Simplehuman makes great trash cans, some of the best in fact, but the company uses custom trash bags that are somewhat confusing. The good news is that trash bags are trash bags, and it’s easy to figure out what size you need, even if you don’t want a Simplehuman-brand bags.
The information below will help you find Simplehuman trash bag refills, or what the company calls their “custom fit liners.”
Simplehuman Trash Bag Finder
| Bag | Liters | Gallons | Can Width | Link | Save $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.5 | 1.2 | 7.6″ Round | Buy | Save |
| B | 6 | 1.6 | 8.0″ Oval | Buy | Save |
| C | 10 | Buy | Save | ||
| D | 20 | 5.2 | 23.3″ Split | Buy | Save |
| E | 20 | 5.2 | Buy | Save | |
| F | 25-30 | 6.5-7.9 | 16.7″ Split | Buy | Save |
| G | 30 | 7.9 | 12.4″ Round | Buy | Save |
| H | 30 | 7.9 | 12.4″ Round | Buy | Save |
| J | 30 | 7.9 | 15.4″ Semi. | Buy | Save |
| K | 35 | 9.2 | 16-18″ Rect. | Buy | Save |
| L | 18 | 4.7 | 23.2″ Split | Buy | Save |
| M | 45 | 11.8 | 15.9″ Rect. | Buy | Save |
| N | 45 | 11.8 | 15.9″ Rect. | Buy | Save |
| P | 60 | 15.8 | >14.8″ Round | Buy | Save |
| Q | 65 | 17.1 | 16-18″ Rect. | Buy | Save |
| R | 10 | 2.5 | 15.6″ Rect. | Buy | Save |
| U | 55 | 18.5″ Semi | Buy | Save | |
| V | 16-18 | 19.8″ Split | Buy | Save | |
| X | 80 | 21 | >16″ Round | Buy | Save |
| Y | 115 | 30 | >17″ Round | Buy | Save |
Simplehuman Bag Alternatives
If you are looking for a trash bag that will fit a Simplehuman can, things can be a little confusing at first, but using the chart above you will definitely be able to find something.
If you don’t want to do any research at all, then you can go to PlasticPlace, who sells alternative bags using the same letter codes as Simplehuman. So just open your trash can, look for the letter sticker, and then buy the bags you need. They normally sell in large counts, like 200 bags, but you’ll get a lower price per bag than from Simplehuman.
If it’s more convenient, PlasticPlace bags are sold on Amazon as well.
Amazon sells their own bags as well, using the AmazonCommercial sub-brand. You can find them here.
Price Comparison
Simplehuman Q bags (which I use in my trash can) currently are priced as follows (taken at time of article publication):
- Simplehuman on Amazon: 60 bags for $26.79 = 45 cents/bag
- PlasticPlace: 200 bags for $41.80 = 21 cents/bag
- AmazonCommercial: 62 bags for $25.01 = 40 cents/bag
- Hefty UltraStrong 13-gallon: 80 for $11.61 = 15 cents/bag
- Glad ForceFlexPlus 20-gallon: 80 for $25.76 = 32 cents/bag
So Simplehuman bags are the most expensive by a long shot, but it turns out that Amazon’s alternatives aren’t much cheaper. Plasticplace, on the other hand, cuts the price in half, so long as you get a big enough size.
And then Hefty and Glad — major plastic bag brands — are right in the middle, depending on whether you get a bag that’s a little bit too small or a little bit too big for the Q size garbage bag. Hefty and Glad won’t sell custom bag sizes that perfectly fit the Simplehuman shapes, as Plasticplace does, but a 13-gallon “tall kitchen bag” is a close match to a the Q bag for example. Here is a test of just that scenario…