Stretch film, often referred to as stretch wrap, is most commonly used as shipping protection for pallets of products.
Thanks to its high stretch-ability, stretch films hold items tightly together to reduce shifting during transit. It can also be used to protect items from environmental factors like climate, water, and dust while in storage.
Specialized stretch films used for color coding, international shipments, protection against ultra-violet rays, product cooling and other specialty applications are also available.
After reviewing this guide, you will be fully armed to use, optimize, and select the ideal stretch film solutions for your needs.
You will understand how to use stretch film safely when wrapping items by hand or using machinery to wrap your products. You will know the top brands available, the different types available, common problems with stretch film, and the costs associated with using stretch wrap.
You can read this guide in its entirety here, or you can fill out the form below and download the guide as a PDF. If you choose to download the PDF, you will receive it via email after submitting the form.
You can read this guide in its entirety here, or you can fill out the form below and download the guide as a PDF. If you choose to download the PDF, you will receive it via email after submitting the form.
Stretch film (also commonly known as stretch wrap) is an ultra stretchy plastic polymer-based flexible film that is utilized to contain and palletize products for shipping.
Stretch film is often combined with stretch wrap machinery to generate superior load containment of palletized items. The elastic nature of stretch wrap binds palleted products exceptionally well.
Stretch film is generally divided into two categories. Hand stretch film and machine stretch film.
When being applied manually, hand stretch wrap is pulled by hand and wrapped snugly around pallets of containers of products with a tool called a stretch wrap dispenser.
To begin using the device, the person wrapping will first tuck the film under an object (such as a box) on the bottom corner of the pallet. Next, they will walk in a circle around the pallet from the bottom to the top of the stack. This process is repeated, starting from the top and wrapping back to the bottom.
The stretch film pulls off the dispenser when the laborer walks around the palletized stack of products. During this process, the laborer stretches the film tight by pulling it as they spin around each side of the stack. This results in a tightly wrapped finalized pallet that is now ready for shipping.
Hand stretch film may also be applied without a stretch wrap dispenser. To do this, a laborer will follow the same process as outlined above while simply holding the roll of film while dispensing without the dispenser.
Hand stretch film will often come in different thicknesses (gauges) and formulations, depending on the loads being wrapped.
When you are using a machine to palletize your products with stretch wrap, a pallet is placed in or on the equipment according to the type of machine used.
This placement can be on a turntable or in the center of the machine's wrap zone (as is done for a ring stretch wrapper). A ring stretch wrapper orbits around the items rather than spinning the palletized products on a turntable.
The stretch films used with automated stretch wrapping machines are larger in size and length. They often come pre-stretched to allow maximum film usage.
There are different machine stretch wrap formulations designed for many types of pallet loads. The formulation that is right for you will largely depend on the weight or awkwardness of your pallets.
Shrink film (often called shrink wrap) is a flexible packaging film that is created from various plastic formulations, most often polyolefin, polyvinyl-chloride, or polyethylene; when shrink film is heated to the correct temperature, the film will shrink uniformly around the product that is getting packaged.
The heat in this process is usually applied to the film with a heat gun or a heat tunnel. Although, sometimes, people attempt to shrink the film with a hairdryer which is not recommended.
Frequently, shrink film is implemented in the packaging of many kinds of products. These may include items such as frozen baked goods, meat, fruit, veggies, DVDs, CDs, boxed items, and many other types of food and consumer products.
A heat gun looks a bit like a hairdryer. It is utilized to shrink the film around low volumes of smaller products uniformly. This is done by pointing the heat gun at all areas around the shrink film-wrapped product until the film is tightly shrunk around the product.
When using a shrink tunnel, the film is loosely placed around a product with a shrink sealer. Next, it is sent on a conveyor belt inside the heat tunnel. The film then shrinks tightly around the items moving throughout the tunnel.
Stretch film, on the other hand, is a flexible packaging film that is made primarily from LLDPE plastic. Stretch film is used to secure and contain palletized products for storage and transportation. The remainder of this guide will deeply explore all remaining information regarding stretch film.
