The short answers: a medium perforated EVA tote is 18 litres with about 15 to 16 litres of usable volume and weighs 1.15 kilograms; it drains a full dunk in four to ten seconds; it is cleaned with fresh water and mild detergent and must never see a solvent cleaner; it is screened for REACH and California Prop 65 by colourway; and a programme order starts at 500 pieces per design and colour with samples in 6 to 10 working days and bulk in 35 to 50 days. Everything else is below, grouped by the question buyers actually ask.
Quick Answers Before the Detail
This page collects the questions that come up most often, in the order people ask them. Each row below is a one-line answer with a pointer to the section that expands it, so the whole page can be skimmed in a minute and read properly in ten.
| Question area | One-line answer | Where it is expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Size for two adults | 18 litres, about 15 to 16 usable | Sizing and Capacity |
| Size for a family of four | 32 litres, about 27 to 29 usable | Sizing and Capacity |
| How fast it drains | Four to ten seconds from a full dunk | Material and Construction |
| Whether it keeps water out | No, the perforations work both ways | Material and Construction |
| How to clean it | Fresh water and mild detergent only | Care, Cleaning and Repair |
| Whether it can be repaired | Cosmetically; a cracked handle root ends it | Care, Cleaning and Repair |
| Chemical screening | REACH and Prop 65, per colourway | Safety and Screening |
| Decoration route | Applied mark, or formed into the body | Decoration and Branding |
| Minimum order | 500 pieces per design and colour | Ordering, Minimums and Timing |
| Lead time | 6 to 10 working days sampling, 35 to 50 bulk | Ordering, Minimums and Timing |
Sizing and Capacity
Sizing is the first question and the one most often answered wrongly, because stated litre figures in this category run 10 to 20 percent optimistic. A body sold as 18 litres holds 15 to 16 comfortably, and a body sold as 32 holds 27 to 29. Working from the load rather than from the claim is the reliable method.
| Stated size | Usable volume | Weight | Typical load | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 litres, kids | 6 litres | 0.55 kg | Towel, drink, toy | A child carries their own kit |
| 10 litres, small | 8 to 9 litres | 0.72 kg | One towel, drink, sunscreen | Pool, gym, one adult |
| 18 litres, medium | 15 to 16 litres | 1.15 kg | Two towels, two drinks, kit | Two adults, the default |
| 32 litres, large | 27 to 29 litres | 1.58 kg | Four towels, four drinks, toys | Family of four, boat |
| 40 litres and above | 34 to 36 litres | 1.90 kg | Group kit, shared load | Large groups, cabana |
Two rules cover almost every case. Size up one step when the load sits near the limit, because the return load is always bulkier than the outbound one once towels are wet. And remember that towel choice moves the arithmetic more than anything else: four cotton towels take 10 to 12 litres against 3 to 4 for quick-dry microfibre.
Dimensional checks matter as much as volume when a bag has to fit somewhere specific. A small body at roughly 33 centimetres long fits a standard changing-room locker, which is internally 30 to 40 centimetres wide; a large body does not. And a bottle carried upright needs about 24 centimetres of internal height, which rules out the smallest bodies for a beach load with drinks.
Material and Construction
A perforated EVA tote is a single moulded body in closed-cell ethylene-vinyl acetate. Three consequences follow directly from that sentence and they explain almost everything the product does. Closed cell means it absorbs no water and cannot mildew. Moulded means there are no seams in the load path and nothing to delaminate. And perforated means it drains and ventilates, and also that it will not keep rain out.
| Property | Typical value | What it means in use |
|---|---|---|
| Wall thickness | 1.8 to 2.6 mm | Below 1.8 a large body slumps and creases |
| Perforation diameter | 8 to 12 mm | Sets drainage speed and the smallest retained item |
| Density | 0.55 to 0.85 g per cubic centimetre | Below 0.5 is a cushioning foam, not a body |
| Hardness | 65 to 80 Shore A | Measured under ASTM D2240 |
| Drain time from a dunk | 4 to 10 seconds | Ventilates as well as drains |
| Service temperature | Minus 30 to plus 70 degrees | Usable from a frozen car boot to a hot deck |
The density and hardness figures are the two that separate a genuine structural body from a soft foam that has been moulded into a similar shape. A thumbnail pressed firmly into the wall is the field test: a structural body resists and springs back, and a soft foam dents and recovers slowly. Physical test methods for both properties are published by ASTM International.
