The best 8 gallon trash bags

Buy the Glad Medium Drawstring 8 Gallon in the 80-count. It is the bag this size is built around: about 21-5/8 inches wide by 23 inches tall, dimensioned to a 30-liter can rather than to a shelf label, and stocked everywhere. Buy the fragrance-free Glad if a scented liner in a bathroom is the thing that bothers you, the T.FORING 1.2 mil if you need a genuinely strong bag, and the Plasticplace 200-count if you go through them fast enough to justify a case. The Amazon Basics flap tie is the cheapest per bag and the compromise is in the closure.

#	Product	Best for	Price
01	Glad Medium Drawstring Trash Bags, 8 Gallon, Fresh Clean with Febreze, 80 CountThe default 8-gallon drawstring bag: widely stocked, sized to a real 8-gallon can, and sold in a count that lasts a household months.	Best overall	$14.89 · View on Amazon Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money
02	Glad Medium Trash Bags, 8 Gallon, Fragrance Free with Drawstring, 26 CountGlad's medium drawstring in a fragrance-free version - the one to buy if a scented liner in a small room is the thing that bothers you.	Best unscented	$9.49 · View on Amazon Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money
03	T.FORING Medium 8 Gallon Drawstring Trash Bags, 1.2 Mil, Unscented, 100 CountAn unscented 8-gallon drawstring bag at a stated 1.2 mil - roughly the thickest film published at this size, in a 100-count.	Best heavy-duty	$15.29 · View on Amazon $16.99 · 10% off · Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money
04	Amazon Basics 8 Gallon Flap Tie Trash Bags, Fresh Scent, 80 CountThe budget 80-count at this size, closing with flap ties rather than a drawstring.	Best cheap in bulk	$13.10 · View on Amazon Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money
05	Hefty 8 Gallon Medium Trash Bags, White, Fabuloso Lavender Scent, 26 CountHefty's medium drawstring in a 26-count - the low-commitment box, and the one most likely to be on a shelf near you.	Best small box to try	$5.75 · View on Amazon Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money
06	Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 CountA 200-count case of unscented 8-gallon drawstring liners at a stated 0.7 mil - the lowest cost per bag here if you actually use them.	Best bulk buy	$23.49 · View on Amazon Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money
07	Teivio 8 Gallon Strong Drawstring Trash Bags, Black, 115 CountA black 8-gallon drawstring liner in a 115-count - the pick when the can is open-topped or the contents are nobody's business.	Best opaque liner	$14.59 · View on Amazon Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

If you are not yet sure 8 gallons is your size, settle that first - 8 gallon versus 13 gallon trash cans is the comparison, and the answer turns on how fast your household fills a bag, not on how much floor you have.

Four criteria, in the order they decide whether you keep buying a bag. We do not run a tear-strength lab and we have not put these through one, so where a claim would need equipment to verify, we say what the manufacturer publishes and label it as theirs. Our full methodology is here.

1. Does it fit a 30-liter can without sliding? This is the whole problem at this size. A bag cut for a nominal 8 gallons and a can sold as 8 gallons are not dimensioned to each other, and the failure mode is the liner dropping inside the bin by evening. Published width and height beat a gallon number every time.
2. Is a gauge published? Mil thickness is the single most useful number on a box of bags and most supermarket brands at this size do not print it. A brand that publishes one is telling you it expects the film to hold up. We treat a published figure as a point in a bag's favor even before we know whether it is high.
3. Drawstring or ties? A drawstring grips the rim of the can and holds the bag up; ties do not. On a can with no retaining ring that difference is the entire experience of owning the bag.
4. Cost per bag, not cost per box. At this size the same bag is sold in 20, 26, 80, 100, 115 and 200 counts, and the per-bag cost swings by more than a factor of two across them. The small boxes are a trap unless you are sampling.

Thirteen gallons is the size the American bag industry standardized on, and everything else is an afterthought. The 13-gallon tall kitchen bag has published dimensions, a dozen competing brands, bulk pricing and constant shelf space. Eight gallons - the size that lines a bathroom bin, a bedroom bin, an office bin, a small-kitchen pull-out - gets one facing and a shelf label.

The practical consequences are specific. Gauge is usually not printed. Dimensions are usually not printed. Counts are small, so the per-bag cost is high. And because nobody is competing hard at this size, the main point of difference between the big brands is which perfume is in the film, which is not a point of difference at all.

