Recommended configuration
Multihead weigher: 10-head for 100 g to 2 kg, 2-head for 500 g to 5 kg
Rice and other free-flowing grains
Pillow bags with a centre seal, in PET/LLDPE, BOPP/CPP or LDPE film
100 g to 5 kg on the lines we have supplied; up to about 10 kg on a VFFS
Rated 10 to 60 bags a minute (10-head, up to 2 kg); 6 to 8 (2-head, up to 5 kg)
About our modelModel codes shown are machines we have built or configured for previous projects. Your machine is specified and built to suit your product, output and pack format — not supplied off the shelf.
Product behaviour
Rice is one of the easier granules to dose, but three things about it decide how a rice line is set up.
Rice flows freely and evenly. Its grains are similar in size and pour consistently, so a volumetric cup filler can dose it accurately. A multihead weigher is chosen where the value of the rice makes every gram of giveaway count.
Broken grains and dust reach the seal. Rice carries broken pieces and fine dust. Any that land on the seal area stop the bag closing properly, so dosing is set up to drop the rice cleanly into the bag, clear of the seal.
Family bags are heavy. Rice sells in 5 kg and 10 kg bags as well as retail packs. About 10 kg is the most a VFFS machine forms from roll film, and heavy bags run more slowly and need a film thick enough to carry the weight. Bags above that are filled pre-made.
Recommendation
Rice is packed on a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fitted with a cup filler or a multihead weigher. The VFFS forms each bag from roll film, doses the rice from above and seals it, which suits the pillow and gusseted bags rice is sold in, from 500 g retail packs to 10 kg family bags. The same setup runs other free-flowing grains, so a line bought for rice can also pack beans or lentils after a trial on each product.
Filling system
Multihead weigher. The lines we have supplied are weigher-fed, with a Z-type bucket elevator lifting the product to the weigher. On our rice line, a 10-head weigher fills retail bags from 100 g to 2 kg and is rated at 10 to 60 bags a minute, to within 3%. For heavier bags of 500 g to 5 kg, the 2-head weigher line we supplied for brown sugar is rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute, to within about 5 g on a 500 g bag and 6 to 7 g on 1 kg and 2 kg bags.
Cup filler. A volumetric cup filler measures a fixed volume for each bag. Because rice flows evenly, it is a simpler option for a single bag size where a small variation in weight is acceptable. An auger filler is not used for rice: it is built for powders and would break the grains. See the grain and granule packing machines page for how granules are dosed.
Pack formats
These are the rice pack sizes producers ask us to quote for, with the format and machine setup for each. Each bag width needs its own forming shoulder on the VFFS, so a line that runs several widths is quoted with extra shoulders.
| Pack size | Format | Machine setup |
|---|---|---|
| 100 g to 2 kg | Pillow bag with a centre seal | VFFS with a 10-head multihead weigher, rated at 10 to 60 bags a minute |
| 500 g to 5 kg | Pillow bag with a centre seal | VFFS with a 2-head weigher, rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute (as supplied for sugar) |
| 5 kg to 10 kg | Pillow or gusseted bag | VFFS at a lower speed, on film thick enough to carry the weight |
| 5 kg to 50 kg | Pre-made or woven bag | Semi-automatic granule filler with a bag-sewing head; woven 25 kg and 50 kg bags have a heat-sealed inner bag |
| Retail vacuum pouches | Vacuum-sealed pouch | Weighing and vacuum-sealing line fed by a bucket elevator |
Pillow bags formed on the VFFS and filled by a 10-head weigher, rated at up to 60 bags a minute.
Larger bags on the same VFFS with a 2-head weigher, the setup we supplied for 500 g to 5 kg sugar bags, running more slowly and on heavier film. Each size needs a product test on your rice.
Bulk rice from 5 kg to 50 kg is filled on a semi-automatic granule filler with a bag-sewing head, used for wholesale and export bags. Woven 25 kg and 50 kg bags are sewn and sealed: the inner plastic bag is heat-sealed and the woven bag is sewn closed. See the bagging machines for heavy bags.