Care, Cleaning and Repair
The care routine is short and it is the same whether the bag cost 22 dollars or 90. Shake it out dry, rinse with fresh water, drain it upside down, dry it open in shade, and store it out of direct sun. Done after every session, that routine is the entire difference between a bag that looks presentable for five seasons and one that looks tired after one.
| Care step | Time | Frequency | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shake out dry | 15 seconds | Every use | Sand comes off dry, not damp |
| Rinse with fresh water | 60 seconds | After salt or chlorine | Tap pressure, inside and out |
| Drain upside down | 10 to 30 seconds | Every wet use | Empties in four to ten seconds |
| Mild detergent for marks | 2 minutes | As needed | Never a solvent cleaner |
| Dry open in shade | 30 to 60 minutes | Every use | Ventilates the whole interior |
| Inspect handle roots | 30 seconds | Monthly | The failure that ends a bag |
Three things cause permanent damage and none of them is covered by any price difference. Solvent cleaners, including most bathroom sprays and degreasers, dull the surface irreversibly. Machine washing flexes the body against itself and can crease it permanently. And sustained heat above about 70 degrees, which a closed car boot reaches within an hour in summer, can creep the shape.
Repair is limited and worth being honest about. Scratches are permanent but cosmetic. A cracked handle root is the end of the bag, because it is structural and there is no reliable way to rebuild it. Everything else, including chalking, colour shift and a worn base rail, is cosmetic and does not stop the bag working.
Safety and Screening
Screening is per colourway rather than per product, because pigment is the variable and the base compound is not. Ethylene-vinyl acetate is intrinsically flexible and does not require plasticisers, so a well-formulated compound is phthalate free by design rather than by effort, and the screening report confirms it.
| Requirement | Market | Threshold | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| REACH candidate list screening | European Union | 0.1 percent w/w in the article | Annually, per colourway |
| REACH Annex XVII phthalates | European Union | 0.1 percent by weight | Per colourway |
| California Prop 65 assessment | California, United States | Safe harbour levels | Per colourway |
| Heavy metals screen | Most retail buyers | Lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium VI | Per colourway |
| PAH screen | Dark colourways | 1 mg per kg | Per dark colourway |
| Children's product package | United States | 100 ppm lead, wider phthalate list | Per production batch |
Restricted substance lists and the candidate list are maintained by the European Chemicals Agency and updated roughly twice a year, so a report should always state which version it was screened against. Light fastness, which decides whether a colourway survives two seasons of sun, is graded by grey scale methods published by AATCC, and grade 4 or better is the target for any outdoor colourway.
Decoration and Branding
Two routes exist and they behave very differently over time. An applied mark is printed or transferred onto the surface and costs about 1.40 to 2.40 dollars less per unit, but it will rub under repeated handling. A mark formed into the body is permanent, costs more, and requires artwork to be signed off before the tool is cut because it cannot be changed later.
| Route | Cost per unit | Durability | Lead time impact | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied print | 0.90 to 2.40 dollars | Rubs within a season or two | None | Promotions and short campaigns |
| Formed into the body | Add 1.40 to 2.40 dollars | Lasts the life of the bag | Tool cut, artwork locked | Retail, resort and private label |
| Charm or tag | 3 to 8 dollars each | Removable and replaceable | None | Identification and retail add-on |
| Two-tone finish | Small setup charge | Permanent | None | A signature look without tooling |
Placement matters as much as the route. A mark of 90 to 140 millimetres on the largest flat face reads from eight to fifteen metres across a pool deck, which is the distance at which resort and brand visibility actually operates. Below 90 millimetres it stops reading past eight metres, and above 140 it starts to look like equipment rather than an amenity.
