Kebab bags take more punishment than almost any other paper food bag: hot meat, fat, garlic and chilli sauce, salad juice, and a customer who eats straight from the bag while walking. The right grade follows three questions: is the kebab wrapped before it goes into the bag, how much sauce is in it, and how long until it is eaten. Get that wrong and the bag softens at the bottom fold or splits along the side halfway through the meal. This guide sets out the formats, paper grades, sizes and print choices for printed kebab and döner bags, as part of the wider range of custom printed paper food bags.
In German the product is the Dönertüte; in the UK it is usually just a kebab bag or pitta bag. The specification logic is the same.
Which kebab and döner products need which bag format?
Döner in pide or flatbread usually goes into a half-open flat bag that leaves the top exposed for eating; dürüm and other rolled wraps go into a narrow sleeve or cone-shaped bag; UK-style pitta kebabs fit a smaller flat bag; and boxed portions belong in a takeaway box rather than a bag.
| Product | Usual bag format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Döner kebab in pide / Fladenbrot | Half-open flat bag, sometimes with a tear-off or perforated top strip | The open side faces up; the customer pushes the bread up as they eat |
| Dürüm / yufka wrap | Narrow sleeve or cone-type bag, open at the top | Holds the roll tight so it does not unwrap; often combined with a greaseproof or foil inner wrap |
| Pitta kebab (UK style) | Small flat bag or half-open bag | Shorter and narrower than a German döner bag |
| Lahmacun | Flat bag or wide sleeve, sometimes the item is rolled | Thin and wide; check the rolled or folded dimensions |
| Döner box, kebab and chips | Not a bag item | Use a folded box; see the custom printed takeaway boxes hub |
Some shops wrap the kebab in greaseproof paper or foil first and then put it in a printed bag. In that case the bag carries the brand and the wrap carries the barrier, so the bag grade can be lighter. Printed wrap sheets are covered on the custom printed greaseproof paper hub, and grades, sheet sizes and print for döner and dürüm wraps in döner and kebab wrap paper.
What are the main grades of döner bag?
Döner bags are usually offered in three grades: a standard grade in MG kraft or white paper (uncoated or lightly grease-resistant), a greaseproof grade, and a PE-lined or PE-coated grade for wet sauce and delivery. The right grade depends on sauce load and how long the bag holds the food before it is eaten.
| Grade | Construction | Strengths | Limitations | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MG kraft or white sulphite, typically around 30-40 gsm, uncoated or lightly treated | Lowest cost; good print surface; easy to recycle with paper | Spots and softens quickly with fat and sauce | Wrapped kebabs where the bag only carries the brand; very short eat-in-hand times |
| Greaseproof | Greaseproof paper, typically around 30-45 gsm, specified without fluorochemical treatment (confirm with PFAS test data) | Resists fat through the sheet; no plastic layer | Long contact with wet sauce weakens it; folds are the weak points | Unwrapped döner eaten within minutes at or near the shop |
| PE-lined / PE-coated | Paper with a thin polyethylene layer on the food side | Holds fat and sauce; stays strong when wet | Harder to recycle; may count as a single-use plastic product; higher cost | Sauce-heavy recipes, delivery, longer holding times |
Grammage ranges vary by mill and the final choice depends on bag size and product. The general comparison of these barrier routes, including KIT ratings and how barriers behave at folds, is in grease-resistant food bags compared. For EU and US supply, any grease-resistant grade should be specified without intentionally added PFAS and backed by test data; the PPWR PFAS limits for food-contact packaging apply in the EU from 12 August 2026, as explained in the PFAS-free food packaging guide.
Decision rules
- If the kebab is wrapped in greaseproof paper or foil first: standard grade is usually enough.
- If unwrapped and eaten at or near the shop within a few minutes: greaseproof grade.
- If heavy on sauce, or travelling by delivery for 20 minutes or more: PE-lined grade, or greaseproof bag plus an inner wrap.
- If your sustainability policy or local rules discourage plastic-coated paper: test greaseproof plus inner wrap before defaulting to PE.
What size should a döner bag be?
Size the bag from the finished product, not the bread: measure the filled döner or wrap at its widest and longest, add room for the hand and for sauce at the bottom, and decide how much of the product should stay exposed above the bag mouth.