Output
Output on a rice line is set by the bag size and the weigher. The rice line we have supplied is rated at 10 to 60 bags a minute for 100 g to 2 kg bags on a 10-head weigher, and our 2-head weigher line for 500 g to 5 kg bags is rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute. These are the ratings of each build, not results measured on a customer’s line.
We confirm the output for your rice and bag size by running a trial before we quote, rather than promising a figure in advance. Producers asking for high volumes, such as several tonnes an hour, are quoted a line sized to that target.
Experience
We have supplied a VFFS rice line that pairs a 10-head multihead weigher with the VFFS for 100 g to 2 kg pillow bags, fed by a Z-type bucket elevator and finished with a working platform and a finished-bag conveyor. It is rated at 10 to 60 bags a minute, to within 3%, and is run by two operators. We have also supplied the same VFFS with a 2-head weigher for 500 g to 5 kg pillow bags of brown sugar, the bag format and size range rice producers use for family bags.
We run a product trial for every machine we sell. Send us a sample of your rice and the bag size you sell, and we run it on a VFFS machine at our Riversands showroom so you can see the fill weight, the seal and the finished bag before you order.
Our range also includes an automatic baling machine that bales finished rice bags after the VFFS for dispatch, and a weighing and vacuum-sealing line for rice sold in vacuum pouches. Both are shown in the videos below, and the grain and granule packing machines page covers our other granule lines.
Rice and grain lines from our range: a VFFS machine followed by an automatic baling machine, a VFFS fed by a multihead weigher, and a weighing and vacuum-sealing line.
A vertical form-fill-seal machine packing grain into pillow bags, followed by an automatic baling machine that bales the finished bags.
A multihead weigher dosing a granular product into bags formed on a vertical form-fill-seal machine.
A bucket elevator feeding a weigher, with the filled pouches vacuum-sealed, for grain sold in vacuum packs.
Quotation
A rice line is quoted to configuration, so we need six things about your product and plant.
The bag sizes you sell, from the smallest retail pack to the largest family bag
Target output, in bags a minute or tonnes an hour
The bag style: pillow or gusseted, and whether it needs a carry handle
Whether you already have printed film, and its thickness for heavier bags
Any other grains you want to pack on the same line, such as beans or lentils
Site power, air supply and the floor space available, and whether bags need bundling after packing
Send a sample of your rice with the enquiry and we will trial it before we quote. For what shapes the figure on a machine quotation, read the packaging machine cost guide.
Related pages
Rice is a granule, so it sits under the grain and granule packing machines page, alongside the tea bag machine and the sugar packaging machine. These are the pages most rice buyers read next.
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We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
Send us a sample of your rice and the bag you sell it in, and we will run it on a VFFS machine at our Riversands showroom before you order.
Questions
A vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fitted with a cup filler or a multihead weigher. It forms each pillow bag from roll film, doses the rice and seals the bag, and retail bags of this size run at the machine’s full speed.
Yes, within limits. A VFFS machine forms rice bags up to about 10 kg, but 5 kg and 10 kg bags run more slowly than retail packs and need film thick enough to carry the weight. Each bag size is confirmed with a product test on your rice.
Usually, yes. Rice and dry beans are both free-flowing grains dosed the same way, by cup filler or weigher, so one VFFS line can pack both. We trial each product before quoting to confirm the setup.
On a VFFS machine the bag is sealed as it is formed, so no separate sealer is needed. Rice filled into pre-made bags is closed on a heat sealer or band sealer, and woven 25 kg and 50 kg bags are sewn closed over a heat-sealed inner bag.
A VFFS rice line covers bags from 100 g up to about 10 kg, but each bag width needs its own forming shoulder, so a line that runs several widths is specified with extra shoulders. Bags above about 10 kg move to a semi-automatic system for pre-made bags.
