plus a woven polypropylene bulkhead for end-fill setups.
- Sealed containment: Foil liners can be completely sealed for airtight containment, protecting against odor, light, and oxygen ingress.
- Best for: Coffee, cocoa, milk powders, pharmaceutical ingredients, and other dry products that deteriorate when exposed to air or moisture.
BARLESS CONTAINER LINERS
Barless liners remove the traditional retaining bars at the door end, speeding up loading and unloading. They are built from heavy-duty woven fabric for dry industrial-grade products that move in high volumes.
- Container compatibility: Installs inside any size shipping container for dry bulk loads with no retaining bar setup needed.
- Loading method: Loads from the door end using a belt thrower, pneumatic pump, conveyor, or gravity feed.
- Product range: Carries free-flowing granular, pellet, or flaked industrial-grade dry products.
- Fabric options: Made from woven HDPE or woven polypropylene fabrics, both offering high tensile strength.
- Static-sensitive cargo: Antistatic and conductive fabric grades available for electronics-grade resins or other static-sensitive dry products.
- Discharge flexibility: Designed for loading or discharge with one or both container doors open. Improves throughput on tight schedules.
FLUIDIZING CONTAINER LINERS
Fluidizing liners are engineered for dry bulk products that compact during transport and resist easy flow. They use airflow to break up settled material, allowing controlled discharge from both ends of the container.
- Container compatibility: Installs inside any size shipping container for dry bulk transport.
- Fluidization control: Full or partial fluidization available, controlled section by section from both ends of the container.
- Product range: Built for hard-to-flow, compactable dry products such as fly ash, calcium carbonate, flour, and talc.
- Film specifications: Virgin food-grade high-tensile co-extruded LLDPE film with slip-special film. Offers strong WVTR barrier properties.
- Discharge benefit: Quickly fluidizes heavily compacted product to allow easy flow and controlled, gravity-assisted discharge.
- Industry fit: Common in cement, mineral processing, and food powder shipments where settling is a known issue.
Matching the right dry bulk liner to your product
Choosing the correct liner depends on the product, the loading equipment available, and the discharge method at the destination. The table below shows common pairings, and our team is here to recommend the right fit once you share the details of your shipment.
| Liner type | Best for | Loading method | Discharge method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back fill | Resins, grains, pellets, food powders | Door-end belt thrower, pneumatic, conveyor | One or both doors open |
| Top fill | Free-flowing granules, powders | Top hatch gravity | Letterbox hatch at base |
| Thermal | Moisture-sensitive products, coffee, milk powders | Top load or end-fill via spout | Sealed or hatch discharge |
| Barless | Industrial-grade pellets, flakes | Door-end (no retaining bars) | One or both doors open |
| Fluidizing | Fly ash, calcium carbonate, flour, talc | End-fill via spout | Section-controlled fluidization |
Industries we serve with dry bulk container liners
Our dry bulk liners support customers in six core industries, each with different hygiene, safety, and regulatory needs. The fabric, film, and certifications change to match each application.
- Food and pharmaceutical: Hygienic dry bulk liners designed to meet the strictest food safety standards, with guidance available from the FDA's food safety division.
- Agriculture: Food-safe storage and transport for corn, grain, soy, and other dry crops, with material standards aligned to USDA grain inspection programs.
- Chemicals: Containment for dry industrial chemicals, with antistatic options that meet handling requirements outlined by OSHA.
- Resin: High-purity transport for virgin and recycled dry resins, including static-dissipative liners for electronics-grade material.
- Mining: Heavy-duty liners built for dry minerals, ores, and aggregates, designed to withstand abrasive loads during long-haul transport.
- Construction: Custom dry bulk solutions for sand, gravel, and aggregate, rigorously tested for the demands of construction supply chains.
Whatever your industry, our team will recommend the right liner specification, certification, and fabric grade to match your product and your route.
Ready to match a liner to your industry? Contact our team for a tailored recommendation.
Quality and certifications you can rely on
Trust in dry bulk container liners starts with the manufacturing process. Our dry bulk liner facilities hold BRC and AIB certifications, plus ISO:9001, ISO:22000, and HACCP — certifications, which we have maintained since 2008 and 2009. These standards govern food safety, quality management, and hazard control for dry bulk packaging.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standards and the American Institute of Baking (AIB) audits set the bar for food contact packaging. Holding both means our dry bulk liners meet the requirements of food and pharmaceutical buyers worldwide.
We also operate a Palmetto CARE program that handles any quality issues quickly. With vertically integrated control across our dry bulk liner manufacturing plant in Pondicherry, India, we trace every component back to the raw material stage, so you always know what's inside your liner.
Sustainability and recyclability of dry bulk liners
Our dry bulk liners are designed with environmental impact in mind. The polyethylene films used in our back fill, top fill, and fluidizing dry bulk liners are 100% recyclable through standard plastic film recovery streams. This matters for dry bulk shippers tracking scope 3 emissions and packaging waste targets.
At our Pondicherry campus, we run a rainwater harvesting program and invest in solar and wind energy to power dry bulk liner manufacturing. We also provide housing, meals, healthcare, and schooling for our employees and their families. For shippers, that means a dry bulk supplier that takes environmental and social responsibilities seriously.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published guidance on plastic film recycling, and we are happy to walk you through end-of-life handling options for your used dry bulk liners as part of any quote.
