Dunnage plys

Dunnage Air Bags are paper bags made up of 2, 4, 6, or 8 plys (layers) of paper. They come with an internal inflatable Polyethylene Bladder. They are an innovative and efficient blocking and bracing tool. Dunnage Air Bags are a more economical alternative for bracing and blocking cargo than using other more costly methods such as rubber air bags or lumber and nails.

truck of dunnage air bags

Air Bags allow double and triple-decking of skids, and stair-stepping can be done away with. Air Bags allow for fragile freight to be loaded anywhere in the trailer. To achieve maximum cube utilization skids can be double or triple-decked and air-bagged either in front of or behind (or both) the fragile freight. Since using Air Bags will allow normal loading behind the fragile freight, doing away with the need for stair-stepping improves the load factor and lowers the transportation or line-haul.

Recommended Air Bag Width vs. Void Size
Air Bag Width Maximum Void
24" 8"
30" 10"
36" 12"
48" 16"
60" 20"

3:1 Safety Factor for dunnage air bags

At maximum void size, the air bag still has a 50% or better contact area. Exceeding the maximum void may result in premature air bag failure.

When voids are greater that 24", use drop filter, honeycomb panels, etc. to reduce the void. You can also simply turn the pallets where you use an air bag ¼ turn.

With ever-changing and constantly rising operating costs, the trucking industry is an ongoing fight for survival. With insurance premiums continuously on the rise, taxes and fuel costs souring, and wage increases and discounts continuing to consume the bottom line, operating improvements must be made to sustain profit margins. Air Bags will have the largest impact on the load factor (a carrier's single greatest expense). One of the main goals of the shipping quality process is to advance organizational productivity. Time lost installing Air Bags will be saved at the destination terminals because the carrier can do away with the "Re's"(Re-working Restacking, Re-shrink-wrappping, Recouping, and Re-banding the load). Consequently, more efficient use of container space can be made at the same time.

dunnage air bags installation


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