If you are launching a premium tea brand or upgrading your existing packaging line, you have likely encountered the “pyramid problem”.

You know you want that triangular tea strainer—it allows the tea leaves to unfurl fully, releasing their aroma, and it looks beautiful in the cup. But when you research the material options for tea strainers, you can quickly become confused. Suppliers frequently use terms like “nylon,” “PLA,” “corn fiber,” and “Soilon.”

Which is better? Which is safer? Which would your customer prefer?

Tonchant supplies rolls of all these materials (as well as the machines for packaging them), so we can provide you with an honest and unbiased analysis of their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Old standard: Nylon
For a long time, food-grade nylon (PA) has been the king of pyramid-shaped tea bags.

Appearance: It is extremely transparent, and every detail of the tea leaves is clearly visible. It also has a sheen and a smooth, almost silky feel.

Advantages: Nylon material is tough and durable, performs excellently on high-speed packaging machines, and rarely breaks.

The problem is: it’s plastic. Nylon is no longer popular in the high-end market as consumers become increasingly aware of microplastics and environmental pollution. It’s not biodegradable. If your brand’s philosophy is “healthy” or “natural,” then using nylon mesh seems contradictory, and savvy consumers may question it.

2. Environmental Hero: PLA (Corn Fiber)
First, let’s clarify a common misconception: PLA and corn fiber are usually the same thing.

PLA (polylactic acid) is a bioplastic made from renewable plant starch, most commonly corn starch (hence the name “corn fiber”).

Appearance: High-quality PLA mesh fabric looks almost identical to nylon. It has excellent transparency and a premium silky texture.

Advantages: It is biodegradable and compostable (under industrial conditions). When burned, it does not emit the odor of toxic plastics, but rather a faint smell of burning plants.

Market Status: Currently, PLA packaging is the gold standard for premium tea. If you sell high-end loose-leaf tea in bags, customers expect to see PLA packaging. This indicates that your packaging quality matches the quality of your tea.

3. The “Soilon” factor
You may have heard of the word “Soilon”. It is actually a specific brand of PLA mesh fabric in Japan. It is known for its excellent quality, but it is essentially a PLA/corn fiber material.

The Comparison: Nylon vs. PLA

A note on manufacturing (crucial for B2B)
Whether you choose nylon or PLA, there is one technical detail you cannot ignore: sealing technology.

Both of these mesh materials are designed for ultrasonic sealing, not for traditional heat sealing.

Why? The principle of heat sealing is to melt the material using a heating rod. However, this method is prone to creating a mess when processing mesh materials, and the edges may be scorched.

Ultrasonic technology: Ultrasonic energy vibrates molecules, instantly fusing the edges without external heating. This creates the clean, thin edges you see on high-end tea bags.

If you purchase packaging machines from Tonchant to handle these materials, we will always configure them with an ultrasonic sealing system specifically calibrated for the thickness of your chosen mesh.

Which one should you choose?
Please insist on using nylon material if the following conditions are met:

You are selling an affordable product, so every penny of profit is crucial.

In the markets where your products are sold, environmental issues are not yet a major purchasing driver.

Please switch to PLA/corn fiber if the following conditions are met:

You are a high-end brand (over $15 per box).

You want to use marketing slogans like “plastic-free” or “environmentally friendly”.

Your export destinations are Europe or North America, where plastic regulations are tightening.

Want to experience the difference?
It’s difficult to judge the texture of a material through a screen. Therefore, we offer material sample kits. At Tonchant, we can send empty sample bags of nylon and PLA mesh. You can test them yourself, tear them open, and check the transparency to determine which material better suits your brand image.

[Contact Us Now] Request tea bag material samples or inquire about our ultrasonic packaging machines.