How Big Is A Quart Sized Bag

Final Updated on December 18, 2020

A first glance it seems perfectly reasonable for the TSA to enquire people to pack carry-on toiletry liquids in a quart size handbag when flying.

That is until you realize the geniuses at the TSA take unwittingly asked the general public to solve a then far unsolved math problem when determining the sizes of Ziplock bag they can use. Nosotros only want to bring liquids on planes not play at being Good Volition Hunting!

Y'all see, if you lot have a flat 2-dimensional Ziplock bag and put things within it, it starts to take on a really complicated geometric shape that makes information technology incredibly difficult to accurately calculate the book of the bag.

Thankfully we don't really need to be accurate! Not fifty-fifty slightly accurate. The whole TSA quart purse rules are a bit of a mess actually.

And so How Big Is A Quart-Sized Pocketbook?

The @AskTSA service on Twitter gets asked endless variations on this question!

What is a quart size bag?
What are the dimensions of a quart-sized bag?
What size baggie for behave on liquids?
What size bag for toiletries?
What size of baggie for liquids & gels?

And they about ever copy and paste the same answer:

Here's another instance:

Then the official TSA answer goes similar this:

Nosotros don't approve or endore whatsoever detail products. As long as the toiletry bag is the gauge dimensions of a quart-sized pocketbook (6″ 10 ix″), you'll be skillful to go through the checkpoint. Pls remove the toiletry bag from your carry-on & place it in a dissever bin for X-ray screening at security.
Send Security Administration

So nifty, they have a cut and past answer, only it'due south a bit lame.

There are lots of clear 1-quart bags that have other dimensions. And you don't ever happen to have a vi ten nine plastic purse handy when you are packing your liquids for in your deport-on bag.

What about all the other sizes of ziplock bags? Are they 1 quart or nether?

Don't worry TravelingLight.com has you covered!

Flat Quart Size Bag Dimensions Reckoner

This figurer that I created below doesn't precisely summate the volume capacity of a quart-sized toiletry bag, but information technology'south close enough.

It's sort of hacked together to give you something yous can use when you travel. It was created using the TSA'southward assertion that a vi x 9 inch Ziplock bag is quart sized to create the formula.

Go ahead and adjust the dimensions of the ziploc bag to find out if it'southward quart-sized and TSA approved.

1 Quarts

Length: 6 inches

Width: nine inches

Yous tin can see that in that location are numerous sizes of baggies that are ane-quart capacity.

The sandwich bag is a one-half-decent substitute when packing liquids in your manus baggage. It's 6.5 x v.viii inches and 0.7 quarts. So if you lot are using a sandwich bag you'll accept 70% of the maximum space of taking liquids on planes.

Here is the root of the problem in my opinion…

When the TSA says "quart-sized" they don't really mean a bag that has a volume capacity of 1 quart or 946 ml.

Quart size technically means, a quarter of a gallon. But while it's a liquids handbag you are not filling information technology up with h2o from the tap. You're filling it with bottles and containers. So you won't fit a quarter of a gallon of toiletries in your quart bag. Check this post to see how many bottles you can actually fit when planning your packing list.

The TSA just desire you lot to use a lilliputian plastic bag roughly the same size every bit those sold and marketed as a quart bags. They desire information technology to exist articulate plastic so your items are easily inspected. They want to be able to run into the 3.4 oz bottles or containers that yous packed inside. That's how the rules were initially set up (because of terrorists trying to take liquid explosives on to a airplane in 2006) and I doubtfulness much thought has been given to them since.

Surely, there must be a improve system than unsustainable plastic bags in 2020 and it's fourth dimension the TSA revisited their guidelines to make this clearer.

Although it inappreciably seems worth worrying about the environmental impact of the plastic TSA liquids bag when you are well-nigh to fly in an airplane and dump vast amounts of co2 into the temper.

Still, it is better to reuse your handbag and in that instance, you might desire a toiletries bag that is a little more substantial.

