> Stretch Film

Stretch Film & Pallet Wrap

Find stretch film products to suit any packaging project, from heavy-duty stretch wrap for large and awkward items to pre-stretched hand wrap. Our range includes a clear stretch wrap, ideal for retail, warehousing, transportation, and storage use. Our plastic film can be used as furniture stretch wrap to protect delicate items during a house move. Orders for 50 or more rolls of machine wrap for pallet wrapping machines ship free to commercial addresses within the contiguous United States.

Stretch Film Information
Hand Stretch Wrap VS Machine Stretch Wrap
Stretch Film Thickness Indicators
Popular Stretch Film Sizes
Recent Stretch Film Blog Posts
How To Wrap a Pallet With Hand Stretch Film
Stretch Film Terms

Stretch Film

What is Stretch Film?

When it comes to packaging and wrapping, you have a lot of options — and one of the most promising is stretch film. Professional, affordable, and compelling stretch film protects products of all shapes and sizes during shipping or storage.

Here’s everything you need to know to put stretch film to work for your organization.

Choosing Stretch Film

We offer multiple types of stretch film for different applications.

*Hand Stretch Film- 12 - 18 Inch Wide Rolls

*Extended Core Stretch Film- 10 - 30 inch wide rolls with built-in handles.

*Bundling Stretch Film- 2 - 5 inch wide rolls

*Machine Stretch Film- 20 - 80 inch wide rolls

*Specialty Stretch Film- Colored, vented and anti-static stretch film

Stretch Film Basics

To decide how best to utilize stretch film for all your packaging and wrapping needs, it’s essential to understand the basics of the film types and elements, process requirements, and possible applications. Here’s a closer look:

What is Stretch Film?

Stretch film is a plastic film made from linear low-density polyethylene used to secure, bundle, and stabilize products. The film is pulled and stretched around products during application to create tightly secured loads. Stretch film comes in various widths, thicknesses, and colors for different applications. The tight, conforming look of stretch film leads it to be frequently confused with heat shrink wrap. However, the differences are significant: Heat shrink wrap requires a heat source, is rarely used in pallet wrapping, and is not waterproof. Heat shrink wrap also tends to be more transparent and can notably extend shelf life.

The name stretch film is derived from the film characteristics. Some films can stretch up to 300% during application. The more stretch during the application, the less film used. The less film used equals less cost and environmental impact.

Stretch film has numerous benefits, including corrosion and puncture resistance, simplified load containment, and various equipment types to meet every need. An in-house stretch wrap machine will maintain an even and consistent stretch rate during film application. The increase and consistency in stretch rates.

For more information on shrink wrap and stretch film differences, click here.

Hand Stretch Wrap VS Machine Stretch Wrap

Stretch Film Thickness Indicators

True Gauged Stretch Film- For years, companies have used "true gauged stretch film," a product that offers an enormous amount of stretch, cling, and strength. Over time this stretch wrap has become more expensive because it is thicker and uses more petroleum-based resins during the manufacturing process. This increase in price has encouraged manufacturers to find alternatives to keep costs lower. The term for alternative pallet wrap is "equivalent stretch film."

Equivalent Stretch Film- An affordable alternative to "true gauged film." Equivalent films use a different resin mixture along with multi-layering to produce a thinner, stronger product that uses less petroleum base. We offer two equivalent hand films that offer excellent hold, good stretch, and one-sided cling at an affordable price. Our two equivalent hand films are Hybrid & Micron. The primary difference between the two is the number of layers and the resin formulas. Hybrid rolls are thinner and made of more layers during the extrusion process. Micron rolls are in between the true gauged film and the hybrid stretch film thickness. It does not offer as many layers but does have more stretch than the hybrid film. It also provides better tear resistance.

Popular Stretch Film Sizes

5" x 1000' x 80Ga. - Common bundling film size often used to secure two or more products together

18" x 1500' x 80Ga. - Superior hand pallet wrap offering excellent stretch and puncture resistance

18" x 1500' x 63Ga. - An excellent option for customers looking to reduce hand stretch film costs

18" x 1500' x 47Ga. - Considered a hybrid hand stretch film offering increase performance with a thinner film

20" x 5000' x 80Ga. - Superior machine pallet wrap offering excellent stretch and puncture resistance

20" x 5000' x 63Ga. - A down gauge film with excellent performance offering the ability to lower film costs

How To Wrap a Pallet With Hand Stretch Film

No stretch wrapper? No problem. Here's how to wrap a pallet with hand stretch film:

1. Determine the amount of film needed based on pallet weight and height, as well as the type of stretch film best suited for your wrapping or packaging project.