When looking to source the appropriate type of stretch film for palletizing, containing, and transporting your products, you have many different kinds of films to choose from.
However, this is not a "one size fits all" situation. Which type of stretch film is right for your needs will depend on various factors.
These factors include the weight, size, shape, temperature, and texture of your products. The film that is right for your competitors may not suit your products.
But, how do you decide which stretch film is the correct type for palletizing your products? The section below will review the different kinds of stretch films currently available.
With the information here, you will be able to choose the best film for your specific needs.
There are many different types of stretch films available. In the section below, you can find a list of the different kinds of stretch films on the market today.
Bellow the bulleted list, we will conduct an exploration of each film, its features, uses, and qualities.
While we have discussed machine stretch films above, it's worth mentioning that machine stretch film is a category of stretch film that includes several different film formulations.
In this section, we will take a look at the various kinds of film that fall under the umbrella term "machine stretch film."
Cast films are created by applying a unique manufacturing operation which is known as cast extrusion.
Cast extrusion employs a continuous thrust of a thermoplastic material inside of a flat die. Next, it is placed onto a cooling roll.
The stretch film's gauge (or thickness) is fixed by how speedy the casting roll yanks the thermoplastic substrate away from the die.
This activity provides cast stretch films with exceptional transparency, allowing your end-users to see the objects wrapped inside the film.
Cast films stretch much easier due to the film's molecular structure becoming aligned as it is extruded.
These films are super quiet when they are being taken off the roll. And, it is pretty easy to stretch.
Cast films give your clients an incredible two-sided cling that provides wrapped items a firm load containment during shipping and transportation.
Now, cast stretch films have a boatload of astonishing attributes, including a noticeably lower cost than blown film.
With that being said, cast films do not compete in strength or protection against tearing when compared to their blown counterparts.
Cast stretch film is usually able to stretch easily. Still, it does not have as intense of a stretch memory as comparable film alternatives.
Hay baling stretch wrap is created from multiple layers of plastic substrate. It is considered a specialty stretch film designed exclusively for wrapping baled hay rolls.
This type of film is used almost exclusively by farmers and other businesses in the agricultural industry.
Hay baling stretch film is also known alternatively as silage stretch wrap. These films most commonly feature LDPE (low-density polyethylene) formulations. They have unique oxygen barriers designed to keep your hay bales as dry as possible.
Blown stretch film is made by a technique commonly known as blown extrusion. This process utilizes melted plastic being shoved inside a circle-shaped slit die. This process creates a precise tube of film.
When air is pushed inside of the tube, the volume of closed air makes the tube expand to the desired width.
The tube of stretch film is then capped with a ring made of air that is blown onto a cooling device.
This cooling procedure gives blown films better strength and more flexibility than similar alternatives.
It is important to note that blown films are usually more robust than the rest of stretch wraps. Blown films also feature greater defiance against ripping and tearing.
This is an important capability to note for wrapping loads containing pointy and sharp edges as these are susceptible to splintering thinner film types.
Blown films will give you a higher degree of memory when the film is stretched. This will result in packages that stay secured during transportation and storage.
You should be aware of the fact that blown stretch wrap is usually more expensive than comparable films. They also have less transparency when compared to cast stretch films.
Some consumers have also expressed that the film is significantly noisier when applied to a pallet of products.
As you may have figured out on your own, pre-stretched film is stretched before it is sold.
Pre-stretch wrap is made to expand closely to its breaking point before being wrapped on its core.
This stretch wrap type doesn't require as much energy as other stretch films to accomplish the same load containment.
As such, pre-stretched wrap consumption generally utilizes about 50% less material than other types of stretch films. Because of this, the use of pre-stretched films may result in significant cost savings.
There are several different types of hand stretch film. Each formulation is designed for various applications. And while we touched upon a general introduction to hand films above, we will go much deeper in this section of the guide.
Below, we will explore each of the different kinds of hand stretch wrap so that you can identify the best type of hand film for your needs.
