A handle cut is the forming of the part of the bag held by hand by cutting it with a blade or punch. On a t-shirt bag, the two side handles and the opening in the middle are cut out in a single cut after the bag has been sealed. On reinforced bags, an oval or kidney-shaped handle is usually punched into the mouth of the bag.
The handle area is where the load in a bag is concentrated. A sharp notch left at the corners of the cut can cause a tear to start right there. For this reason, the shape and sharpness of the cutting die and its position on the bag are set carefully. Together with the raw material and thickness, the handle shape is one of the factors that determine how much a bag can carry.