Sugar Packaging Machine

Weigher-fed VFFS for sugar bags, cup-filled VFFS for sugar sticks
VFFS packaging machine with a 2-head weigher for 500 g to 5 kg bags

Production-scale machines and full lines available

Recommended configuration✓ Food-grade product-contact parts

Filling system

Multihead weigher for bags; volumetric cup filler for sticks and sachets; auger filler for castor and icing sugar

Sugar packed

White and brown granulated sugar; castor and icing sugar on an auger

Pack formats

Pillow bags in LDPE or BOPP film; 5 g stick sachets; 3-side and 4-side seal sachets

Pack size range

5 g sticks to 5 kg bags on the lines we have supplied; up to about 10 kg on a VFFS

Output

Rated 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags; 20 to 40 sticks a minute

About our modelModel codes shown are machines we have supplied and configured for previous projects. Your machine is specified and configured to suit your product, output and pack format — not supplied off the shelf.

Products

Sugar products you can pack

These are the sugar products our machines pack, with the usual pack and the machine for each. A trial on your own sugar confirms the setup.

  • White granulated sugar in 500 g to 2 kg pillow bags, on the vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine with a 10-head multihead weigher we have supplied.
  • Brown sugar in 500 g to 5 kg pillow bags, on the VFFS with a 2-head weigher we have supplied.
  • Sugar sticks of 5 g, on the small VFFS with a volumetric cup filler we have supplied.
  • Sugar portion sachets in 3-side and 4-side seal sachets, which the same type of small VFFS can pack; see the sachet filling machines.
  • Castor and icing sugar, which a VFFS can pack with an auger filler, because fine sugar flows like a powder.
  • Bulk sugar in 5 kg to 50 kg pre-made or woven bags, which a semi-automatic filler with a bag-sewing head can pack.

The same bag line can also pack rice or beans after a trial on each product.

Granulated sugar packed in retail bags
Retail bags

Sugar packaging machine for retail bags

VFFS packaging machine with a 10-head multihead weigher and Z-type elevator

10-head weigher for 500 g to 2 kg bags. A Z-type bucket elevator feeds a 10-head multihead weigher on a VFFS machine, which forms each pillow bag from roll film, doses the sugar from above and seals it. The sugar line we have supplied is rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags, to within 2%.

VFFS packaging machine with a 2-head weigher for 500 g to 5 kg bags

2-head weigher for brown sugar up to 5 kg. A 2-head weigher on a VFFS fills brown sugar into 500 g to 5 kg pillow bags with a centre seal, rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute.

Portions and bulk bags

Sugar filling machine for small portions and bulk bags

Measuring Cup

Volumetric cups for sticks and sachets. The sugar stick line we have supplied doses 5 g per stick with volumetric cups, into sticks 17 mm wide and 50 to 160 mm long, rated at 20 to 40 sticks a minute. It has a ribbon coder for the date and an optional vacuum feeder that loads 500 to 1,000 kg of sugar an hour. The same type of machine makes 3-side and 4-side seal sugar sachets; for sachets of other products and multi-lane machines, see the sachet filling machines.

Semi-automatic powder bag weigher for 5 kg to 25 kg ready-made bags

Augers for fine sugar, fillers for bulk bags. Castor and icing sugar flow and dust like a powder, so they are dosed with an auger screw rather than a weigher; see the powder packaging machines. Bulk sugar from 5 kg to 50 kg is filled on a semi-automatic filler with a bag-sewing head. 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.

Pack sizes

Pack sizes and formats for sugar in South Africa

These are the sugar 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 sizeFormatMachine setup
5 g sticksStick sachet, 17 mm wide, 50 to 160 mm longSmall VFFS with a volumetric cup filler, rated at 20 to 40 sticks a minute
Portion sachets3-side or 4-side seal sachetSmall VFFS with a volumetric cup filler; sachet size and output confirmed by trial
500 g to 2 kgPillow bagVFFS with a 10-head multihead weigher, rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags, to within 2%
500 g to 5 kgPillow bag with a centre sealVFFS with a 2-head weigher, rated at 6 to 8 bags a minute
5 kg to 10 kgPillow or gusseted bagVFFS at a lower speed, on film thick enough to carry the weight
5 kg to 50 kgPre-made or woven bagSemi-automatic filler with a bag-sewing head; woven 25 kg and 50 kg bags have a heat-sealed inner bag
Output

Output you can expect from a sugar VFFS line

Output on a sugar line is set by the pack size and the doser. The sugar lines we have supplied are rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags with a 10-head weigher, 6 to 8 bags a minute on bags up to 5 kg with a 2-head weigher, and 20 to 40 sticks a minute on the 5 g stick line. These are the ratings of each build, not results measured on a customer’s line.

We confirm the output for your sugar and bag size by running a trial before we quote, rather than promising a figure in advance.

