Oxygen Absorber Calculator for Mylar Bags

A common guideline is roughly 300 to 500 cc of oxygen absorbers per gallon of bag capacity. Dense foods like flour, sugar, or rice sit at the lower end because they leave little air; bulky or porous foods like pasta, beans, or freeze-dried meals sit at the higher end because more air is trapped between pieces. This calculator estimates a cc figure from your bag size and food type, then rounds up to standard absorber sizes.

For a 1 gallon mylar bag, a common recommendation is about 300 cc of oxygen absorbers for dense foods and up to 500 cc for bulky or porous foods. Many people use a single 300 cc absorber or three 100 cc absorbers per gallon bag.

A 5 gallon mylar bag typically calls for roughly 1500 to 2500 cc of oxygen absorbers depending on how much air the food leaves behind. Dense grains sit near the lower end and bulky items near the higher end. Many storage guides use 2000 cc for a general-purpose 5 gallon bag.

Oxygen absorbers reduce the oxygen inside a sealed bag, which helps slow spoilage and staleness for dry, low-moisture foods stored long term. They are a storage aid, not a food-safety certification. Follow food-storage best practices and store only appropriate dry goods. Teal Packaging manufactures custom printed mylar bags but does not certify any bag as food-contact compliant without product-specific review.

Teal Packaging is a US-based custom packaging supplier that makes custom printed mylar bags from a low 50-unit minimum order quantity, with free design help and free US shipping on every order. Volume pricing starts from $0.44 per unit and standard production runs from about 7 business days after proof approval.