Why choose Palmetto Industries as your dry bulk container liner manufacturer
We have shipped dry bulk container liners worldwide since 1994 and built our reputation on dependable products and personal service. Our customers come back because we treat them like family, not order numbers.
What sets us apart for dry bulk shippers:
- Vertical integration: We own and operate our dry bulk liner manufacturing plant in Pondicherry, India, giving us full control over every stage of production.
- Global warehousing: Strategic warehouse locations across the U.S., Australia, South America, and the UK mean on-time delivery of dry bulk liners wherever you are.
- Certifications: BRC, AIB, ISO:9001, ISO:22000, and HACCP certifications back every dry bulk liner we ship.
- Custom engineering: We design dry bulk liners to fit your product, your loading system, and your discharge process, not the other way around.
- 25+ years of experience: Since our founding in 1994, we have shipped dry bulk liners worldwide and earned recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine and the Augusta Chamber of Commerce.
Sizes, materials, and customization options for dry bulk liners
We manufacture dry bulk liners to fit every standard shipping container, plus custom configurations for unique applications. Our team will help you pick the right combination of size, material, and feature set based on your product and route.
- Container sizes: 20ft, 30ft, 40ft, 52ft, and 53ft shipping containers, trailers, and railcars. We also manufacture ISO container liners for international intermodal applications.
- Materials: Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE), woven polypropylene, woven HDPE, and aluminum foil laminate for thermal applications.
- Fabric weights: Available in multiple GSM ratings to match cargo weight and abrasion needs.
- Special features: Antistatic, dissipative, conductive, food-grade, and UN-certified options for hazardous dry materials.
- Loading and discharge fittings: Top spouts, bottom spouts, valves, and letterbox hatches sized to your equipment.
A heritage built on quality and service
Palmetto Industries was founded in 1994 by Shankar Balan, who grew up surrounded by textile equipment in India. We started in an industrial building off Tobacco Road in Augusta, Georgia, manufacturing FIBCs and dry bulk packaging solutions, and generated over one million dollars in sales in our first year.
By 1995, we became the first FIBC manufacturer in India through a joint venture with our Indian counterpart, expanding our dry bulk packaging output. In 2006, we acquired our supplier and became the first vertically integrated FIBC and dry bulk liner manufacturer based in the United States. That move gave us over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and full control of our dry bulk supply chain.
Today, our headquarters sits at 6050 Horizon West Parkway in Grovetown, Georgia, within easy reach of the Port of Savannah — one of the busiest container ports in the United States, served by the Georgia Ports Authority. Our location gives us a direct lane to the global shipping network our dry bulk customers rely on, and our team is ready to put that network to work for your next shipment.
Let's package your next dry bulk shipment together
When you need dry bulk container liners that perform from origin to destination, our team is ready to guide you through specification, sourcing, and delivery. We will work with you to match the right liner to your product, your equipment, and your route — and we will stand behind every order.
Speak with our dry bulk container liner specialists today by calling 888-252-5331 or visiting our contact page.
Dry Bulk Container Liners FAQs
What is a dry bulk container liner?
A dry bulk container liner is a flexible bag installed inside a standard 20ft, 40ft, or 53ft shipping container to carry free-flowing dry products like grains, resins, powders, and pellets. It converts a regular dry van or ocean container into a bulk transport vessel without specialized equipment.
How much weight can a dry bulk container liner hold in a 20ft container?
A 20ft container fitted with a dry bulk liner can typically carry between 20 and 25 metric tons of free-flowing product, depending on the cargo density and the container's payload rating. Heavier products like minerals reach the weight limit, while lighter powders reach the volume limit first.
How long does it take to load and unload a dry bulk container liner?
Loading a dry bulk container liner typically takes 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the loading method and product flow rate. Pneumatic systems are fastest, while gravity-fed top-fill setups take longer. Discharge times vary by method: tilt discharge is quickest, fluidization adds time for compacted products.
Are dry bulk container liners food-safe and FDA-compliant?
Yes, food-grade dry bulk container liners made from virgin LLDPE film meet FDA requirements for direct food contact under 21 CFR 177.1520. Liners produced in BRC and AIB-certified facilities meet additional international food safety standards required by global food and pharmaceutical buyers.
What is the difference between a dry bulk container liner and a flexitank?
A dry bulk container liner carries dry, free-flowing products such as grains, powders, and pellets, while a flexitank is built for non-hazardous liquids like wine, oils, and food-grade chemicals. They use different materials, fittings, and loading systems, and they are not interchangeable.
Which industries use dry bulk container liners the most?
Agriculture, plastics and resins, food and pharmaceutical, mining, chemicals, and construction are the largest users of dry bulk container liners. Grain exporters, resin producers, and mineral processors account for the highest volume globally, with millions of liners shipped annually for ocean and intermodal transport.
Can dry bulk container liners be used for hazardous materials?
Standard dry bulk container liners are not rated for hazardous materials, but UN-certified versions are available for specific dangerous goods classifications. The correct UN rating depends on the product's hazard class, packing group, and shipping mode, with details published by the U.S. Department of Transportation PHMSA.
