The best 20 gallon trash bags

If your 20-gallon can is a tall kitchen can, buy the Hefty Ultra Strong 20 Gallon XL in the 80-count: it is the only household-brand bag cut tall for this size in a count worth owning. Buy the T.FORING 21 gallon if the can takes anything heavy or sharp, because it is the only bag here that prints a thickness. Buy the EKO 21 gallon if you want it unscented, and the Teivio 120-count if the cost per bag is what is bothering you. If your 20-gallon can is a round utility container, none of those are right and you want a 20-30 gallon commercial liner instead - the Plasticplace 1.2 mil if you want a printed gauge, the Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH if you want the lowest cost per bag on the page.

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	Hefty Ultra Strong 20 Gallon XL Tall Kitchen Trash Bags, Lavender Vanilla, 80 CountThe one 20-gallon bag a household brand makes in a useful count, dimensioned tall rather than wide so it reaches the rim of a kitchen can.	Best overall	$22.99 · View on Amazon $24.99 · 8% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
02	Glad ForceFlex MaxStrength RipGuard Kitchen Trash Bags, 20 Gallon, Gain Original Scent, 80 CountGlad's 20-gallon ForceFlex in the same 80-count as the Hefty, with the brand's reinforced-seam film in place of a published thickness.	Best brand alternative	$25.91 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
03	T.FORING 21 Gallon Tall Kitchen Trash Bags, Drawstring, 1.7 Mil, 120 CountA 21-gallon drawstring bag with a published 1.7 mil gauge - the one pick here you can actually compare on a number.	Best heavy gauge	$29.99 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
04	EKO 21 Gallon / 50-90 Liter Drawstring Trash Bags, Unscented, 60 CountAn unscented 21-gallon drawstring bag from a can maker, which is why it states a 50-90 liter fit range rather than a nominal capacity.	Best unscented	$18.55 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
05	Teivio 20 Gallon Large Drawstring Trash Bags, Fits 18-20 Gallon Cans, 120 CountThe high-count option: 120 drawstring bags stated to fit 18-20 gallon cans, which is the narrowest fit claim anybody makes at this size.	Best bulk count	$26.99 · View on Amazon $30.99 · 13% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
06	Plasticplace 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 1.2 Mil, Black, 30 x 36 in, 125 CountThe liner to buy for a round 20-gallon utility can: 30 by 36 inches flat, 1.2 mil, with both numbers printed instead of a nominal gallon figure.	Best commercial liner	$31.69 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money
07	Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 CountA 100-count case of 30 by 36 inch high-density liners, sold under a reorderable part number, at the lowest cost per bag here.	Best cost per liner	$18.46 · View on Amazon Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Not sure your can is really 20 gallons? Measure it first - 20 gallon trash can dimensions has the published numbers by style of can, and the shape of your can decides which half of this page applies to you.

This is the thing to understand before you spend anything, and no retailer will tell you: "20 gallon trash bags" is not one product. Search the phrase and the results interleave two families of bag that are dimensioned for completely different cans.

• XL tall kitchen drawstring bags, sold as 20 or 21 gallon. These are *tall* - the extra volume over a 13-gallon bag is height, not width - because a 20-gallon kitchen can is 29 to 32 inches tall and only 14 to 17 inches wide. They have drawstrings, they come in 60 to 120-count boxes, and they are sold beside the 13-gallon bags.
• 20-30 gallon commercial can liners, almost always 30 by 36 inches flat. These are *wide* - 30 inches flat is about a 19-inch diameter, which is the width of a round 20-gallon utility container and nothing like the width of a kitchen can. They have no drawstring, they come in 100 to 500-count cases, and they are sold as janitorial supplies.

Put a commercial liner in a tall kitchen can and the excess width pools in the bottom while the top sags below the rim. Put an XL kitchen bag in a round utility can and it is too narrow to cuff over the rim and tears as you pull it. Both failures look like a bad bag; both are actually the wrong family.

Four criteria, in the order they decide whether a bag is worth re-buying. We do not run a tear-strength lab and we have not put these bags through one, so where a claim would need equipment to verify we report what the seller publishes and say whose figure it is. Our full methodology is here.

1. Does the seller publish a fit number you can act on? A stated "fits 18-20 gallon cans" or a printed 30 by 36 inches is worth more than any amount of marketing. A bare "20 gallon" tells you almost nothing at this size, because the two families above both claim it.
2. Is a gauge published? Mil thickness is the single most useful number on a box of bags, and 20 gallons is where it starts to matter, because 20 gallons of waste is heavy enough to find a thin film's limit. Most household brands decline to print one at this size. A brand that does gets credit for it before we even look at the number.
3. Count, and therefore cost per bag. This is where the real money is. Twenty-gallon bags sell in smaller boxes than 13-gallon ones and cost more each, so the difference between a 60-count and a 120-count of the same bag is bigger than the difference between two brands.
4. Closure. A drawstring holds the bag on the rim of a can that has no retaining ring. A flat-top commercial liner holds itself on nothing and has to be cuffed. Neither is better; they are for different cans, and paying for a drawstring you do not need is as wasteful as not having one you do.