The arithmetic that makes it worth caring: an 8-gallon can gets emptied roughly twice as often as a 13-gallon one, because it holds roughly half as much. So you buy about twice the bags per year at a higher cost each. The size that looks cheaper to run is usually the more expensive one, and the only lever you have is buying in a sensible count.

Eight gallons is 30.3 liters, or about 32 US quarts. In practice an 8-gallon drawstring bag lines a can rated anywhere from about 23 to 30 liters, because the drawstring needs some slack to close over the rim. One of the better sellers on this page states that range explicitly, which is more useful than a gallon figure and is the kind of thing more brands should print.

Where people go wrong is reaching for a 13-gallon tall kitchen bag because it is what is in the cupboard. It will go into an 8-gallon can - and then overhang the rim by several inches, look wrong under the lid, and waste about a third of the film on every change. Over a year in a bin emptied every other day that is a real amount of plastic and money thrown away unused. Why your trash bag doesn't fit is the mechanism behind all of this.

Going the other way - a 4-gallon bag in an 8-gallon can - fails differently and worse: the bag disappears inside the can under the first heavy thing you put in it, and you discover this by putting your hand in. If your can sits between sizes, size up and accept the overhang rather than down. The full ladder of bag sizes sets out where the real gaps are.

Every entry below carries a stated drawback, because at this size the differences are small and the drawbacks are where the decision actually lives.

01 — Best overall

Glad Medium Drawstring Trash Bags, 8 Gallon, Fresh Clean with Febreze, 80 Count

The default 8-gallon drawstring bag: widely stocked, sized to a real 8-gallon can, and sold in a count that lasts a household months.

Capacity

8 gallons / 30.3 liters

Count

80 bags

Dimensions

21-5/8" W x 23" H (retailer-published)

Gauge

About 0.75 mil

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

Fresh Clean with Febreze

At this size the hard part is availability, not engineering - most stores carry one 8-gallon facing and it is usually this. Glad's medium drawstring measures about 21-5/8 inches wide by 23 inches tall at roughly 0.75 mil, which is dimensioned to a 30-liter can rather than to a nominal number, so the drawstring closes on the rim instead of hanging four inches over it. The 80-count box is the one to buy: the per-bag cost drops sharply against the 26-count and an 8-gallon can gets emptied often.

What we'd flag: it is scented, and the Febreze perfume is strong in a small bathroom or a closed cabinet. If you are sensitive to fragrance buy the fragrance-free version instead - it is the same bag. At 0.75 mil this is also a light film; it is fine for paper and packaging and marginal for anything sharp.

$14.89 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

02 — Best unscented

Glad Medium Trash Bags, 8 Gallon, Fragrance Free with Drawstring, 26 Count

Glad's medium drawstring in a fragrance-free version - the one to buy if a scented liner in a small room is the thing that bothers you.

Capacity

8 gallons / 30.3 liters

Count

26 bags

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

None

Almost every 8-gallon bag on a shelf is scented, because the size lives in bathrooms and bedrooms and the category has decided that smells should be covered rather than removed. This is the exception. Same dimensions and the same drawstring as the Febreze version, with nothing added. In a bathroom cabinet or a nursery, where the bag sits inches from where you breathe, that is the difference between a liner you notice and one you do not.

What we'd flag: it is sold in a 26-count rather than the 80, so the per-bag cost is noticeably higher and you will reorder more often. A fragrance-free bag also does nothing about odor at all - the perfume was never fixing it either, but at least it was pretending. If smell is the actual problem, the fix is emptying sooner and cleaning the can.

$9.49 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

03 — Best heavy-duty

T.FORING Medium 8 Gallon Drawstring Trash Bags, 1.2 Mil, Unscented, 100 Count

An unscented 8-gallon drawstring bag at a stated 1.2 mil - roughly the thickest film published at this size, in a 100-count.

Capacity

8 gallons

Count

100 bags

Gauge

1.2 mil (seller's figure)

Stated fit

23-30 liter bins

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

None

The thing the name brands will not tell you at this size is the gauge. Glad's medium runs about 0.75 mil; this states 1.2. That difference is what decides whether a broken jar or a chicken carcass goes through the bottom on the walk to the curb. It is also unscented and the seller states a fit range in liters - 23 to 30 - which is more useful than a gallon number, because a 30-liter can is where most 8-gallon cans actually sit.

