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Heavyweight canvas

Heavyweight canvas bags

Our heavyweight canvas bags are 280gsm to 407gsm cotton canvas, two to three times the weight of a standard 140gsm cotton tote. They hold their shape, carry real weight and feel like a bag worth keeping. Three of them are recycled canvas on our express range, so they can be printed and sent from the next working day.

Black heavyweight recycled canvas tote printed with an architects' logo, carried out of a railway station

Our heavyweight canvas bags

The first six are 280gsm to 407gsm canvas. The Premium Recycled Canvas Stand Up Tote and Carry Bag are lighter at 220gsm, but their gussets, and the Stand Up Tote's coating, keep them standing while you pack them, so they earn their place here.

Heavyweight bags compared

BagFabricSizeCapacityColoursExpress
Premium Recycled Canvas Tote Bag280gsm recycled cotton canvas38 x 42 cm, 10 cm side and base gussets21 litres16Black and Natural
Recycled Canvas Tote Bag280gsm recycled cotton canvas38 x 42 cm, 10 cm base gusset18 litres6Black and Natural
Premium Recycled Cotton Tote Bag280gsm recycled cotton canvas38 x 42 cm, flat10 litresNatural, blackYes
Premium Organic Canvas Tote Bag340gsm organic cotton canvas38 x 42 cm, flat10 litresNatural, blackStandard only
Premium Organic Canvas Contrast Panel Tote Bag407gsm organic cotton canvas52 x 38.5 cm, 16 cm gusset32 litresSix, each over a natural base panelStandard only
Premium Jute Base Canvas Tote Bag407gsm cotton canvas, laminated jute baseThree sizes, 24 x 41 x 13 cm to 38 x 44 x 18 cm13 to 29 litresNaturalStandard only

Sizes are width x height, then gusset depth. The recycled bags are GRS certified recycled cotton and OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and the organic bags are GOTS certified organic cotton.

Feel the weight

Slide from our lightest bags to our heaviest and watch the weave close up. It starts at 280gsm.

140 gsm410 gsm

About 8.3 oz per square yard. Heavyweight canvas: stands up on its own, carries a laptop, and is the one people use for years.

Our bags near 280 gsm

French navy heavyweight canvas tote printed with a bookshop logo, full of hardbacks on a shop counter

Where heavyweight canvas pays off

A 140gsm cotton tote is made to be given away in hundreds. A 280gsm canvas tote is made to be kept, and that changes who it suits.

  • Bags you sell. Galleries, bookshops, bands and brands selling their own totes need a bag that feels worth the money.
  • Staff and welcome packs. A heavy bag that carries a laptop and a lunch gets used every day, logo and all.
  • Shops and markets. Gusseted canvas carries a weekly shop without sagging.

Heavier canvas also has a tighter, smoother surface, so solid areas of colour and fine detail print cleanly. The 38 cm wide bags take most 15-inch laptops.

Premium recycled canvas tote prices

Price per printed bag for the Premium Recycled Canvas Tote Bag, printed on one side, with the screen charge included. Prices are ex VAT.

Price per printed bag for the Premium Recycled Canvas Tote Bag, by quantity and number of print colours
Quantity 1 colour2 colours3 colours
25 bags£3.72£93.00 total£5.57£139.25 total£7.42£185.50 total
50 bags£2.92£146.00 total£3.97£198.50 total£5.02£251.00 total
100 bags£2.52£252.00 total£3.17£317.00 total£3.82£382.00 total
250 bags£2.28£570.00 total£2.69£672.50 total£3.10£775.00 total
500 bags£2.20£1,100.00 total£2.53£1,265.00 total£2.86£1,430.00 total

Live prices for the Premium Recycled Canvas Tote Bag in Natural, printed on one side, ex VAT. Each price includes the one-off £40.00 screen charge per colour, spread across the order. Delivery is added in the basket.

Natural recycled canvas tote printed with a three-colour gallery design, for sale on a gallery shop shelf

Questions people ask

What gsm counts as heavyweight?

There's no official cut-off. We call our 280gsm to 407gsm canvas heavyweight: that's about 8oz to 12oz per square yard, against about 4oz for a 140gsm cotton tote. Our gsm guide explains the numbers.

Is canvas the same as cotton?

Canvas is cotton, woven tighter and heavier. Every heavyweight bag here is cotton canvas: five are recycled cotton and two are organic cotton, and the Premium Jute Base Canvas Tote Bag sits on a laminated jute base. Our canvas bags

Can I get heavyweight bags quickly?

Yes. The Premium Recycled Cotton Tote Bag is on our express range, and so are the Premium Recycled Canvas Tote Bag and Recycled Canvas Tote Bag in Black or Natural. Order before 1pm and approve your proof, and they can go from the next working day, up to 500 of each bag per order. The other bags here, including the Premium Recycled Canvas Stand Up Tote, take our standard 7 to 10 working days.

How much weight will a canvas tote carry?

The makers don't publish a load rating, so we won't invent one. They do describe these bags as built for heavier items, and in everyday use they carry a laptop, books or a load of shopping. If you're planning something heavier, order an unprinted sample and try it first.

How do I wash a canvas bag?

The recycled and organic canvas totes are hand wash only, the Stand Up Tote and Carry Bag wipe clean, and Westford Mill advises sponge cleaning for its canvas totes. Our wash and care guide has the details.

Is a heavier bag better for the environment?

A heavier bag uses more cotton, so it needs more uses to pay its way. That's the point of heavyweight canvas: it lasts long enough to be used for years. The Environment Agency (2011) found a cotton bag needs 131 uses to match the climate impact of a single-use plastic carrier used once.

Feel it before you order

Order an unprinted sample of any heavyweight bag from its page. Sample postage is a small fixed charge.

Premium Recycled Canvas Tote Bag Recycled bags