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1 tonne bag vs half tonne bag: same price, different size

Updated: 23 October 2026

The half-tonne in this amazon.co.uk capture costs about the same as a one-tonne single, so the 1 tonne bag vs half tonne bag choice is size and safe working load, not a bargain. You are comparing one green 500 kg bag with the 1,000 kg singles beside it, not shopping the whole UK trade market. The bags are the six on the [bulk bag comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/bulk-bag). Prices are the saved shelf prices, in pounds. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The editorial team used those listings and published size notes. This is arithmetic and a label reading, not a measured fill, dated 22 October 2026.

The half-tonne in this amazon.co.uk capture costs about the same as a one-tonne single, so the 1 tonne bag vs half tonne bag choice is size and safe working load, not a bargain.

Our top picks

A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK 1 tonne builders bag, 85 cm

Best overall

A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK 1 tonne builders bag, 85 cm
8.6/10about £8.79
View offer
A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK half-tonne FIBC, 70 cm

Alternative

A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK half-tonne FIBC, 70 cm
8.4/10about £8.99
View offer
A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK 1 tonne FIBC, 90 cm

Rank 3

A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK 1 tonne FIBC, 90 cm
7.3/10about £8.71
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The prices are not the split
  2. 2.500 kg and about 70 cm
  3. 3.1,000 kg at 85 cm or 90 cm
  4. 4.Which one, and when

The prices are not the split

The only half-tonne is the A&A Supplies UK bag B0C4JMTKCH at £8.99. The A&A 90 cm one-tonne single, B0C443SD63, is £8.71. The A&A 85 cm one-tonne single, B08DM5R5VV, is £8.79. If you came for a smaller bill, this set does not offer one. Multipacks do change the unit price: the DIVCHI ten-pack is about £3.05 a bag and the five-pack about £4.40, and both are 1,000 kg claims without a printed safety factor. That unit-price question does not make the half-tonne a discount. Weir Bags and Sitepro list a half-tonne near 70 cm beside 85 cm or 90 cm one-tonne bags. Those are their products, not these ASINs. On this capture, 500 kg does not cost less than 1,000 kg.

500 kg and about 70 cm

The half-tonne listing states 500 kg, a 5:1 safety factor, four sturdy lifting loops, an open top and a flat bottom. The bag is green, about 70 x 70 x 70 cm, at 4.5 from 117 reviews. Fabric is not named. The page asks if it is weatherproof and the saved file does not answer, so this comparison does not call it waterproof. A 70 cm cube is about 0.34 cubic metres. A Sackmaker note for that seller's own 70 cm bag says about 0.35. Half a tonne of mass is not half a cubic metre, and it is not half the volume of an 85 cm bag. One reviewer says it is manageable in a car if it is not overfilled. Another said a 1.2 tonne digger could only just lift a bag with the arm extended. A full half-tonne is still a machine lift.
A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK 1 tonne builders bag, 85 cm

Testsieger

A&A SUPPLIES UK A&A Supplies UK 1 tonne builders bag, 85 cm
8.6/10about £8.79
View offer

1,000 kg at 85 cm or 90 cm

The one-tonne singles are not the same label. The 85 cm bag states 1,000 kg, four lifting loops and polypropylene, at 4.7 from 1,542 reviews, and it does not print a safety factor. Do not give it the 5:1 from the 90 cm bag. The 90 cm bag states 1,000 kg and 5:1, at 4.4 from 182 reviews, and it does not number the loops. Its 680 g item weight disagrees with a net content line of 850 g. BSFL Packaging publishes about 0.614 cubic metres for 85 cm and about 0.729 for 90 cm. A tonne is not a cubic metre, and neither cube is usable capacity. The 90 cm bag is a larger body in the same 1,000 kg class, not a heavier class. Airtech is also 1,000 kg and 5:1, on a pack with a count clash, not a third single.

Which one, and when

Choose the half-tonne for a part-filled car run, with 500 kg and 5:1 printed and four loops named. Do not treat £8.99 as a saving. Choose a one-tonne bag when you need the 1,000 kg line and a machine. Printed 5:1 on one bag is the 90 cm A&A. Four stated loops on a one-tonne single is the 85 cm A&A, and that listing does not print a safety factor. Do not half-fill the larger sack and call it the half-tonne. Loop counts and what 5:1 means stay on the bulk bag buying guide.

Common questions

Why is the half-tonne not cheaper here?
Because the saved prices are £8.99, £8.71 and £8.79. The 500 kg bag is the dearest of those three singles by a few pence, not the cheapest. Size and safe working load are the split. A lower unit price, if you need several bags, is the DIVCHI multipack, which is a different page.
How much smaller is 70 cm than 85 cm?
Each side is about 15 cm shorter, and the cube arithmetic drops from about 0.61 cubic metres at 85 cm to about 0.34 cubic metres at 70 cm. The 90 cm cube is about 0.73 cubic metres. Those are side-times-side-times-side figures from published notes and from this set's own arithmetic. They are not a measured fill of soil.
Does half a tonne mean half the volume?
No. Half a tonne is 500 kg, the printed safe working load. Volume on the 70 cm bag is about a third of a cubic metre, not half a cubic metre, and not half of the 85 cm cube. Mass and volume are different limits. Wet soil reaches the kilograms before it matches a tidy fraction of the big bag.
Which one prints 5:1?
The half-tonne prints 5:1. The 90 cm one-tonne single prints 5:1. The 85 cm one-tonne single does not. Airtech also prints 5:1, on a pack rather than a single. Do not copy 5:1 onto the 85 cm listing because the other A&A bags have it.
Can I lift the half-tonne by hand when it is full?
No. Five hundred kilograms is not a one-person lift, and it is not a two-person lift you should attempt with the loops. One reviewer found the size manageable in a car only if it was not overfilled. Another needed a digger, and even then a stretched arm was the awkward case. Part-filled is the car story. Full is a machine story.

Related pages

Best builders bulk bag

Garden waste or rubble

Bulk bag

Bulk bag buying guide: read the label, not the title

How to lift a bulk bag without dragging a full sack

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf figures are saved captures, not a live check on 22 October 2026.

  1. CPA TIN 026 Issue B (30 January 2023) (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. HSE lifting equipment (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GOV.UK, DIY waste charges scrapped (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK consultation outcome on DIY waste (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. BSFL Packaging, builder bag sizes (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. FIBCA UV white paper (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. The Bulk Bag Store, one-tonne FIBC (retrieved 22.10.2026)