Ordering, Minimums and Timing
Programme minimums begin at 500 pieces per design and colour, which is set by the moulding cycle rather than by demand. Sampling runs 6 to 10 working days, bulk runs 35 to 50 days from approved sample and deposit, and transit adds 18 to 35 days depending on mode and destination. Working backwards, artwork needs to be signed off about 90 days before stock is needed.
| Order stage | Duration | What is decided | Risk if rushed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enquiry and brief | 1 to 3 days | Size, colourway, target market, quantity | Wrong test scope and wrong quotation |
| Sampling | 6 to 10 working days | Body, colour, wall thickness | Approving a sample that was never right |
| Screening, if required | 5 to 10 working days | Compliance documentation | Buyer will not release the order |
| Bulk production | 35 to 50 days | Full run and packing | Missing a season |
| Inspection at AQL 2.5 | 2 to 4 days | Release or re-work | Argument after the fact |
| Transit | 18 to 35 days | Sea or air | Air freight adds 2.40 to 4.10 dollars per unit |
The two stages most often underestimated are screening and inspection. Both sit between sampling and bulk, neither runs in parallel with anything, and together they add one to three weeks to the critical path. A buyer who plans for bulk alone discovers them in week eight and misses the season.
Pricing and What Moves It
Five variables move unit price and only one of them is under the buyer's control after the brief is written. Quantity is the largest, wall thickness the second, decoration the third, colourway count the fourth and freight mode the fifth. Understanding the ranking is what makes a quotation negotiable rather than fixed.
| Variable | Effect on unit price | Controllable after briefing |
|---|---|---|
| Order quantity | 500 to 2,000 pieces drops the unit price 12 to 25 percent | Yes, before the order |
| Wall thickness | 2.0 to 2.6 mm adds 1.80 to 3.60 dollars | Yes, before the order |
| Decoration route | Applied 0.90 to 2.40, formed adds 1.40 to 2.40 | Yes, before the tool is cut |
| Colourway count | Each colourway carries its own 500 piece minimum | Yes, before the order |
| Freight mode | Air adds 2.40 to 4.10 dollars per unit | Partly, by planning earlier |
The colourway row is the one that surprises new buyers, because it is a multiplier rather than an add-on. Three colourways at 500 pieces each is a 1,500 piece order, not a 500 piece order with three options, and the price band moves accordingly. Concentrating the opening buy on two colourways and adding the third later is usually the better first order.
Six Mistakes That Cost Money
The same six appear in almost every first order that goes wrong, and all of them are decisions rather than accidents.
- Ordering one size for a whole property or range, which leaves couples carrying a half-empty bag and families carrying two.
- Choosing colourways by personal taste rather than by channel, and then discounting three of five in September.
- Skipping the compliance file and losing an order to a competitor who can produce it within 48 hours.
- Planning for bulk lead time only and discovering screening and inspection in week eight.
- Topping up a colourway mid-season and ending up with two visibly different shades on one shop floor.
- Commissioning a new shape before testing an existing one, which spends the tooling budget on the least-informed decision.
Two of the six are timing errors, two are range errors and two are documentation errors, which is a fair summary of where the risk sits. Design risk in this category is low, because the product form is well understood; the risk is in how much is ordered, in what mix, and whether the paperwork and the calendar were planned at the same time as the artwork.
How to Brief a Programme in One Email
Six pieces of information let a programme desk quote accurately on the first pass, and the absence of any one of them turns a one-day quotation into a week of questions. Send size, colourway count, target market, quantity, decoration route and required delivery date, in that order.
| Brief item | Why it is needed | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Size and quantity per size | Sets tooling and packing | 18 litres, 1,200 pieces |
| Colourway count | Each has its own minimum | Two colourways, 600 each |
| Target market | Sets the screening scope | European Union and California |
| Decoration route | Sets tooling and artwork timing | Formed mark, artwork attached |
| Required delivery date | Sets the critical path backwards | Stock needed by early April |
| Packing requirement | Sets carton and labelling | Retail ready, barcode per unit |
The critical path is worth stating once more because it is the item that decides whether a season is made. Working back from a required delivery date: subtract 18 to 35 days for transit, 35 to 50 days for bulk, 5 to 10 working days for screening, and 6 to 10 working days for sampling. That is roughly 90 to 110 days, which means an April delivery needs a brief in early January and artwork signed off by February.
Programme Notes
The category background sits in the injection-molded EVA tote guide, volume bands and packing are set out in the wholesale EVA tote programme, and decoration routes and artwork windows are covered in the custom EVA tote guide. QUANZHOU JUNYUAN BAGS has run waterproof bag programmes since 2014 with a founding team in this trade since 2004, covering beach, resort, retail and private label accounts.