Color stretch films are a type of specialty stretch wrap used for particular applications.
Color stretch film is primarily used for color coding, international shipping, and dating inventory.
Companies that feature an iconic color in their logo and brand design will often use a shade of color stretch film that reflects their brand.
Color stretch wraps are designed to be highly resistant to tearing, puncture and ripping.
Ultraviolet (or UVI) stretch film boasts highly specialized light canceling chemical additives.
These additives provide advanced defense against photo degeneration in niche applications where wrapped items are stored outside and have exposure to severe weather and other environmental elements.
In specific case-sensitive applications, specialized kinds of stretch film projects will require the use of performance wraps that feature multiple layers of film that have ultra-high stretch capabilities.
Reinforced stretch film is a notably thicker specialty wrap that is used for packaging and containing ultra-heavy loads.
This type of stretch film is most commonly used for palletizing bricks, heavy machinery, industrial equipment, concrete blocks, oil drums, and other super-heavy loads.
Vented stretch wraps are usually used in applications where air and oxygen must be available to the contained products.
Typical applications for vented stretch films include wrapping pallets of firewood, hot bakery items, and other products that need to be cooled after being packaged.
No cling stretch wrap is used for packaging things like carpets. No cling stretch film allows the items being packaged to slide across and over each other, so the film does not rip or tear.
A variant of no cling stretch wrap with one-sided clinging capabilities is commonly known as one-sided cling stretch film.
There are many companies who make stretch films. But not all stretch films are equal. Some companies produce superior films to the rest of the stretch film manufacturers on the market.
In the section below, we will review the top seven best brands of stretch film.
Alliance Plastics is a Veteran owned American stretch film manufacturing company.
They produce over 70% of their products in-house and are the most innovative stretch film manufacturer in the country.
Alliance makes some of the best stretch wraps on the market. And they are the company that makes the strongest stretch film in the world, as mentioned in the section below.
Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) produces top-quality cast stretch films as well as blown stretch films. IPG's stretch films are manufactured in ISO-certified facilities.
Their plants implement specialized manufacturing techniques, including Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing, to ensure they produce the highest quality films day in and day out.
Sigma produces high-performance blown hand films in addition to premium, light-weight blown films.
Their pre-stretched hand films are considered by many to be the finest in the stretch wrap industry.
Berry manufactures an extensive line of high-quality hand stretch films designed to meet practically all hand film applications.
Malpack is a maker of ultra-high quality stretch films. They produce both machine stretch films and hand stretch wraps.
Malpack offers a host of different films, each boasting its own unique features and benefits based on the applications they are designed for.
Amtopp manufactures excellent quality stretch films. They offer both machine stretch films and hand stretch films.
Amtopp's Engineered Ultra-High Performance Series of hand films and machine films offer stretch wrap solutions for most stretch film applications.
Paragon is a top stretch film manufacturer that offers a host of cast hand films. Paragon's films boast crystal clear optics and high strength.
Stretch film is made from polyethylene. Polyethylene is a kind of polyolefin plastic material. This means that it’s a film made from a single monomer created by adding ethylene during the polymerization process.
Polyethylene (known widely as "PE") is commonly utilized to create various types of flexible films, including stretch film and shrink film.
Stretch films are made from various types of polyethylene, most commonly linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).
However, some stretch films are available that are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE).
There are many different types of stretch films available. But, when you need to contain the heaviest, oddly shaped, and textured loads, only one film can do the job.
And that film is Steelflex Reinforced Titanium Stretch Film. Made from a unique patented process; this film is only available through distributors such as Industrial Packaging.
While there are other reinforced stretch films on the market, this is the only film that features steelflex titanium power band technology. When you are wrapping heavy, obscure loads and all other stretch films fail, it is time to try steelflex titanium stretch film.
If you cant properly palletize, contain and secure your loads with this film, they simply cannot be wrapped!
