Gusseted flexible pouches are ideal for display packaging in retail. They are strong and they pack easily. Depending on a manufacturer’s requirements, a gusseted bag can either be made with a side gusset or a bottom gusset. These gussets are mutually exclusive. In everyday terms, a pouch with a bottom gusset cannot have a side gusset and a bag with a side gusset cannot come with a bottom gusset. Manufacturers have to choose one of the two.

Both gussets have qualities which make them excellent packaging options for products. Pouch bags with side gussets have a rectangular or square-shaped bottom. This shape makes them perfect for displays on a shelf. The fold at the bottom of these bags makes their transportation and handling easy.

Bottom gusset bags fold at the bottom. They extend into a square- or rectangular shape when filled with something. These bags can be used to package a vast range of products. Our personal experience tells us that people find bottom gusseted pouches more aesthetically pleasing.

A bottom gusseted bag has to be more than just good-looking to do its job. It has to be measurable so that manufacturers can calculate how big or small a bag they will need to package their product. There are four essential measurements of a gusseted bag -

(a) Length
(b) Width
(c) Thickness
(d) Gusset (side or bottom)

Measurement of length and width

The length and width are the easiest to measure. Flatten an empty bag on a smooth surface. Place a centimeter scale along its length, and then along its width. The readings on the scale will give you the numbers for length and breadth.

Measurement of the bottom gusset

A gusset’s dimensions are measured by first opening it flat, then placing it on a smooth surface, and finally using a calibrated scale to note down its depth

An easier method is to look the pouch’s dimensions, which are usually printed on the pouch itself. A pouch of dimensions 4 x 10 x 2 has a bottom gusset measuring two inches.

Measurement of thickness

The tools for measuring the thickness of a pouch are more sophisticated. If you want to improvise, you can use tools that are found in most school physics laboratories. You can use an ordinary screw gauge or micrometer at home. It can measure the thickness to less than a thousandth part of a meter. The typical thickness of bags in flexible food packaging is less than two millimeters.