If you are sourcing a stand-up pouch for the first time, the biggest risk is not the price — it is ordering a pouch that fails on one of four things: the barrier lets oxygen through, the zipper does not reseal after a week, the spout does not fit your co-packer's filling head, or the pouch will not stand up on shelf at all.
This article is the spec sheet you can hand to a supplier. It covers the four decisions that determine whether your pouch works: pouch format, barrier structure, zipper type and spout fitment. Fill it in and you will get a quote that reflects what you actually need, not what the supplier assumes.
1. Pouch format: pick the right construction for your product
Before you get into materials, settle the pouch format. Each format suits a different fill method, shelf position and consumer interaction.
| Format | Best for | Typical closures | Foldveil model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stand-up zipper pouch | Dry goods, powders, snacks, supplements — anything the consumer opens and re-closes | Press-to-close zipper, tear notch, laser score | FV-FP-SZP |
| Spout pouch | Liquids, gels, sauces, detergents, refill concentrates | Screw cap, flip-top, tear-off spout | FV-FP-SPP |
| Flat-bottom pouch | Coffee, tea, grains — maximum shelf presence per footprint | Zipper, one-way valve, tear notch | FV-FP-FBP |
| Side-gusset pouch | Coffee (whole-bean, ground), tea, vacuum applications | One-way degassing valve, heat seal | FV-FP-SGB |
If your product sits on a retail shelf next to competitors, flat-bottom and stand-up zipper pouches give the largest printable billboard. If it ships as a refill into an existing bottle, a spout pouch is usually the right call. If you are roasting coffee, side-gusset with a one-way valve remains the standard because it lays flat during storage and vents CO₂ without letting oxygen back in.
If you have not settled on a format, see our product catalogue for the full flexible packaging range or jump directly to the standup zipper pouches and spout pouches pages.
2. Barrier structure: match the film to what you are protecting
The barrier is the invisible engineering inside the pouch wall. It decides how long your product stays fresh. Get it wrong and you will find out through returns, not through your QC check.
What are you protecting against?
| Threat | Products affected | Barrier layer needed |
|---|---|---|
| Oxygen ingress (oxidation, rancidity) | Coffee, nuts, oils, supplements, pet food, skincare | EVOH, PVDC, metallized PET, aluminium foil |
| Moisture ingress (clumping, mould) | Powders, drink mixes, bath salts, dry foods | Aluminium foil, metallized PET, thick PE |
| Moisture loss (drying out) | Wet wipes, gels, fresh pasta | EVOH, aluminium foil |
| Light (UV degradation) | Oils, supplements, natural cosmetics | Metallized film, opaque white layer, aluminium foil |
| Aroma loss | Coffee, tea, spices | EVOH, aluminium foil, high-barrier metallized PET |
The standard go-to for most dry foods is PET / Al foil / PE or PET / metallized PET / PE. For transparent pouches where you want the product visible, PET / EVOH / PE provides a clear oxygen barrier. For liquid spout pouches, a common starting point is PET / Al foil / CPP — the cast polypropylene inner layer gives better heat-seal strength with liquid contents.
A word on aluminium foil: it is the highest-barrier option and the cheapest per square metre, but it is not microwaveable, it is opaque, and it adds stiffness. If your brand has a sustainability narrative, verify whether your target market's recycling stream accepts foil-laminated pouches — most kerbside systems do not. The alternative is a transparent high-barrier structure using EVOH or SiOx-coated PET, which can be classified as mono-material if the EVOH stays below 5% of total structure weight (per CEFLEX recycling guidelines).
Do not guess your barrier. If you already have a product with a known shelf-life benchmark, ask your current supplier for the existing film specification. If this is a new product, specify the target shelf life and storage conditions — the supplier should propose a laminate and back it with OTR (oxygen transmission rate) and WVTR (water vapour transmission rate) values from material test reports. These values are verified per material structure and production run; they are not generic to a pouch format.
3. Zipper type: resealable means more than one spec
Not all zippers are the same, and the wrong choice shows up after the consumer has opened the pouch three times and the zipper no longer closes.
Zipper decisions
| Decision | Options | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Zipper position | Top (above tear notch), front-panel, side | Top is standard for stand-up pouches; front-panel suits wider formats |
| Zipper profile | Single-track, double-track, with slider | Double-track gives stronger closure; slider is easier for consumers but adds cost and minimums |
| Zipper material | PE (standard), PP (higher heat resistance for hot-fill) | Match to the inner sealant layer of your laminate |
| Tear notch | Single, double, laser-scored | Laser scoring gives a cleaner tear line; position above zipper so the pouch stays resealable after opening |
| Child-resistant | CR zipper, push-and-turn cap (spout) | Required for certain liquid categories in EU and US markets |
The most common combination for dry goods is a top-position, single-track PE press-to-close zipper with a laser-scored tear notch above it. That is cost-effective and works reliably across thousands of openings when the zipper is properly sealed to the inner PE layer during pouch conversion.
If your product is a powder that dusts — protein, drink mix, flour — specify a zipper with a protective strip or a slide zipper. Fine powder in the track is the number one reason press-to-close zippers fail. Your supplier should confirm the zipper is powder-resistant before you approve the sample.