Monthly output runs at 200,000 units verified by SGS, operations follow BSCI and ISO 9001, materials are screened for REACH and California Prop 65, and every bulk shipment is inspected at AQL 2.5 before release. Programme minimums begin at 500 pieces per design and colour, with sampling at 6 to 10 working days and bulk at 35 to 50 days from approved sample and deposit, shipped FOB Xiamen or DDP to more than 100 countries. Send your size list, colourway count, target market and quantity to service@junyuanbags.com.
People Also Ask
What is the most common size EVA tote?
The 18 litre medium, which holds about 15 to 16 litres of real load and suits two adults on a beach or pool day.
How do I know if a tote body is stiff enough?
Press a thumbnail into the wall. A structural body resists and springs back; a soft foam dents and recovers slowly.
Can scratches on a tote be removed?
No. Scratches are permanent but cosmetic, and they do not affect drainage or structure.
What is the smallest item a perforated tote retains?
Anything larger than a coin at a 10 millimetre hole. Reported losses are almost always found inside the bag.
Does a formed logo cost much more?
It adds about 1.40 to 2.40 dollars per unit and lasts the life of the body, against an applied mark that rubs in a season or two.
Why does each colourway have its own minimum?
Because each colourway is a separate compound batch, so three colourways at 500 each is a 1,500 piece order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What size EVA tote should I buy?
Eighteen litres for two adults, 32 litres for a family of four, and 10 litres for one person, a pool session or a gym trip.
Q2. How much does an 18 litre tote really hold?
About 15 to 16 litres. Stated capacity in this category runs 10 to 20 percent optimistic, so work from the load rather than the claim.
Q3. What is the wall thickness I should look for?
1.8 millimetres or above. Below that a large body slumps under its contents and creases in stacked storage.
Q4. How fast does a perforated tote drain?
Four to ten seconds from a full dunk, which is why it also ventilates and dries within about an hour.
Q5. Will it keep rain out?
No. The perforations work in both directions, so electronics and anything that must stay dry need a pouch inside.
Q6. What is the material?
Closed-cell ethylene-vinyl acetate, moulded as a single body. It absorbs no water, has no seams in the load path and cannot mildew.
Q7. How do I clean it?
Shake it out dry, rinse with fresh water for about sixty seconds, drain it upside down, and dry it open in shade. Mild detergent for marks.
Q8. What damages it permanently?
Solvent cleaners, which dull the surface; machine washing, which can crease it; and sustained heat above about 70 degrees, which can creep the shape.
Q9. Can it be repaired?
Cosmetically only. Scratches are permanent but harmless, and a cracked handle root is structural and ends the bag.
Q10. How long does one last?
Four to seven seasons with rinsing after salt or chlorine and shaded storage, against one to three for a fabric beach bag in daily wet use.
Q11. Is it phthalate free?
A well-formulated compound is, because the polymer is intrinsically flexible and needs no plasticiser. Confirm it with a screen on the finished article.
Q12. Which compliance documents will a buyer ask for?
A REACH screening report, a California Prop 65 assessment, a physical test report, and an inspection report at AQL 2.5 for each shipment.
Q13. Do I need to test every colourway?
Yes for the first screen, because pigment is the variable. Refresh annually if the formulation is unchanged.
Q14. What decoration lasts longest?
A mark formed into the body, which adds about 1.40 to 2.40 dollars per unit and survives the life of the bag.
Q15. How large should a logo be?
90 to 140 millimetres on the largest flat face, which reads from eight to fifteen metres across a pool deck.
Q16. What is the minimum order?
500 pieces per design and colour, set by the moulding cycle. Three colourways at 500 each is a 1,500 piece order.
Q17. How long does an order take?
6 to 10 working days for samples, 5 to 10 for screening if required, 35 to 50 days for bulk, and 18 to 35 days in transit.
Q18. What does an inspection at AQL 2.5 check?
At a lot of 1,200 pieces it draws 80 units at random and accepts at five or fewer major defects, rejecting at six, with zero tolerance for critical faults.
Q19. What moves the unit price most?
Order quantity first, then wall thickness, then decoration route, then colourway count, then freight mode.
Q20. Can I reorder a colourway later and match it?
Close, within a delta E of about 3.0, but rarely identical. Quote the original batch code and keep a signed reference chip.