After comparing different flexible packaging films, you have decided that you want to use biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film to package your products.
You went to purchase this film, and you learned that BOPP film is sold by the pound. The only problem is, you are not sure how to determine the number of pounds required for your packaging project.
You have been trying to find the proper formula for deducing your required film volume, but you have not seen this information.
Until now.
Industrial Packaging has spent many decades working with flexible packaging films such as BOPP. During that time, we have developed a system to help people calculate their required volume of film.
This article will explain how to calculate your required volume of biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film. When you are finished with this article, you will have everything you need to complete your purchase of BOPP Film.
How Do You Calculate Your Required Volume Of BOPP Film?
BOPP film is unique when compared to other types of flexible packaging films such as shrink film. This is because biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film is sold by the pound rather than by the roll with a guaranteed roll length.
This can make purchasing the proper volume of film for your product packaging projects feel complicated. Fortunately, it is relatively simple to calculate your required volume of BOPP film with some simple mathematics.
So, let's take a look at the equation below and help you to figure out how many pounds of biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film that you need for your product packaging.
To determine how many pounds are needed, you first need to determine the yield (square inches per pound.) This will vary depending on the gauge of film you choose.
For example, here are some estimated yields based on gauge:
- 60 ga. - 51,800 Sq. IN/LB
- 70 ga. - 44,000 Sq. IN/LB
- 80 ga. - 38,000 Sq. IN/LB
- 90 ga. - 34,300 Sq. IN/LB
- 100 ga. - 31,000 Sq. IN/LB
- 120 ga. - 25,700 Sq. IN/LB
- 140 ga. - 22,200 Sq. IN/LB
- 160 ga. - 19,437 Sq. IN/LB
- 200 ga. - 15,500 Sq. IN/LB
Next, you need to determine the number of square inches required per package (film width x cut-off). Finally, you need to divide the square inches per pound (yield) by the square inches required per package.
To illustrate this, let's use a hypothetical situation with the metrics below to show you how this would look on paper.
Let's say that you have decided to use 60 gauge biaxially oriented polypropylene overwrap film to package your products. In that case, your yield will be 51,800 square inches per pound. Next, let's say that your product requires 225 square inches per package. That would be a film width of 12 inches with a cut-off of 18.75”.
With this information, you can use the equation below to calculate your required volume of BOPP Film.
(Yield) 51,800 divided by 225 square inches = 230.2 packages per pound
With this equation, you now know that you will get 230 packages per pound of BOPP film. With this information, you will now calculate how many pounds of film you will need to complete your packaging project.
Want to know how many pounds of BOPP you need to package your products?
Where Can You Purchase BOPP Film?
Now that you know exactly how much BOPP film you will need to package your products, you are probably wondering where you can purchase this type of flexible packaging film.
Generally speaking, you can buy BOPP directly from the manufacturer. However, not all manufacturers will sell directly to the consumer, and you may need to purchase your film from a third-party vendor.
You can also buy your BOPP film from various online retailers such as Amazon or Alibaba. Finally, you can always purchase your BOPP film from a packaging distributor.
And, while we may or may not be the right packaging distributor for you, we would be remiss not to suggest speaking with one of our packaging experts about our pricing for BOPP film.
Then again, if you are like me and doing math sounds like a chore, you could always use the free calculator linked below. While the calculator is designed for shrink film, it will work perfectly fine for calculating your packages per roll for BOPP film as well.