What we'd flag: this is a marketplace brand, not a household one, so availability and film quality are less predictable from order to order than Glad or Hefty. The stated 1.2 mil is the seller's own figure and we have no way to verify it independently. Buy one pack before you buy a case.

$15.29 · View on Amazon

$16.99 · 10% off · Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

04 — Best cheap in bulk

Amazon Basics 8 Gallon Flap Tie Trash Bags, Fresh Scent, 80 Count

The budget 80-count at this size, closing with flap ties rather than a drawstring.

Capacity

8 gallons

Count

80 bags

Closure

Flap ties

Scent

Fresh scent

A drawstring is a convenience, not a requirement, and dropping it is most of why this costs less per bag than the branded drawstring boxes. For a bin that is emptied straight into an outdoor cart - an office bin, a bedroom bin, a workshop bin - the ties are completely adequate and you tie a tighter knot than a drawstring ever manages. The 80-count keeps the per-bag cost down at a size where small boxes are the norm.

What we'd flag: flap ties do not grip the rim. A drawstring bag holds itself on the lip of a can; a flap-tie bag slides down inside it the moment anything heavy goes in, which is the exact complaint that sends people looking for a better liner. If your can has no retaining ring, buy the drawstring.

$13.10 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

05 — Best small box to try

Hefty 8 Gallon Medium Trash Bags, White, Fabuloso Lavender Scent, 26 Count

Hefty's medium drawstring in a 26-count - the low-commitment box, and the one most likely to be on a shelf near you.

Capacity

8 gallons

Count

26 bags

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

Fabuloso lavender

If you have just bought a small can and you do not yet know whether an 8-gallon liner fits it properly, this is the box to buy first. It is a drawstring bag from a brand that has to stand behind it, in a count small enough that getting it wrong costs very little. Hefty's scent system is a continuous-release additive rather than a top note, which in practice means it is less sharp on opening than the Glad bleach-scented bags and more persistent over a week.

What we'd flag: the per-bag cost in a 26-count is the worst on this page by a wide margin, so this is a sampler rather than a standing order. Hefty does not publish a gauge for its medium bags either, which at this size matters more than the brands admit. And Fabuloso lavender is a committed perfume - try one before you commit a case.

$5.75 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

06 — Best bulk buy

Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 Count

A 200-count case of unscented 8-gallon drawstring liners at a stated 0.7 mil - the lowest cost per bag here if you actually use them.

Capacity

8 gallons

Count

200 bags

Gauge

0.7 mil (manufacturer's figure)

Closure

Drawstring

Scent

None

Plasticplace is a liner supplier rather than a supermarket brand, which shows in two ways that matter: it publishes a mil figure, and it sells in counts built for places that go through bags. At 200 to a case the per-bag cost is the lowest on this page. Unscented, drawstring, and sized to an 8-gallon can rather than to a shelf label.

What we'd flag: 0.7 mil is a light film - lighter than the Glad medium - so this is a volume-and-price pick, not a strength pick. Two hundred bags is also a two-year supply for a single bathroom bin, and a box of liners stored in a hot garage for two years does not improve. Buy the case for a busy kitchen or an office, not for a guest bathroom.

$23.49 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

07 — Best opaque liner

Teivio 8 Gallon Strong Drawstring Trash Bags, Black, 115 Count

A black 8-gallon drawstring liner in a 115-count - the pick when the can is open-topped or the contents are nobody's business.

Capacity

8 gallons

Count

115 bags

Closure

Drawstring

Color

Black, opaque

Scent

None stated

Most 8-gallon bags are white or translucent, and in an open-top bathroom or office bin that means the contents are on display. An opaque black liner solves a problem that the white bags simply do not address, and it is the standard choice in a bathroom, a bedroom, a home office or a rental where the can has no lid. The 115-count sits between the supermarket boxes and a full case on cost per bag.

What we'd flag: no gauge is published, so you are buying on the word "strong" rather than a number. A black liner also hides a leak until it has reached the floor, which is the trade you make for privacy - check the base of the can when you change it rather than assuming.