The Myth of "TSA Approved" Quart Sized Bags

If you're going to purchase a articulate toiletry bag that is more sturdy you're going to want to brand sure that it complies with the rules. It should be easy to find something right?

Erm… non in this crazy world.

The TSA approves of whatsoever articulate quart size bag. Merely they don't become around issuing a stamp of approval to manufacturers.

If they did many of the bags that claim to be "TSA canonical" would fail miserably…

For not actually existence quart-sized.

Oftentimes these bags have a gusset. While they might be smaller than vi x ix inches on the confront they are over 1-quart volume because of the depth.

Allow'southward accept this bag as an example. Currently, the top-selling TSA Approved Quart Sized bag on Amazon.

Because it'due south a rectangle it's relatively easy to estimate the book of the bag.

vii.2 * five * two = 72 cubic inches.

72 cubic inches is 1.25 quarts, so information technology's 25 % too big to qualify every bit TSA approved!

Information technology doesn't stop them press "quart-sized bag" on the product though.

Most of the bags that look like this are oversized and sometimes not only by a little.

And all the same does it really matter? I guess that depends on how strict the TSA is nigh enforcing their liquids bag rule at the security checkpoint.

How Strict Are The TSA About Quart Sized Bags?

Not very!

This is the part where you discover out all your worrying was probably a waste material of time.

At the end of the day, it comes downwards to the judgment of the TSA officer who inspects your toiletries bag.

And in general, they are not looking very closely at the chapters of your toiletries bag.

You merely need to look at the reviews on Amazon to see that while it's well-nigh incommunicable to find a clear transparent "TSA compliant" quart pocketbook that'south actually 1-quart size they all accept happy customers regardless.

Almost everyone is getting abroad with it!

Occasionally someone like Kate does get into trouble:

Or Crystal:

If yous practice desire to try to travel with a larger toiletries pocketbook I recommend ownership one that isn't apartment. It'due south much less noticeable and the dimensions are unlikely to be checked if the front-facing dimensions of the bag are roughly vi x 9.

You'd probably flit through with a bag that was 6 x ix x 2 inches which is virtually 2 quarts!

The TSA security officers just eyeball it and so long as information technology'due south about the shape of a paperback book information technology'll pass.

There is no measuring or mathematical modeling involved!

FAQs

How Many Quart Size Numberless Tin Yous Carry On a Plane?

You can only conduct on 1 liquids bag per passenger in your hand luggage.

Do All Conduct On Liquids Accept To Be In A Quart Size Bag?

Pretty much yep. All liquids must be stored in bottles or containers less than 100 ml or iii.four oz. You tin take 1 baggie. And it'southward only one pocketbook per person.

If you want to take liquids that are greater than iii.4 oz you need to pack them in checked luggage. The only exceptions to this dominion are baby formula, breast milk, or juice for infants.

Can I Bring A Gallon Bag At The Drome?

A gallon bag is 4 quarts. You might have problems using such a large baggie, fifty-fifty if it's simply a quarter full of your liquid items.

The Verdict

Why should manufacturers care well-nigh correctly sizing their toiletries bags if the TSA doesn't intendance?

They shouldn't. They will sell more toiletry bags if they supply larger bags that tin hold more liquids.

If a tiny percentage of passengers have a problem it won't hurt their profits when 99% of travelers get away with it.

The "3-1-1 rule" isn't really a dominion… It'south a dominion of pollex. The TSA officers aren't standing around with measuring tapes to measure your liquids bag. Information technology's simply enormous violations of the 3-1-1 rule that get noticed.

This makes sense because if the TSA suddenly started rigorously enforcing quart bag rules the lines at security would be massive!

It's much less noticeable to use a bag with a gusset to increment size than a huge looking apartment purse similar a gallon ziploc.

Then it depends on you…

Practice you want to be 100% compliant? Or do yous want to try to sneak through some extra liquids like so many other travel mavericks?

Incidentally, while y'all are worrying about the dimensions of your quart size bag roughly x people turn up at the security check-point every mean solar day in the US with a loaded firearm. Go figure!