Indicative starting points (always confirm with your own product):
| Product | Indicative bag width | Indicative bag length | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Döner in standard pide quarter or half | ~16-20 cm | ~18-26 cm | Half-open bag; shorter length leaves more bread exposed |
| Large or "XXL" döner | ~20-24 cm | ~24-30 cm | Check filled width, not flat bread width |
| Dürüm wrap | ~8-11 cm | ~25-32 cm | Narrow sleeve; length depends on whether the top is covered |
| UK pitta kebab | ~12-16 cm | ~16-22 cm | Smaller pitta formats; check for chips inside |
Bread sizes vary considerably between bakeries and regions, so the figures above are illustrative rather than standard. How flat and gusseted food bags are dimensioned, and how to add allowances, is explained in paper food bag sizes: flat vs gusseted bags.
Which features help customers eat from a döner bag?
The features that matter are an open or half-open top so the product can be pushed up while eating, a tear line or perforated strip so the customer can lower the bag as they go, and a closed, well-glued bottom so sauce stays inside.
- Half-open design: one side cut lower than the other, or a flat bag open along the top, gives access without unwrapping.
- Tear line: a perforated line across the bag lets the customer tear away the top section. Perforations weaken the paper, so they suit greaseproof and PE-lined grades better than thin standard paper.
- Bottom seal: the bottom fold and glue line take most of the sauce. A double fold or wider glue area can be specified.
- Grip area: some chains keep print away from the lower third so that grease marks from hands do not spoil the logo.
How should kebab bags be printed?
Kebab bags are usually printed with one or two strong spot colours by flexography on the outside of the bag, with the logo placed on the upper half where it remains visible while the customer eats. On brown kraft, use bold colours with good contrast; red, black and dark green are common choices for döner brands.
Points specific to kebab bags:
- Print side: always the outside; on PE-lined bags the PE layer faces the food and the paper face carries the print.
- Coverage: heavy solids on thin greaseproof paper need adequate drying to avoid set-off onto the food side, which food-contact good manufacturing practice under Regulation (EC) 2023/2006 requires you to prevent.
- Information: some chains add a website, QR code or delivery app reference; keep fine detail large enough for flexo on kraft.
- Matching set: if you also use printed wrap paper, boxes and takeaway bags, align Pantone references across all of them; see Pantone vs CMYK in packaging.
Do kebab bags raise any regulatory questions?
The main questions are food-contact compliance for the finished bag, PFAS limits for any grease-resistant grade, and the status of PE-lined bags under single-use plastics rules. Packaging registration (EPR) applies as with any packaging placed on the market.
- Food contact: the bag touches hot, fatty food directly, so ask for a declaration of compliance covering Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, Regulation (EC) 2023/2006, the paper's suitability (often by reference to BfR Recommendation XXXVI) and Regulation (EU) 10/2011 for any PE layer. The food-contact packaging compliance guide explains each document.
- PE-lined bags: under the EU SUP Directive guidelines, paper with a plastic coating is treated as a single-use plastic product, and packets and wrappers for food eaten directly from them carry extended producer responsibility. In Germany this links to the single-use plastic fund levy, and reusable-offer duties for takeaway businesses using single-use plastic food packaging may also be relevant. Under the PPWR, the Commission's guidance notice of 5 June 2026 (C(2026) 3702) treats paper-based packaging with 5 % or more plastic as covered by the Annex V restrictions from 1 January 2030 for food consumed on HORECA premises. See packaging compliance in Germany and Austria.
- Registration: in Germany, döner shops placing service packaging on the market with their own name, logo or brand are the producer and must register in LUCID and license that packaging; according to the ZSVR, pre-licensing by a supplier is no longer possible in most cases.
This is general information for specification purposes, not legal advice; check obligations for your role and market.
Kebab bag specification checklist
For each kebab or döner bag, prepare:
- Product: döner, dürüm, pitta, lahmacun; filled width and length.
- Wrapped or unwrapped in the bag; sauce level; eat-in or delivery.
- Grade: standard, greaseproof or PE-lined, or ask for a recommendation.
- Format: half-open, sleeve, flat; tear line yes or no.
- Paper colour: brown or white.
- Print: colours, Pantone references, logo position, artwork files.
- PFAS-free requirement and target markets.
- Quantities per size and how deliveries are split across shops or a central warehouse.
Take this brief back to the custom printed paper food bags hub to align it with the rest of your range, or request a quotation for kebab bags directly.