While stretch film is a fantastic packaging material that is often used for securing and containing palletized loads of products, sometimes, it needs a little help to secure slippery loads.
Some types of products, such as bags of mulch or ice melt, can be harder to wrap because they are slippery.
Slippery product loads may result in lopsided loads, poor load containment, or collapsed loads during shipping. But what can you do when your stretch film struggles to secure slippery products on your pallets?
That is where slip sheets come in.
Slip sheets, sometimes called anti-slip pallet sheets, are large sheets of material (usually paper) that prevent stretch-wrapped products from slipping and collapsing during transport and storage.
The sheets are placed between each layer of products on the pallet, including under the first layer and on top of the last.
Then, the pallet is stretch wrapped as usual. With the slip sheets between each layer of products, your slippery loads will now stay properly contained and secured during shipping!
As companies scramble to meet the call of consumers to "go green," one of the most common requests we get from customers is for sustainable packaging materials.
And many companies are looking for sustainable stretch film alternatives. Luckily, when it comes to stretch film, there are several sustainable options available.
You have several varieties to choose from, including recyclable stretch film, post-industrial recycled stretch film, and biodegradable stretch film.
But, which form of sustainable stretch film is correct for you? In order to figure that out, you will want to speak with a packaging specialist.
They will be able to help you choose the appropriate sustainable stretch film for your needs.
While other materials may be used for palletizing and containing loads of products for shipping and transportation (such as strapping), stretch film is a common choice for hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide.
And that is because stretch film offers many excellent benefits that some alternative materials simply do not. But what are the benefits of using stretch film for your product palletizing, containment, and securing needs?
Below, we will review the benefits of using stretch film to contain your products safely.
Stretch film helps to protect your palletized products. It can protect your products from dust, dirt, and moisture.
And depending on the formulation, it can also protect your products from ultraviolet light and vapor corrosion.
Finally, vented stretch films allow oxygen to access your palletized products when needed in order to prevent overheating and provide airflow to products that require it.
There are different types of stretch film that can provide enhanced aesthetics that are appealing to customers.
Cast stretch films feature high clarity and transparency. These features make for an appealing, high gloss reflection under store lights and allow the consumer to see the palletized products through the film.
Alternatively, color stretch films boast bold, eye-catching colors that can help your products stand out from the crowd.
The majority of stretch film is made from LLDPE. This type of plastic is fully recyclable. However, it should be noted that single-stream and municipal recycling centers do not have the proper infrastructure to recycle this material.
In order to get your used and waste stretch film recycled, you need to send your pre-sorted and baled film to a stretch film recycling facility.
We have a stretch film recycling partner that you can use to recycle your films. If interested in recycling your stretch films, please contact one of our packaging experts today.
It should be noted that there are other sustainable stretch films available, including PIR recycled stretch films and biodegradable stretch films.
Stretch films offer several ways to reduce the cost of palletizing and securing your palletized products.
Downgauging your stretch film to a lower gauge of film is one way to incur cost savings.
Another way to save money with stretch film is to replace wrapping loads that require stretch film and strapping with reinforced titanium stretch film, which can replace the use of traditional stretch wrap and strapping.
The cost of your stretch film order will largely depend on the type of film that you are looking to buy. Hand stretch films and machine stretch films have different price points. Below, we will provide you with pricing for the stretch films we offer at Industrial Packaging.
These are cast stretch films that are created for manually containing and securing loads of palletized products. The prices above are for four rolls (one case).
These are good quality cast machine stretch films. The prices above are per roll of film.
These are higher-performance machine stretch wraps. The prices above are per roll of film.
These are super high-performance cast machine stretch wraps. The prices above are per roll.
These are color stretch wraps for machine and hand wrap applications. The prices above are per roll.
These are quality vented hand and machine stretch wraps. The prices shown above are for machine stretch wraps. Hand wrap prices are lower and may be discussed with a packaging specialist.
While these are our standard prices for our stretch films, there are ways to get a reduced price for your order. We review these items in the section below.