The most common mistake at this size is reaching for the box already in the cupboard. It does not work, and the reason is geometry rather than volume. Published 13-gallon bags run roughly 24 inches wide by 27 to 31 inches tall: Glad's tall kitchen drawstring is 24 by 27.38 inches at 0.95 mil, Hefty's Strong is 23.75 by 27 at 0.9 mil, and Plasticplace's 13-gallon drawstring is 24 by 31 at 1.2 mil.

Now put a 27-inch bag into a 30-inch-tall can. Roughly three inches of bag has to fold over the rim before the bag is held at all, and the bag is now effectively 24 inches of usable depth in a can that is 29 inches deep. It does not reach. The first full load pulls the drawstring off the rim and the bag disappears inside, which is the exact failure people describe as "my bag keeps falling in". Why your trash bag doesn't fit is the full mechanism.

Going up a size is the fix, and the step is bigger than it looks: from 13 gallons to 20 is a 54% increase in volume and several inches of height. That is why Hefty's own claim for the XL bag is that it holds 50% more than its 13-gallon bag - the brand is describing the gap between the two sizes rather than making a strength claim.

Every entry carries a stated drawback, because at this size the bags are more alike than the marketing suggests and the drawbacks are where the decision actually lives.

01 — Best overall

Hefty Ultra Strong 20 Gallon XL Tall Kitchen Trash Bags, Lavender Vanilla, 80 Count

The one 20-gallon bag a household brand makes in a useful count, dimensioned tall rather than wide so it reaches the rim of a kitchen can.

Capacity

20 gallons / 75.7 liters

Count

80 bags

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

Lavender Vanilla

Gauge

Not published at this size

Manufacturer claim

Holds 50% more than a 13-gallon bag

Twenty gallons is a size the bag aisle mostly skips, and the gap matters because a 20-gallon kitchen can gets its extra volume from height - 29 to 32 inches of it - so a 13-gallon bag physically cannot reach the rim. This is Hefty's answer: an extra-tall version of the Ultra Strong drawstring in an 80-count. Hefty's own claim on the listing is that it holds 50% more than its 13-gallon bag, which is the right way to read it. This is a taller bag, not a wider one.

What we'd flag: Hefty publishes no gauge and no bag dimensions for this size, which is frustrating given that its 13-gallon Strong bag is sold on a published 0.9 mil at 23.75 by 27 inches and its 30-gallon Ultra Strong on 1.1 mil at 30 by 33 inches. It is also scented, and lavender vanilla in a 20-gallon can is a lot of perfume at close range.

$22.99 · View on Amazon

$24.99 · 8% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

02 — Best brand alternative

Glad ForceFlex MaxStrength RipGuard Kitchen Trash Bags, 20 Gallon, Gain Original Scent, 80 Count

Glad's 20-gallon ForceFlex in the same 80-count as the Hefty, with the brand's reinforced-seam film in place of a published thickness.

Capacity

20 gallons / 75.7 liters

Count

80 bags

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

Gain Original

Film

ForceFlex MaxStrength with RipGuard

Gauge

Not published at this size

If the Hefty is out of stock, or you have had bad luck with its seams, this is the straight substitute: same capacity, same count, same drawstring, different film strategy. Glad's approach with ForceFlex is a stretchy film that gives rather than resists, with the RipGuard reinforcement aimed at the tear that starts at the drawstring hem. At 20 gallons the load is heavy enough that the hem is a genuine failure point rather than a marketing one.

What we'd flag: Glad does not print a mil figure either, so you cannot compare it with the Hefty on anything but the brands' own language. It is also strongly scented - Gain Original is a laundry fragrance and it behaves like one in a warm kitchen. Glad sells unscented ForceFlex in other sizes but we could not find one at 20 gallons.

$25.91 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

03 — Best heavy gauge

T.FORING 21 Gallon Tall Kitchen Trash Bags, Drawstring, 1.7 Mil, 120 Count

A 21-gallon drawstring bag with a published 1.7 mil gauge - the one pick here you can actually compare on a number.

