Short answer. For Muay Thai at home, get a long bag of around 180 cm so you can kick low, to the body and high. If you can hang one, the Fairtex HB6 banana bag is the classic choice; if you can't mount anything, a tall freestanding bag such as the Century Wavemaster XXL is the realistic option. A common starting weight for a hanging bag is about half your bodyweight.
Hanging or freestanding?
A hanging bag gives the most realistic feedback for kicks, knees and elbows, but it needs a solid ceiling beam, a wall bracket or a heavy bag stand, and it transmits noise and vibration into the building. A freestanding bag sits on a base you fill with water or sand. It needs no mounting and can be moved, but it rocks more under hard kicks and its base takes up floor space. In a rented flat, a freestanding bag or a stand is often the only realistic choice.
How heavy should the bag be?
A common starting point in retailer guides is a hanging bag of about half your bodyweight: around 40 kg for an 80 kg person. A bag that is too light swings away after every kick; a much heavier one feels like hitting a wall. Beginners and lighter people often start lighter.
For Muay Thai, length matters as much as weight. A long bag (around 180 cm, often called a banana bag) lets you kick low, to the body and to the head on one bag.
The picks
1. Fairtex HB6 banana bag
The classic long Thai bag, used in many gyms. It ships unfilled, which keeps shipping cheaper; you fill it yourself or buy it pre-filled where available.
- 180 cm long, 36 cm diameter (Fairtex)
- Synthetic leather shell with a water-resistant, non-tear nylon lining (Fairtex)
- About 40 kg once filled according to Fairtex; one retailer quotes about 60 kg if hydraulically pressed
- Unfilled weight about 2.4 kg; the straps add roughly 25 cm when hanging (retailer listing)
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On Amazon, prefer the brand's official storefront or listings shipped and sold by Amazon, and compare the listing's specs with the maker's page to avoid fakes.
2. Century Wavemaster XXL
A freestanding bag tall enough for head kicks, for homes where you cannot hang anything.
- Bag 52 in (132 cm) tall and 18 in (46 cm) wide; 69 in (175 cm) total on its base (Century)
- Base 28 in (71 cm) across, filled with sand or water; about 270 lb (122 kg) filled (retailer listing)
- Vinyl over high-density foam
- Century says you can tip it on the edge of the base and roll it to move it
3. Heavy bag stand
A stand lets you hang a regular bag without drilling into the ceiling. Check the stand's maximum bag weight and leave room behind it, because the bag swings.
- Most stands need weight plates on the base to stay put with kicks
- Check that the maximum bag length fits a long Thai bag before buying
Setting it up at home
- Hang a bag only from a structural beam or a bracket rated for the bag's weight plus the force of kicks. If you are not sure what is in your ceiling, ask someone qualified.
- A spring or swivel between the chain and the mount reduces noise and wear.
- Leave free space all around the bag: it moves further than you expect after a hard kick.
- Rubber mats under a freestanding base reduce sliding and noise.
Bag work hurts the hands without wraps. See the hand wraps guide and gloves guide. Once the bag is up, the heavy bag workout for beginners gives you a round-by-round plan.
Buying in the UK
Blitz, a UK store and one of our partner stores, sells a freestanding bag for homes where nothing can be hung.
Buying in the US
Revgear, a US store and one of our partner stores, sells hanging heavy bags and a freestanding bag.
FAQ
What size heavy bag for Muay Thai?
A long bag, around 180 cm, so you can practise low kicks, body kicks and knees on one bag. Shorter boxing bags leave nothing to kick below the knee.
Can I use a heavy bag in an apartment?
Often yes, with a freestanding bag or a stand, rubber mats underneath, and sensible training hours. Ceiling-mounted bags send vibration into the structure.
Filled or unfilled?
Unfilled bags are cheaper to ship, and you can fill them yourself with fabric or a filling kit. Pre-filled bags are ready to use but cost more to deliver.
Sources
- Fairtex, 6FT Banana Bag HB6
- Fairtex Store, HB6 listing (unfilled weight, strap length)
- BIG W, Fairtex HB6 listing (hand-filled vs hydraulically pressed weight)
- Century Martial Arts, XXL Wavemaster
- Fitness Depot, Century XXL Wavemaster listing (filled weight)
- Everlast, How to choose a boxing or martial arts punching bag
- MMA Warehouse, How to choose a heavy bag
More buying guides
- Muay Thai starter kitWhat to buy first, in order, and what can wait.
- Boxing starter kitWhat to buy for your first boxing class, in order, with UK picks.
- Best Muay Thai gloves 2026Five leather Thai gloves by use, plus Fairtex and Yokkao size charts.
- Boxing vs Muay Thai glovesPalm, padding and cuff differences, one-glove options, and which to buy.
- Boxing glove size guide12 vs 14 vs 16oz: size charts by weight and use, and UK picks.
- Kids' boxing glovesWhat size gloves for children and juniors, 4oz to 10oz, and UK picks.
- Sparring headgear guideOpen-face vs cheek vs full face, a head-size check, and UK picks.
- Best Muay Thai shin guardsThai-style vs adjustable vs sleeve, size charts and a shin-length size check.
- Heavy bag workout for beginnersA 20-minute round-by-round plan, what you need, and UK picks.
- Muay Thai at home aloneA 35-minute solo round plan, with or without a bag, and what you need.
- Jump rope workout for boxingThe basic bounce, the boxer skip in five steps, a 15-minute round plan.
- Best Thai padsCurved vs straight, leather vs synthetic, and Fairtex's pad sizes.
- Focus mitts vs Thai padsWhich pads to buy for boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai, and UK picks.
- Hand wraps guide180 vs 120 inches, a length check, elastic vs cotton, and how tight to wrap.
- How to wrap your handsThe standard wrap step by step, a Muay Thai version, how tight, and washing.
- Groin guard guideCup types, the competition rules, Blitz's size table, and UK and US picks.