How Many Pallets Will a Roll of Stretch Wrap Cover?

In 2016, we listed several stretch film calculations for wrapping pallets. That post did include a brief explanation of how to determine the number of pallets per roll of stretch film. By discovering the number of pallets wrapped, the stretch wrap cost per pallet can be calculated. In this post, we are going to expand on the formula and provide a calculator to find the amount of stretch film needed to wrap your pallet size.

Hand rolls of stretch wrap are most commonly 1,500 ft. long in the U.S. Machine rolls are most often 5,000 ft. in length with some as large as 9,000 ft. per roll in the thinner film. Below is a step-by-step guide with a shortcut to find how many pallets you can cover with a roll of stretch wrap.

There is one calculator and one formula below to see how many pallets you can wrap with a roll of stretch film. The first is to determine how much film is needed to wrap each pallet. You will need to include pallet dimensions and the width of roll you are wrapping with.  The other is to determine how much stretch increases the roll length. A consistent stretch will allow more pallets to be wrapped with each roll. SHORTCUT: If you are looking for a quick estimate of how many pallets you can get out of a hand or machine stretch film, scroll to the bottom section labeled shortcut.

Step 1

In order to figure the number of pallets wrapped per roll, you have to determine the amount of film needed to wrap the pallet. The pallet width, length, and height are needed for proper calculations. In addition, the width of the roll being used is needed.

Our new stretch film calculator does just that. It determines the amount of stretch film needed when you enter all of the pallet dimensions. The formula is based on four bottom revolutions, two top revolutions, and a 50% overlap of the film up and down the pallet.

Step 2

Determining the stretch rate will assist in calculating the number of feet per roll of film. Most hand stretch film has no more than a 100% stretch rate. With a 100% stretch rate, a standard 1500 ft. roll is stretched to 3000 ft.

It is difficult to maintain a full stretch rate when manually wrapping a pallet. Most people attain a 40%-70% stretch rate while manually wrapping. In contrast, stretch wrap machines can hold a consistent stretch rate every time. Many stretch wrap machines can reach a steady 250% stretch rate. Turning a standard 5,000 ft. roll of machine stretch film into 17,500 ft.

Formula

Stretch Rate + 1 x Roll Length = Roll Footage After Stretch

Example

2.5 + 1 x 5,000 = 17,500 Stretch Feet Per Roll

Step 3

With the amount of footage after stretch is applied and the amount of footage needed to wrap a pallet, you can determine how many pallets you can wrap out of one roll of stretch wrap.

Formula

Stretched Feet Per Roll ÷ Film Needed To Wrap Each Pallet = Number of pallets wrapped per roll of stretch wrap

Example using 44”x48”x60” Pallets

17,500 ÷ 184 = 95 Pallets from (1) 5,000 ft roll stretch 250%

Pallets Per Roll Shortcut

Some times it is easier to quickly get an estimate of the number of pallets per roll of stretch film. Using the formulas and steps above we have calculated 5 popular sizes of stretch film and the number of pallets per roll you can estimate wrapping.

For these estimates, the amount of film used to wrap each pallet is based on a total of four bottom wraps and two top wraps with a 50% overlap up and down the pallet. The estimates listed can vary based on actual stretch rate and film overlap.

Conclusion

Stretch wrap is made to pull tightly around a pallet load to hold it in place. Determining the stretch rate and amount of film needed to wrap each pallet will tell you how many pallets per roll of stretch film you can wrap.

For more information about stretch film or stretch wrap machines, call our sales department at 1-800-441-5090. Our main goal is to ensure load retention while reducing the amount of film and exertion used to wrap each pallet of film.