Capacity

21 gallons / 79.5 liters

Count

120 bags

Gauge

1.7 mil (seller-stated)

Closure

Drawstring

This is the bag to buy when the can holds cat litter, yard waste, broken-down packaging or anything with a corner on it. Twenty gallons of waste is heavy, and a heavy bag fails at the side seam on the lift rather than at the bottom, which is the failure that ends up on your floor. A stated 1.7 mil is roughly double the 0.9 mil Hefty prints on its 13-gallon bag, and the 120-count brings the cost per bag well below the supermarket brands.

What we'd flag: the 1.7 mil figure is the seller's own claim with no independent audit behind it, and marketplace gauge numbers are not always measured the same way. This is also more bag than a normal kitchen needs - if your 20-gallon can takes paper and packaging, you are paying for strength you will not use.

$29.99 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

04 — Best unscented

EKO 21 Gallon / 50-90 Liter Drawstring Trash Bags, Unscented, 60 Count

An unscented 21-gallon drawstring bag from a can maker, which is why it states a 50-90 liter fit range rather than a nominal capacity.

Capacity

21 gallons

Fits cans

50-90 liters (manufacturer figure)

Count

60 bags

Scent

None

Closure

Drawstring, dispense roll

The useful thing here is the labeling. EKO builds cans, so its bags are specified against the thing they go into - 50 to 90 liters - and that is a far more actionable number than "21 gallon" when your can is sold in liters. It is also genuinely unscented, which matters more at this size than at eight gallons: a big can means a big surface of perfumed film in the room.

What we'd flag: no gauge is published, the 60-count is the smallest box on this page so the cost per bag is high, and the stated range is wide enough that at the 90-liter end you are relying on the drawstring stretching. EKO also sells a 110-count Code G version rated for 15-23 gallon cans if you want the same idea in a real count.

$18.55 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

05 — Best bulk count

Teivio 20 Gallon Large Drawstring Trash Bags, Fits 18-20 Gallon Cans, 120 Count

The high-count option: 120 drawstring bags stated to fit 18-20 gallon cans, which is the narrowest fit claim anybody makes at this size.

Capacity

20 gallons

Stated fit

18-20 gallon cans

Count

120 bags

Closure

Drawstring

Gauge

Not published

Counts are the whole economic story at 20 gallons. Household brands sell this size in 80s at best and often in 20s, so the cost per bag runs well above the 13-gallon aisle. A 120-count fixes that. The stated 18-20 gallon fit is also a narrower and more honest claim than a bare "20 gallon", and narrow is what you want - a bag with too much slack slumps into the can, and one with too little will not fold over the rim.

What we'd flag: no gauge figure, no bag dimensions, and Teivio is a marketplace brand with no spec page to check, so there is nothing to verify the fit claim against except the listing itself. Buy one box before you commit to a case.

$26.99 · View on Amazon

$30.99 · 13% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

06 — Best commercial liner

Plasticplace 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 1.2 Mil, Black, 30 x 36 in, 125 Count

The liner to buy for a round 20-gallon utility can: 30 by 36 inches flat, 1.2 mil, with both numbers printed instead of a nominal gallon figure.

Capacity

20-30 gallons

Flat size

30 x 36 inches

Gauge

1.2 mil

Count

125 liners

Closure

None (flat top)

This is the other product that comes back when you search for 20-gallon bags, and it is a completely different object from a tall kitchen drawstring bag. Thirty inches flat gives roughly a 19-inch diameter, which is the width of a round 20-gallon utility container, and 36 inches of height gives you the cuff to fold over a rim with no retaining ring. Plasticplace printing both the gauge and the flat size is the reason this takes the pick over the dozen unbranded cases beside it.

What we'd flag: there is no drawstring, so in an open-top can it will slide unless you cuff it over the rim - and in a tall, narrow 20-gallon kitchen can it is the wrong shape entirely and will pool in the bottom. This is a drum and cart liner, not a kitchen bag.

$31.69 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

07 — Best cost per liner

Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 Count

A 100-count case of 30 by 36 inch high-density liners, sold under a reorderable part number, at the lowest cost per bag here.

Capacity

20-30 gallons

Flat size

30 x 36 inches

Film

High density, stated 1.5 mil equivalent

Count

100 liners

Part number

RL-3036XH

Closure

None (flat top)

High-density film is thin and stiff rather than thick and stretchy, which makes it very good at resisting punctures from packaging and poor at stretching around an awkward load. For a garage can, a recycling station or a workshop bin that mostly swallows cardboard, that trade is the right way round, and the per-bag cost is a fraction of a drawstring kitchen bag. The RL-3036XH part number is also the kind of thing that lets you reorder the identical bag in two years.

What we'd flag: "1.5 mil equivalent" is not 1.5 mil. It is the industry's way of saying a thinner high-density film performs like a thicker low-density one, and the actual gauge is substantially less. High-density film is also noisy, tears from a nick rather than stretching, and has no drawstring at all.

