Flow wrap packaging: pillow pouches and film for your line
Flow wrap packaging is a flexible pack formed from a single web of film, sealed lengthwise along the back with a fin seal and closed at both ends. VLM Poliplast manufactures flow wrap pillow pouches, with or without side gussets, and the printed film that automatic lines form around the product.
Also listed as pillow pouches, pillow bags or flow packs, they are made in Bucharest, in the EU, from clear, solid-colour, kraft or printed films in 1-8 colours, with a sample supplied for validation before the run. The fin seal sits on the back, so the face of the pack stays free for the design.
This page is not about flow wrapping machines or contract packing services: we manufacture the finished bags for hand filling and the reel-fed film your HFFS or VFFS wrapper forms on the line, shipped with a technical data sheet and, for food, a Declaration of Compliance under Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and Regulation (EC) No 10/2011.
Finished pouches or film for your wrapper?
| Finished pillow pouches | Flow wrap film on reels |
| The bag arrives formed, with the fin seal on the back; you fill it and heat-seal it | Formed around the product on your HFFS or VFFS machine, at set sizes |
| Small and mid-size runs, filled by hand | High line speeds, with or without modified atmosphere |
| Start by hand, switch to the machine later with the same printed film | Hermetic packs at consistent quality, shift after shift |
| Bakery, pastry and non-food packed at the bench | Biscuits, wafers, bars and ice cream at line speed |
Flow wrap is a single-portion pack that opens by tearing: if the product must stand upright and reseal on shelf, start from the pouch that stands upright unaided; if the customer recloses the pack portion by portion, choose the press-together resealable bags.
Fin seal, end seals and how it differs from overwrap
The film is formed into a tube around the product, closed with a fin seal running along the back, then sealed at both ends, which is why the trade also calls it a T-seal pouch. All three seals are hermetic, protecting the product from moisture and contamination. Overwrap is the neighbouring technique: the film is folded around the product or its box and closed with heat or glued folds, like the wrap on a box of sweets, so it presents and protects but does not seal hermetically.
With or without side gussets
With side gussets
The gussets add up to 50% more filling capacity at the same bag width. Chosen for bulky contents: fresh produce, coffee, rice and pellets.
Without side gussets
A flat profile that uses less film per pack. The fit for biscuits, bars, cards and other flat products that need no extra volume.
Materials and structures
| Category | Structures |
| Single films | LDPE (polyethylene), BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene), CPP (cast polypropylene) |
| Laminates | OPP/MPET/CPP, PET/PA-PE, OPP/CPP, PET/PE, OPP/PE, kraft laminate with or without a window |
| Finishes and options | Clear, solid colour, kraft or printed in 1-8 colours; vent holes for fresh produce; euro slot for hanging displays |
The choice follows the product and the packing line: the material detail sits on the pages about single-polymer PE films and how we build barrier laminates.
Specification snapshot
| Specification | What we manufacture |
| Formats | Pillow pouches with a fin seal, with or without side gussets, plus reel-fed film for HFFS and VFFS wrappers. |
| Film thickness | 25-60 microns, set by the product and the structure. |
| Capacity | Powders up to 10 kg; solid products and pastes up to 1 kg. |
| Sizes | Made to your product, confirmed at quotation. |
| 1-8 colours, with logo, product name and EAN-13 barcode. | |
| Food contact | Technical data sheet and Declaration of Compliance under Regulation (EC) No 10/2011. |
| Made in | Bucharest, Romania; shipped across Europe. |
Who uses flow wrap packaging
Food producers
Croissants, biscuits, wafers, bars and snacks; cheese; ice cream, frozen pizza and pancakes; chocolate and confectionery; fresh fruit and vegetables in vented film; sugar, rice, cereals, seeds and spices; dry pet food and treats.
Non-food producers
Cards and gift cards; cosmetics; jewellery; sensitive electronic components; detergents; potting soil and fertilisers; pellets; wipes; single-use catering items.
Describe the product in the form and you receive the recommended format, the film structure and the thickness matched to it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between flow wrap and overwrap?
Flow wrap forms the film into a tube around the product, closes it with a fin seal along the back and seals both ends hermetically. Overwrap folds the film around the product or its box and closes it with heat or glued folds, like the wrap on a box of sweets, so it presents and protects but does not seal hermetically.
Can flow wrap packaging be resealed?
Standard flow wrap is a single-portion pack: it opens by tearing and is not designed to close again. That is what keeps it the most economical format for items consumed in one go. If the product is used a portion at a time, a resealable zipper format is the better fit.
Can fresh fruit and vegetables be flow wrapped?
Yes. For fresh produce the film is configured with vent holes, so the product breathes, stays presentable on shelf and loses less weight to dehydration. The venting pattern is set at quotation, on the product.
Do you supply flow wrap film for our wrapper?
Yes. We supply reel-fed film for HFFS and VFFS flow wrappers, printed in 1 to 8 colours, in the same structures as the finished pouches, so the pack looks the same when you move from hand filling to the machine. The lines can run it with or without modified atmosphere.
Request a quote for flow wrap packaging
Tell us the product, whether you pack by hand or on an HFFS/VFFS line, and whether you need clear, kraft or printed film. You get back the recommended format, the structure and a quote, with a sample for validation on request.
Related resources
Quad seal pouches
Side gussets with four structural seals and a flat base: the large pack that stands upright on shelf.
The pouch range
Doypack, quad-seal, vacuum and retort formats compared, to place flow wrap in context.
Poly bags
When the bag only groups or ships the product, without selling it on shelf, a flat bag is enough.
Bakery packaging
Croissants, biscuits and pastry: the industry where the flow wrap format is the daily standard.
Packing by hand today, moving to a flow wrapper tomorrow?
Send the product, your monthly volumes and how you pack now. We recommend the pouch or the reel film that fits, document the structure on the technical data sheet, and the printed design stays the same when you switch to the machine.