If you would like to get a lower cost per roll for your desired stretch film, speak with a packaging specialist today. Depending on the volume of film you buy, you may be able to get a lower price for bulk orders.
You may be using too high of a stretch film gauge for your applications. If that is the case, you may be able to downgauge your stretch film and achieve the same load containment.
This will help you to save money on stretch film purchases. Speak with a packaging specialist today to see if your loads can be wrapped with a lower gauge of film.
When choosing a stretch film, there are various things that you will need to consider before making a choice. But, what are the most important items of consideration when choosing the proper stretch film for your needs?
Below, we will take a look at some of the different things you will need to consider when attempting to choose the best stretch film for your product palletizing requirements.
With the large variety of stretch films available on the market today, there is a formulation to meet the challenges and needs of all the bullet points above.
But, how do you choose the proper film if you are not sure which type of stretch wrap you need?
The best way to choose the proper stretch film for your product palletizing and securing requirements is to speak with a packaging professional.
They will be able to answer any questions that you may have after reading this guide. And they will be able to help you choose the appropriate formulation and brand of stretch film for your unique requirements.
If you are going to be wrapping your pallets with machine stretch wrap, you will have different requirements than those using hand stretch film.
When buying stretch film, one essential item of consideration is where you will store it and the environment in which it will be stored.
Stretch film reacts differently to cold and heat. So, you will want to make sure that you are storing your films in these conditions in a way that will ensure your films stay intact and remain usable.
Below, we will review the proper protocols for storing stretch film in different seasons and environments.
Suppose you are storing your stretch film in a facility that is subject to high temperatures during summer (or other times based on your location). In that case, you need to be aware of your storage protocols.
High temperatures may cause your film to melt or become tacky, causing your films to be problematic or unusable.
If you are storing your films in a warehouse or area exposed to extreme heat, you will want to move your films to a cooler place that will not produce tacky films.
Suppose the temperatures are still too high in the coolest spot in your warehouse. In that case, you will want to consider implementing climate control protocols such as air conditioning to prevent your stretch film from being compromised by heat.
If you are storing your stretch films during the winter or in a place where the temperature is always cold, you will need to think about how you store your films and make some adjustments to the process.
Extreme cold can cause your stretch films to become brittle or crack. This may result in stretch films becoming unusable or even producing a safety hazard in relation to unstable loads.
If you are storing you films in a warehouse or area exposed to extreme cold, you will want to move your films to a warmer area that will not produce brittle films.
Suppose you do not have a warm enough space to prevent the adverse effects of cold temperatures on your films. In that case, you will want to consider implementing climate controls such as heating systems to control the temperature of your stretch film storage area.
Today, countless consumers demand that companies producing their favorite products "go green." Many companies are trying to source sustainable packaging to meet customer needs.
Additionally, many businesses are trying to source recyclable packaging materials in an attempt to meet consumer's sustainability demands.
One question we often get from customers is, "can you recycle stretch film?"
And the short answer is yes! However, while stretch film is recyclable, you cannot just throw the used film into a single-stream recycling bin.
Most single-stream and municipal recycling centers do not have the proper infrastructure to recycle stretch films.
But, specialized third-party stretch film recycling companies have the required infrastructure to recycle these materials.
And, some of these stretch film recycling companies will actually pay you for larger volumes of properly baled and sorted LLDPE used and waste film.
If you want to learn more about recycling stretch film and getting paid to do it, please reach out to one of our packaging specialists.
They will be able to help you find out if you can recycle your used stretch film and if you qualify to make a profit from doing so.
Many companies choose to wrap their pallets manually with hand stretch film. And this is a totally acceptable way to wrap pallets.
But, with an ongoing labor shortage, finding good laborers to work in your warehouse is not always easy. And even if you find the labor you need, you could be saving a lot of money by switching to automated stretch wrapping.
With an automated stretch wrapper, you can partially or fully automate your stretch wrapping.
With automated stretch wrapping, you can reduce the number of laborers in your warehouse, increase production speeds, improve safety, reduce film waste and save some serious coin.