4. Spout fitment: the part that connects to the filling line
Spout pouches add one more layer of specification: the fitment that the filling nozzle docks onto. Get this wrong and your co-packer cannot fill the pouch.
Spout specification checklist
| Spec element | What to confirm | Common values |
|---|---|---|
| Spout diameter | Outer diameter of the spout neck that the filling head grips | 8.6 mm, 10 mm, 16 mm, 24 mm |
| Spout position | Corner (angled), top-centre, front-panel | Corner is most common for stand-up spout pouches |
| Cap/closure type | Screw cap, flip-top, tear-off, sports cap, push-pull | Screw cap with induction seal liner is standard for liquid foods |
| Cap thread finish | Must match the spout thread | 24/410, 28/410, 38/400 |
| Liner | Induction seal, pressure-sensitive, none | Induction seal is standard for shelf-stable liquids; aluminium-faced liner for barrier |
| Spout material | PE, PP | PP is more common; PE suits certain hot-fill applications |
| Hot-fill compatibility | Max fill temperature the spout and seal can withstand | 85–95 °C for hot-fill; confirm with spout supplier |
The essential step is to give your co-packer a sample of the finished spouted pouch before production tooling is locked. They need to verify that the filling head docks, the fill speed works, the cap torques correctly on their capping machine, and the seal holds after filling. A spout that works on paper can fail on the line because of a 0.5 mm diameter difference or a cap thread that slips under automated torque.
If you do not yet have a co-packer, specify the product viscosity, fill temperature and target fill speed — your pouch supplier can propose a spout that fits the most common filling machines in that category.
5. Filling-line compatibility: the questions your co-packer will ask
Whether you are filling in-house or through a contract packer, these are the questions that determine whether a pouch runs or jams:
- Pre-made pouch or rollstock? Pre-made pouches arrive formed, sealed on three sides, ready to fill. Rollstock is a reel of printed laminate that is formed, filled and sealed on one continuous machine. Pre-made suits smaller runs and multiple SKUs; rollstock suits high-volume, single-SKU runs. Foldveil supplies both — pre-made pouches as standard, roll film for brands running their own HFFS or VFFS lines.
- Fill opening size. Pre-made pouches have a fixed opening width. Your filling machine needs a pouch opener — suction cups or grippers — that matches that width.
- Fill method. Auger (powders), piston (liquids/pastes), volumetric cup (granules), multi-head weigher (snacks, confectionery). The pouch format must match what the filler dispenses.
- Seal jaw configuration. The heat-seal bar on the filling machine must match the pouch's top-seal width and inner-layer material. A pouch made with a CPP inner layer seals at a different temperature and dwell time than one with a PE inner layer.
- Throughput. Pre-made pouch lines typically run 30–60 pouches per minute; HFFS rollstock lines can run 80–120+ per minute.
If you are at the stage of sourcing pouches before you have selected a co-packer, choose a standard format — a 3-side-sealed pre-made stand-up pouch with a PE inner layer — because it runs on the widest range of filling machines.
6. What to send your supplier for a realistic quote
A complete specification lets a supplier quote accurately. A partial specification gets you a price that will change later.
One-page spec sheet
| Field | Your input |
|---|---|
| Pouch format | e.g., stand-up zipper pouch |
| Outer dimensions (W × H + bottom gusset if any) | e.g., 150 × 220 + 50 mm gusset |
| Fill volume target | e.g., 250 g coffee beans / 500 ml liquid |
| Product and key threat | e.g., roasted coffee — oxygen and aroma |
| Target shelf life | e.g., 12 months at ambient |
| Barrier requirement | e.g., OTR < 0.5 cc/m²/day, WVTR < 1 g/m²/day, or "match current structure" |
| Zipper type | e.g., top press-to-close, PE, with laser tear notch |
| Spout (if applicable) | e.g., corner spout, 10 mm diameter, 24/410 screw cap with induction liner |
| e.g., gravure, 8 colours + matte varnish | |
| Quantity | e.g., 50,000 units first order |
| Filling method | e.g., pre-made pouch, multi-head weigher, co-packer TBC |
| Target market | e.g., EU — food contact declaration required |
Send this with a photo or dieline of your current packaging and a brief on what you want to change. Your supplier can move straight to a laminate proposal and a ballpark quote instead of going back and forth for two weeks on basics.
What happens after you submit the spec
A capable supplier will return a laminate proposal with barrier values, a zipper or spout sample for your approval, a print dieline for your artwork, and a quotation.
At Foldveil the process is: you submit your dimensions, quantity and product brief through our RFQ form, we match the format and barrier to your product and market, confirm the applicable documentation scope, and deliver a formal quotation with the laminate spec, closure sample and artwork dieline as a package.
Certification and compliance claims — food-contact declarations, REACH statements, compostability certification — are verified for the specific factory, material and production run and shared with the quote. No generic certificate is attached without that verification. If your product is destined for the EU market and falls under food-contact Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, tell us early so we scope the documentation correctly.
For a broader look at what drives packaging costs across formats, see our guide on what actually drives the cost of e-commerce packaging. If you are new to the sampling process, our custom packaging sampling guide walks through digital proofs to production approval.