2. Tie stretch film to the corner of the pallet.

3. Begin revolutions by wrapping the bottom of the pallet while pulling the film to reach maximum stretch and hold tension.

4. Wrap multiple revolutions around the pallet base. The heavier the pallet, the more revolutions will be needed.

5. Slowly work up the pallet, moving up half the film width with each revolution.

6. Once complete, wrap multiple revolutions around the top of the pallet for stabilization.

Ready to start your next packaging and wrapping project? We offer discounts on price and shipping. Call sales or fill out our quote form to take advantage of our amazing prices, or contact us today to learn more!

Recent Stretch Film Blog Posts

Stretch Wrap Roping Top Loads

Using a stretch wrap roping technique, operators can make the film stronger and secure a load on top of pallets that are smaller and do not [...]

Hand Stretch Wrapping vs. Machine Stretch Wrapping

Watch the difference between hand and machine stretch wrapping side-by-side. Both are wrapping identical pallets with comparable stretch film. Find out why [...]

5 Things to Know About Stretch Film Converting

Stretch film conversion is a process commonly done after the extrusion of stretch film. The conversion process enables end-users to have a variety of widths and [...]

Stretch Film Terms

Asymmetrical Load- An unevenly aligned pallet load. Asymmetrical loads are more prone to toppling than symmetrical pallet loads.

Blown Stretch Film- A stretch film derived from the blown extrusion process that has a higher puncture resistance. Click on the stretch film info page to view detailed information about blown stretch film.

Bottom Wraps- The wraps a stretch wrap machine uses to apply film to the bottom section of the load. Forming a durable bottom wrap will help to ensure load stability.

Cast Stretch Film- A stretch film derived from the cast extrusion process. Less manufacturing costs allow cast stretch film to be the more widely used stretch film. Visit the stretch film info page to view detailed info about cast stretch film.

Cling- Allows the film to stick to itself and not the product. Some films have one-sided cling, and others have two-sided cling.

Co-extrusion- Extruding two or more materials through a single die to enable the two elements to merge.

Dart Drop- A commonly used test to measure the puncture strength of a stretch film. It is conducted by dropping a semi-circular-shaped object onto the film.

Elastic Recovery-The ability of a stretch film to recover to its original shape after being stretched.

Elmendorf Tear- Another common test used for stretch film and other products to measure tear resistance.

Extruder- Equipment used to change solid polymers into molten polymers.

Film Feed- In a stretch wrap machine, it is the speed at which stretch film is supplied to the load.

Film Force- This refers to the amount of tension applied to the film as the film wraps the load.

Film Memory- The ability of the film to return to its pre-stretched form after being stretched. Retained memory enables the film to maintain a tight load during transportation.

Film Tail- The start and end pieces of stretch film applied to the load. It is important to cut, tie, or tuck film tails during transport.

Gauge- A measurement used to measure film thickness or caliper. One gauge is equal to .254 microns. Microns are another common form of film measurement.

Gloss- The amount of light reflected from a film’s surface. Cast stretch films tend to have a higher gloss than blown stretch films.

Haze- Refers to a lack of clarity in a film. Blown stretch films commonly have more fog than cast stretch films due to crystallization during the manufacturing process.

LLDPE Stretch Film- Linear Low-Density Polyethylene stretch film. A preferred plastic in a variety of films due to its toughness, stretchability, and relative transparency.

Metallocene- A compound used to make a new form of stretch film. Metallocene stretch films offer increased puncture resistance and many other useful benefits.

Microns- A unit of measurement commonly used to measure the thickness of a film. A micron is equal to one-millionth of a meter. One gauge is equal to .254 microns.

MSDS Sheet- Stands for Material Safety Data Sheet. A detailed list of information about a specific product and potential safety hazards the product may have.

Overwrap- The amount of stretch film applied over the top of the load. Used to provide a downward force on the load.

Pallet Covers- A poly film cover used to protect pallets from dust, UV rays, and conceal the load. Feel free to check out the various pallet covers we offer.

Post-stretch- Stretching a film when wrapping the load to achieve tighter tension on the load

Pre-stretch- Stretching the film before applied to shipments. Pre-stretch films can result in improved load integrity and lower packaging costs.

Roping- Bunching the stretch film into a rope shape. Roping is used to start many loads and offers increased strength for additionally securing a load.

Symmetrical Load- An evenly aligned pallet load with flat sides.

Tackifiers- Additives used in the manufacturing process to add cling to the film.

Tear Resistance- Refers to the resistance of the film to tearing forces.

Tension Stretch- A pulling force that stretches the materials

Wide Web Stretch Film- A sizeable film used for larger equipment. Generally, it refers to machine stretch film wider than 30 inches

Yield Strength- The amount of stretch a film can have without permanently deforming.