But is automated stretch wrapping right for your business?
Depending on the number of laborers you can replace in conjunction with the volume of products you are wrapping, automated stretch wrapping may be able to save you a ton of money.
But how do you know if automated stretch wrapping is proper for you?
If you want to know if an automated stretch wrapper makes sense for your product palletizing and securing requirements, you will want to speak with a packaging expert.
They will help you understand how much a stretch wrapper costs, whether buying or leasing is the right choice, and how much cost savings you can reap from automating your stretch wrapping.
It should go without saying that when you choose to automate your stretch wrapping, that safety comes first.
Stretch wrappers are a form of industrial equipment that, if operated wrong, can lead to safety hazards. As such, it is imperative to educate yourself about stretch wrapper safety before purchasing, installing, and using an automated stretch wrapper.
Safety concerns that should be studied before implementation include the following items:
In an effort to provide you with the proper safety advice for automated stretch wrapping, we have compiled this guide to stretch wrapper safety that covers each of the bullet points above.
While stretch film is an excellent packaging material for palletizing and securing your loads, it may or may not be the suitable material for your needs.
Depending on what you are attempting to palletize, other materials may be better suited to your requirements (such as strapping).
To ensure transparency about using stretch film, as we suggest here, we need to note the most common problems with stretch film.
Reviewing these items will help you decide if stretch film is the correct packaging material for your business or if you should be using an alternative material such as strapping.
The most common problems with stretch film include:
In order to help you negate all of these issues, we have put together a guide to understanding each of these items.
This guide will help you understand if you can avoid these problems when palletizing your products and will also clarify whether stretch film is the right material for your needs.
After reading this guide, you should have everything you need to identify the proper type of stretch film for your stretch wrapping needs. But, you are probably wondering, where can you buy stretch film?
When it comes to purchasing stretch films, you have a few different options to choose from. Below, we will review the places where you can buy stretch film.
Online retailers are one option for buying stretch films. You can purchase stretch film from online retailers such as Uline, Amazon, or Ali Baba.
Shopping around for stretch film on online retailer's websites such as these may allow you to find the lowest price possible.
But, sellers on these sites often do not provide in-depth information on the materials, nor do they give access to packaging experts who can consult on whether or not you are purchasing the best film for your needs.
Your next option for buying stretch film would be brick-and-mortar retailers. You can purchase stretch film from department stores such as Home Depot, Lowes, and similar brick-and-mortar locations.
When buying from a store like this, you can physically and visually inspect the stretch film before you buy it.
And while these stores will have sales associates to help you in your buying process, they often do not have the expertise on stretch film to help you buy the proper material.
Your next option for purchasing stretch film is to buy direct from a stretch film manufacturer.
This is a popular choice for consumers as stretch film manufacturers are the premier experts on the brands of film that they manufacture.
Sales reps from stretch film manufacturers are some of the top thought leaders and experts on the stretch films that they sell.
The reps can answer any questions you may have about the films they offer and assist you in making a purchase.
With that being said, stretch film manufacturers only sell the brands of film that they make. As such, in many instances, they may try to sell you their brand of film regardless of whether or not it is the best film for your needs.
It is also essential to understand that not all stretch film manufacturing companies will sell directly to consumers. Some manufacturers only sell their films through packaging distributors.
Finally, we come to stretch film distributors. This is another popular option for many consumers when looking to buy stretch film for their company.
Stretch film distributors are brand agnostic. This means they source and sell multiple brands of stretch film under one roof.
Because stretch film distributors sell multiple brands of stretch film, their sales professionals will help you buy the correct film for your needs.
Stretch film distributors feature knowledgeable packaging experts who can review several brands of film with you to help identify the perfect film choice for your product, budget, and logistics requirements.
We should point out that Industrial packaging is a stretch film distributor. We offer some of the best brands of stretch film on the market today.
If you are interested in purchasing the stretch film that is most appropriate for your product palletizing needs, feel free to reach out to one of our packaging specialists today!