Experience

Sugar lines we have supplied

Bag and stick lines for sugar

These are the sugar lines we have supplied: a VFFS with a 10-head multihead weigher for 500 g to 2 kg pillow bags, a VFFS with a 2-head weigher for brown sugar in 500 g to 5 kg bags, and a small cup-filler VFFS for 5 g sugar sticks, with a vacuum feeder, a ribbon coder and a finished-product conveyor, run by one operator.

Trials on your own sugar

We run a product trial for every machine we sell. Send us a sample of your sugar 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.

We have also supplied the same VFFS with a 10-head weigher for 100 g to 2 kg rice bags; see the rice packaging machine page. The videos below show grain lines from our range.

See sugar and grain lines running

Sugar and granule lines from our range: a multihead weigher VFFS for bags, a measuring-cup VFFS for sticks and sachets, an auger VFFS for fine sugar, and a semi-automatic filler for bulk bags.

VFFS and multihead weigher

Multihead weigher VFFS packaging machine

A multihead weigher portioning granules into pillow bags on a vertical form-fill-seal machine, the setup for sugar in 500 g to 2 kg bags.

Measuring cup VFFS

Measuring cup VFFS for granules

A volumetric cup filler dosing granules into sachets on a vertical form-fill-seal machine, the way sugar sticks and sachets are filled.

Auger VFFS

Powder VFFS with an auger filler

An auger filler dosing fine powder into bags on a VFFS machine, the setup used for castor and icing sugar.

Semi-automatic bagging

5 kg to 50 kg granule filling and sewing

A semi-automatic filler weighing granules into 5 kg to 50 kg bags, which are then sewn closed, for bulk sugar.

Quotation

What we need to quote a sugar line

A sugar line is quoted to configuration, so we need these details about your product and plant.

01

The sugar grade: granulated white or brown, castor or icing

02

The pack sizes you sell, from sachets and sticks to the largest bag

03

Target output, in bags a minute or tonnes an hour

04

The bag style and whether you already have printed film

05

Any other products you want to pack on the same line, such as rice or beans

06

Site power, air supply and the floor space available

Send a sample of your sugar 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. Installation and operator training are included in your quote, and spares are held in Johannesburg.

Product behaviour

What makes sugar different to pack

Sugar is sold in several grades and pack sizes, and these things about it decide how a sugar line is set up.

The grade decides the doser. Granulated white and brown sugar flow as granules and are dosed by a weigher or a cup filler. Castor and icing sugar are fine powders, so we supply an auger filler for them, set up like a powder packaging machine.

Sugar dust reaches the seal. Sugar carries fine dust, and any that lands on the seal area stops the bag closing properly. Dosing is set up to drop the sugar cleanly into the bag, clear of the seal.

Every bag has to carry its weight. Sugar is sold by weight, so accuracy matters on every pack. Our 10-head weigher sugar line is rated to within 2% on 500 g to 2 kg bags, and our 2-head weigher line to within about 5 g on a 500 g bag and 6 to 7 g on 1 kg and 2 kg bags.

Customer feedback

Southern African Manufacturers Running Our Packaging Machines

Google Reviews
SA Packaging Machinery · Riversands
★★★★☆
Rated on Google

“Highly recommended! Excellent customer service, great prices, and they always go above and beyond.”

Ratings and reviews are published on our Google Business Profile, where they can be read in full and in context.

PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.

PackMan Packing logo
Thorsten
Robertville, South Africa

SA Packaging Machinery delivered a solution that has met our expectations. The equipment has been reliable in daily production, and we’re pleased with its performance. We found the team knowledgeable, professional, and willing to assist whenever required.

Grace Haven Industries logo
Matthew
Durban, South Africa

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.

JCJ Sweets logo
Basil
Brakpan, South Africa

Send us your sugar and we will pack it

We have supplied packaging machines since 2017. Send us a sample of your sugar and the bag you sell it in, and we will run it on a VFFS machine at our Riversands showroom before you order.

Questions

Frequently asked questions about sugar packaging machines

Which machine packs sugar into 1 kg and 2 kg bags?

A vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine fed by a multihead weigher. The 10-head weigher sugar line we have supplied packs 500 g to 2 kg pillow bags, rated at 10 to 15 bags a minute on 2 kg bags and to within 2%.

Granulated sugar flows as granules and is dosed by a weigher or cup filler. Icing and castor sugar are fine powders, so we supply an auger filler for them, which measures a fixed volume with a turning screw and handles the dust that fine sugar gives off.

Usually, yes. Granulated sugar and rice are both free-flowing granules dosed by a weigher, and we have supplied the same VFFS for both. We trial each product before quoting to confirm the setup.

Our 10-head weigher sugar line is rated to within 2% on 500 g to 2 kg bags. Our 2-head weigher line is rated to within about 5 g on a 500 g bag and 6 to 7 g on 1 kg and 2 kg bags. More weigher heads improve accuracy on smaller bags.