If you are sourcing filter tea bags, decide five things before you ask for a price: filter material, bag format and closure, fill weight and size, outer pack format, and the food-contact file for your market. Those five choices determine cost, production method, what you may legally print on pack, and which documents a supplier must hand over with the quote.
Start with the filter material: it decides closure, cost and what you may print
For most tea brands the decision is between heat-sealable filter paper, PLA non-woven (often sold as Soilon), and woven mesh — nylon (PA) or PLA — for pyramid bags. Each family has a different closure method and a different disposal-claim discipline.
| Filter material | Common format | Typical closure | Disposal claim discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat-sealable filter paper | single- or double-chamber, tag & string | heat seal or crimp | print "compostable" only with a certificate covering the exact paper and coating |
| PLA non-woven (e.g. Soilon) | single- or double-chamber, tag & string | heat seal or ultrasonic | biobased is not the same as compostable; label only with EN 13432 / OK compost scope |
| PP non-woven | single- or double-chamber, tag & string | heat seal or ultrasonic | conventional plastic; do not label compostable |
| Woven mesh nylon (PA) | pyramid | ultrasonic | conventional plastic; do not label compostable |
| Woven mesh PLA | pyramid | ultrasonic | same discipline as PLA non-woven |
"Soilon" is a brand name for PLA-based filter media used by several suppliers (YAMANAKA's Soilon product page); treat it as a material choice to verify against the supplier's own documentation, not a compliance conclusion. Heat-sealable tea bag paper is a distinct grade — Ahlstrom's tea bag media range separates heat-sealable from non-heat-sealable grades precisely because the closure method changes the paper.
Choose closure and tag-string attachment to match your filling line
The closure method is not cosmetic — it must match the machine that fills the bag.
- Heat seal is the most common on double-chamber and single-chamber tag-and-string lines; the filter must carry a heat-sealable fiber layer.
- Ultrasonic seal is typical for pyramid mesh machines; it welds the material without adhesive.
- Crimp or fold closure is the traditional non-sealed route and needs no heat, but limits the bag to folded formats rather than sealed chambers.
Tag and string are usually attached by heat seal; confirm whether the string is knotted, stapled or heat-fused, because staple and adhesive choices can complicate a "no glue, no metal" positioning.
Fix fill weight and size together, not dimensions alone
A bag dimension without a fill weight is not a spec. Leaf density, cut size and steep volume decide how large the chamber must be, so state the fill weight per bag (g) and tea type, then let the bag size follow from the machine and the leaf. Buyers who send only "70 mm × 50 mm" without fill weight are asking the supplier to guess at the single factor that most affects bag performance.
Food-contact compliance: EU vs US documents
"Food grade" is a description, not a certificate. The documents you actually need depend on the market.
- EU: the framework is Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, with Good Manufacturing Practice under Regulation (EC) 2023/2006. Plastic layers follow Regulation (EU) 10/2011; paper and board follow national measures and industry guidance — the FEFCO Food Contact Guidelines explicitly list tea bags as a paper-and-board food-contact application. Expect a Declaration of Compliance and migration test reports for the exact material structure.
- US: FDA 21 CFR governs food-contact substances. Request component-level compliance letters and migration data for the specific filter, string, tag and ink.
For a Foldveil filter tea bag project, the food-contact file is verified per material, factory and target market, and the available declarations and test reports are shared with the quote — not promised as a blanket "FDA approved" or "food-safe" label. See our food-contact document pack guide for the full list.
Disposal claims on pack: "biodegradable" is not a free word
A PLA or paper filter being biobased does not make it compostable. The European Commission's guidance on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics warns against blanket biodegradable claims; a compostability claim must name the standard and disposal route.
Print "compostable" on a tea bag only when a certificate (for example EN 13432 for industrial composting, or OK compost HOME for home conditions) covers the exact bag structure, and the wording states where it should be disposed of. We covered the legal wording rules in our EN 13432 labelling guide.
Spec checklist for your RFQ
Send these and a supplier can quote accurately:
- Fill weight per bag (g) and tea type / leaf cut
- Bag format: single-chamber, double-chamber, pyramid, tag & string or plain
- Filter material and grade (heat-sealable paper, PLA/Soilon, PP non-woven, nylon or PLA mesh)
- Closure method and tag-string attachment (heat seal, ultrasonic, crimp; knotted, stapled or fused)
- Outer pack: envelope/flow-wrap or retail pouch, and pack count per carton
- Target market (EU / US / both) and the compliance documents you need
- Any disposal claim you want to print on the outer pack
- Quantity and target delivery window
How the filter bag fits the wider tea package
The filter bag is usually packed inside a retail format that also needs specifying — a stand-up zipper pouch is a common outer for loose-leaf or premium tea lines, and it carries the barrier and shelf-life decisions that the filter bag itself does not. See our stand-up pouch spec guide if the outer pack is part of the same project.
Foldveil makes filter tea bags as part of a made-to-order packaging range; material, closure and documents are confirmed in the formal quotation. Send the checklist through the RFQ and we will return a specification, not a guess.