Bagasse Food Trays & Container Range: How to Pick the Right Format
A Singapore buyer sent us a photo of a meal tray bowed 4 mm in the middle after 90 minutes under a heat lamp. The tray was 11 g, the ribs 38 mm apart, and the kitchen loaded 620 g of rice and curry into it. Two trays can look identical on a flat lay and differ by 6 g of pulp. Here is the matrix we use in Qingdao when a buyer asks for “the full range.”
What actually separates one tray from another
We sort by four things that decide whether a SKU survives a real kitchen: wall weight (g), depth (mm), rib or foot-ring structure, and closure type.
Wall weight is the load-bearing number. A 7 g tray is a pastry display piece. 11–13 g handles hot rice. Past roughly 700 g of fill you need 16–20 g. Below 9 g, deep cavities go thin at the corner radius — that is where our rejects come from.
Fast-food trays: the shallow end of the range
The 8–9 inch shallow tray is the workhorse of QSR and food-hall service. Typical spec: 205 × 145 mm, 24 mm deep, 8–10 g, about 0.055–0.075 USD each FOB Qingdao at 50,000 pcs. A 10 × 7 inch version at 38 mm depth runs 10–12 g and 0.07–0.10 USD.
One thing bites buyers here. Tray bottoms without a foot ring flex when a server carries four stacked on one hand — we now add a 1.5 mm foot ring to anything over 200 mm long.
Meal trays with compartments: what each divider costs you
Compartment trays are the most-misquoted product in the range. Every divider adds a radius the pulp must flow around, so the same footprint needs more gram weight. Our standard 3-compartment 9 × 6 inch tray is 14 g. The 5-compartment version needs 16–18 g, and price moves from roughly 0.11 to 0.15 USD per piece.
| 40HQ loading | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shallow fast-food tray | 205 × 145 × 24 | 8–10 g | up to 350 g | 0.055–0.075 USD | 260,000–320,000 pcs |
| Meal tray, 3-comp | 230 × 160 × 38 | 13–15 g | 450–600 g | 0.10–0.13 USD | 190,000–230,000 pcs |
| Meal tray, 5-comp | 230 × 160 × 38 | 16–18 g | 450–600 g | 0.12–0.16 USD | 170,000–200,000 pcs |
| Clamshell, hinged | 225 × 195 × 65 closed | 16–19 g | 500–700 g | 0.13–0.18 USD | 120,000–150,000 pcs |
| Deep bowl, 750 ml | Ø160 × 62 | 12–14 g | 600–750 ml | 0.09–0.13 USD | 200,000–240,000 pcs |
| Plate, 9 inch round | Ø229 × 18 | 9–11 g | 400–500 g | 0.07–0.10 USD | 300,000–350,000 pcs |
| Cup lid, 90 mm | Ø90 × 12 | 3.5–4.5 g | — | 0.018–0.028 USD | 700,000–900,000 pcs |
Planning range, not a quote — confirm every SKU against a sample and a measured wall-thickness report; prices move with pulp board cost and volume.
Clamshells, bowls and plates: where pulp behaves differently
A hinged clamshell is one moulded part with a living hinge, and the hinge is the whole design. Ours are 0.8 mm at the crease with a relief groove, tested 50 cycles at −18 °C. Past 70 mm of closed depth, the lid’s unsupported span sags under a five-high stack.
Bowls mould more evenly than boxes: 12–14 g holds a 750 ml bowl, but a rectangular container of similar volume needs 16 g+. A rolled rim locks a lid better than a flat rim, yet it traps pulp at the seam.
Plates are easy to mould and easy to get wrong on rigidity. A 9 inch plate at 9 g is fine for cake; a 480 g steak makes it flap.
Microwave, freezer and the honest limits
Bagasse is fine at −20 °C and in 100 °C water. A 120-second blast on a high-fat sauce is harder — fat runs hotter than water, and the surface chalks.
Liquid held for hours is where pulp loses. Thin gravy wicks through a 2 mm wall in 45–90 minutes, and no coating at our price point stops it without adding a plastic layer that defeats the purpose. Steam-table service softens the rim. If that is your model, a lined or PP container is the honest answer. We say so, even when it costs us the order.
Lids, locks and leak behaviour
Lock design is the gap between a 0.02 and a 0.05 USD lid. Snap-fit needs a consistent rim tolerance — we hold ±0.3 mm — and works on flat rims.
A 90 mm bowl rim and a 90 mm cup rim differ by about 1.2 mm. Two moulds, quoted separately.
Stacking, compression and what a 40HQ really holds
Pulp is bulky. A 3-compartment meal tray nests at roughly 15 mm per unit, and a 40HQ loaded to the roof holds about 200,000 — but only with a 620 mm carton. Most buyers cut that to 500 mm and lose 15–20% of the cube. Budget for it before comparing freight per unit against plastic.
We test 200 kg static load on a four-high stack for 24 hours at 23 °C / 50% RH. At 85% RH the same stack creeps within a week, hence the 0.03 mm PE inner bag.
OEM printing, tooling and MOQ
Water-based ink on a curved, porous surface softens the edge and shifts colour 2–4 Delta E against a Pantone chip. Navy and deep red are the problem colours; a 30% screen of a mid-tone prints more consistently.
Tooling runs 1,800–3,500 USD per cavity: 18–25 days for a first mould, 10–14 for a copy. Unprinted stock MOQ is 20,000–30,000 pcs per size; printed runs start at 50,000. Lead time from confirmed artwork is 25–35 days, plus 12–18 days to the US West Coast or 30–35 to Europe.
Need a specific format? Start from our bagasse container range or send dimensions and a fill-weight target through the quote request page.
FAQ
Are bagasse food trays microwave safe?
Yes for reheating at 800–1000 W for 2–3 minutes. High-fat foods overheat the surface; dry items scorch the base.
What is the minimum order for custom-printed trays?
About 50,000 pcs per design printed; 20,000–30,000 pcs for unprinted stock sizes. Mixed sizes ship in one order, but plates are charged per design.
Can bagasse containers hold soup or sauce-heavy curries?
For 45–90 minutes, yes. Beyond that, no — uncoated pulp wicks liquid through the wall. For delivery soup, choose a lined or PP container.
How much does a 40HQ hold?
Roughly 260,000–320,000 shallow trays, 190,000–230,000 three-compartment meal trays, or 120,000–150,000 clamshells, depending on carton height.
Are the trays compostable and certified?
Material is certified to EN 13432 and ASTM D6400, with BPI and OK Compost HOME listings on file. Certificates cover material and process, not every SKU — ask for the matching number.
What is the price gap versus plastic?
Expect 2–3× the unit price of an equivalent PP container at the same volume. The gap is smallest on shallow trays, widest on deep containers.
Still torn between two formats? Send a sample of what you serve today — fill weight and holding time tell us more than a drawing. Our team replies with a recommended gram weight and a real quote in two working days. Use the contact page, or tell us which tray size is failing you now and we will say whether the fix is a mould change or a different material.
