The word comes from French, where it means a little bag. In packaging it has a narrow meaning: a flat, sealed, single-serve packet. In a home goods shop the same word can mean a small scented fabric bag for a drawer, which is a different product altogether. This page is about the packaging format.
How a sachet is made
Most sachets are formed, filled and sealed in one continuous process. Film comes off a roll, is folded or joined to a second web, filled with a measured dose and heat sealed shut. Three formats cover most of what you see on shelves:
- Three-side seal: one sheet folded over and sealed on the three open edges. Common for powders and condiments.
- Four-side seal: two sheets sealed on all four edges, giving a flat, symmetrical packet often used for lotions and samples.
- Stick pack: a long, narrow tube with a back seam and sealed ends. Common for sugar, sweetener and drink powders that pour from one end.
Why the film matters more than the shape
A sachet is only as good as its barrier. Liquids need a seal that holds under the pressure of the contents. Powders need a moisture barrier so they do not cake. Gels need film layers that do not react with the formula. That is why sachet film is usually a laminate rather than a single plastic. The iBox custom sachets page describes films built from PET, PE and aluminum foil layers, chosen per product type, with a tear notch cut into the edge so the end user can open it cleanly without scissors.
Sachet or pouch?
The two are often confused. A sachet holds one dose and is used once. A pouch is larger, often stands up on a gusset, and usually holds several uses, sometimes with a zipper to reseal it. The iBox stevia packaging page puts it simply: single-serving sachets suit one-time use, while pouches hold greater amounts for multiple uses. If your customer opens it, uses it all and throws it away, you want a sachet.
Where sachets are used
- Cosmetics: face masks, hair treatments, lotion and serum samples.
- Food: condiments, sauces, seasoning blends, sweeteners and instant drink powders.
- Supplements: single-serve powder doses for use on the go.
- Personal care: hand sanitizer, sunscreen and travel sizes.
- Animal feed: small premix and supplement packs, which the iBox poultry feed packaging page lists alongside larger feed packs.
iBox products that use sachets
Sachets rarely sell loose. They go into a printed carton that groups them, shows the count and carries the brand. These iBox products are built around them:
- Custom sachets: the printed single-serve packet itself.
- Custom tea bag boxes: compartments and inserts arranged around the number of tea bags or sachets in the box.
- Custom tea boxes: inserts and dividers that give each sachet its own slot.
- Custom stevia packaging: cartons sized so multiple sachets stay organized without gaps.
Related terms
- What is a tear notch: the small cut that makes a sealed packet easy to open.
- What is a zipper track: the reclosable strip that separates a pouch from a sachet.
- What is a box insert: the internal structure that holds sachets upright in a carton.
FAQ
How do I size a box for sachets?
Measure a filled sachet, not an empty one, because filling makes the middle thicker than the sealed edges. Decide whether sachets will stand in a row like tea bags or lie in a stack, multiply by the count, and add a little room so the last one comes out easily.
Can sachets be printed?
Yes. The film is printed before it is formed, so the brand, the product name and the directions are on every packet.
Specifying sachet packaging with iBox
Sachet film and the cartons that hold them are quoted separately. Box minimums start at 100 boxes per design, with the die and plates, design support and US shipping free, and a digital proof before anything prints. Confirm the sachet film minimum on your quote, because it is set differently from boxes. Tell us the product (liquid, powder, gel), the dose, the count per carton and whether the carton sits on a shelf or ships. Start at the quote form and name both items if you need the packet and its box.
