Stainless steel sealing strip for vacuum packing machines, height 3 mm, thickness 0.3 mm. Sold by the metre. It is the flat strip that heats up on the sealing bar and seals the vacuum bag.

What it does. When current passes through it, the strip heats up and melts the edge of the bag, creating the airtight seal. It is a wear part: over repeated cycles it oxidises, deforms or breaks and the seal no longer holds.

When to replace it. When the bags no longer seal properly or the strip is burnt or broken. Cut it to the length of your sealing bar.

Size. Height 3 mm (the narrowest), thickness 0.3 mm. Also available in 5 mm and 6 mm heights: measure the strip fitted on your bar before ordering.