$14.59 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Mil is thousandths of an inch of film. For context, the Glad medium drawstring runs at about 0.75 mil according to retailer spec data, Plasticplace prints 0.7 on its case, and T.FORING states 1.2. Hefty and Amazon Basics publish nothing at this size.

• Under 0.8 mil is a paper-and-packaging bag. Perfectly adequate for a bathroom, an office or a bedroom bin, which is most of what 8-gallon cans are used for.
• 0.9 to 1.2 mil is where a bag survives bones, broken glass wrapped in paper, and being dragged rather than carried. If your small can is a kitchen prep bin, this is the band to buy in.
• Over 1.5 mil at this size is a contractor-grade film and you are paying for strength you will not use in a 30-liter bin.
• No published figure 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.

One caution on seller-stated gauges: a marketplace listing's mil figure is the seller's claim and there is no independent audit of it. We report what is published and label whose figure it is. A household brand that prints nothing and a marketplace brand that prints 1.2 are not directly comparable, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

The drawstring is worth the premium in exactly one situation, and it is the common one: a can with no retaining ring. The drawstring pulls the bag's mouth over the rim and friction does the rest. A flap-tie bag has nothing to hold it, so the first heavy item drags it down inside the can, the bag edge disappears, and you are reaching into the bin to pull it back up.

If your can has a liner ring, a bag ring, or a lid that clamps the liner edge, the drawstring is doing nothing and you are paying for it. That describes most mid-market and premium cans, and in that case the flap tie is the better buy on cost alone. Look at your own can before you choose - it is a thirty-second check that changes which bag is right for you.

The third option nobody mentions: a flap-tie bag plus a binder clip on the rim works, costs nothing, and is invisible under a lid. We mention it on how to keep a trash can from sliding for the same reason - a lot of can problems have a two-dollar answer.

This is where most of the money is, and it is the one thing the shelf actively hides. We do not print prices on this site - the buy buttons read the live price on the day you load the page - but the shape of the arithmetic does not change: at this size the same bag costs roughly twice as much per unit in a 26-count box as it does in an 80, and a 200-count case is cheaper again.

1. Work out how many bags a year you use. A bathroom bin emptied twice a week is about 100 bags. A small kitchen bin emptied daily is 365.
2. Divide the box price by the count, for every size of the same bag. Do this once and the right box becomes obvious and stays obvious.
3. Buy the biggest count you will get through in about a year. Film stored longer than that, especially somewhere warm, does not improve.
4. Then and only then compare brands. A cheaper brand in a small box is usually more expensive than a premium brand in a big one.

The honest conclusion: at 8 gallons, choosing the right count matters more than choosing the right brand. All seven bags on this page will line your can. Only some of them will do it without costing you double.

The two that win on this arithmetic: the Glad 80-count for a household, the Plasticplace 200-count case if you genuinely get through them.

Best overall

Glad Medium Drawstring Trash Bags, 8 Gallon, Fresh Clean with Febreze, 80 Count

The default 8-gallon drawstring bag: widely stocked, sized to a real 8-gallon can, and sold in a count that lasts a household months.

$14.89 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

Best bulk buy

Plasticplace 8 Gallon Trash Bags, White Drawstring Liners, 0.7 Mil, 200 Count

A 200-count case of unscented 8-gallon drawstring liners at a stated 0.7 mil - the lowest cost per bag here if you actually use them.

$23.49 · View on Amazon

Price as of October 27, 2026.  #ad How we make money

• Bathroom. The fragrance-free Glad if anyone in the house dislikes perfume, the black Teivio if the can is open-topped and the contents are nobody's business.
• Small kitchen or prep bin. The T.FORING at a stated 1.2 mil. This is the one room where an 8-gallon bag meets wet and sharp waste, and gauge earns its money.
• Home office or bedroom. The Amazon Basics flap tie. Paper and packaging, emptied into a bigger can, no need to pay for a drawstring.
• Nursery or sickroom. Fragrance-free, changed daily, and the fix is frequency rather than film. Trash can versus diaper pail is the honest version of that decision.
• A busy small kitchen you run like a business. The Plasticplace case, and stop thinking about it for a year.

And the free one: whichever bag you buy, do not overfill it. An 8-gallon liner stretched past its drawstring is how a 0.75 mil film finds its limit, and the failure always happens between the can and the door.