$18.46 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Mil is thousandths of an inch of film. At 13 gallons a 0.9 mil bag is fine for a normal kitchen, because a full 13-gallon bag weighs what one hand can carry. At 20 gallons the same film is holding half again as much weight, and the failure mode changes: a 13-gallon bag usually splits at the bottom, a 20-gallon bag splits at the side seam as it is lifted out, which puts the contents on the floor between the can and the door.

• Under 1.0 mil low-density is a paper, packaging and bathroom-waste bag. Perfectly adequate for an office can or a bedroom can at this size, and marginal for a kitchen.
• 1.0 to 1.3 mil low-density is the band a 20-gallon kitchen can actually wants. It survives being dragged, carries wet waste, and gives at the seam rather than splitting.
• 1.5 mil and up is contractor film. Worth it for construction debris, renovation waste and anything with a cut edge; wasted on household trash.
• High-density "mil equivalent" is a different material, not a thicker one. High-density film resists punctures and hates stretching, which is right for cardboard-heavy garage waste and wrong for a kitchen.
• No published figure is the most common case at this size. It does not mean a bad bag - it means you cannot compare it, and you should assume it sits at the lower end until it proves otherwise.

The one caution on seller-stated gauges: a marketplace listing's mil number is the seller's own claim and nobody audits it. A household brand that prints nothing and a marketplace brand that prints 1.7 are not directly comparable, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we can say is that a brand willing to commit to a number expects the film to hold up.

Twenty gallons is the size where count discipline saves more money than brand choice. We do not print prices here - the buy buttons read the live price on the day you load the page - but the shape of the arithmetic is stable: the same bag costs roughly twice as much per unit in a 20-count dispenser box as it does in a 120-count case, and the gap between the cheapest and dearest bag on this page per unit is wider than the gap between any two brands at the same count.

1. Count your bags per year. A 20-gallon kitchen can emptied every other day is about 180 bags. Emptied twice a week, about 100. A garage can is a dozen.
2. Divide every box price by its count, for the same bag. Do this once and the right box is obvious forever.
3. Buy the largest count you will get through in about a year. Film stored longer, especially somewhere warm, does not improve.
4. Only then compare brands. A premium bag in a 120-count usually beats a budget bag in a 60-count on both cost and performance.

The two that win on this arithmetic: the Teivio 120-count for a tall kitchen can, the Aluf 100-count case for a round utility can.

Best bulk count

Teivio 20 Gallon Large Drawstring Trash Bags, Fits 18-20 Gallon Cans, 120 Count

The high-count option: 120 drawstring bags stated to fit 18-20 gallon cans, which is the narrowest fit claim anybody makes at this size.

$26.99 · View on Amazon

$30.99 · 13% off · Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Best cost per liner

Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH 20-30 Gallon Can Liners, 30 x 36 in, 100 Count

A 100-count case of 30 by 36 inch high-density liners, sold under a reorderable part number, at the lowest cost per bag here.

$18.46 · View on Amazon

Price as of November 14, 2026.  #ad How we make money

The honest conclusion: at 20 gallons, getting the family right and then the count right matters more than which brand's name is on the box. All seven bags here will line a can. Only some of them will line *your* can, and only some will do it without costing you double.

• A 20 or 21-gallon kitchen step can. Hefty Ultra Strong 20 Gallon XL, 80-count. If the can is the household's only can and takes food waste, step up to the T.FORING at a stated 1.7 mil instead.
• A large-family kitchen can emptied daily. The Teivio 120-count, because you are buying bags constantly and the per-bag cost is the whole decision. The best kitchen trash cans for large families covers the cans that go with it.
• A 20-gallon can in a nursery, bedroom or office. The EKO unscented. A big surface of perfumed film in a room you sleep in is worse than the smell it is covering.
• A round 20-gallon utility can in a garage. Aluf Plastics RL-3036XH. High-density film and cardboard are made for each other, and nobody needs a drawstring on a garage can. The best garage trash cans is the matching page.
• A can with a liner ring or bag rings. Either family, sized up, so there is film to hide under the ring. The ring is doing the holding, so you can stop paying for a drawstring.
• A 32-gallon curbside cart. None of these. That is a 30-33 gallon bag, and what size bags fit a 64 or 96 gallon cart covers the sizes above it.

And the free one: do not overfill a 20-gallon bag. Twenty gallons of household waste is already at the edge of what one person can lift cleanly, and a bag stretched past its drawstring is how an unpublished gauge finds its limit.

Twenty-gallon liners are one of the sizes where bulk buying pays for itself fastest - the best bulk trash bags compares the big boxes by count and closure.