Stretch Wrap is a film made from polyethylene plastic. This thin and durable film is often used in shipping, palletizing, and warehousing applications and is known for its ability to elongate, or stretch, beyond its resting state. Stretch film is tightly wrapped around items on pallets for extra security during transportation and storage. Stretch wrap comes in various widths, thicknesses, and types. When used properly, stretch films help reduce product loss and protect against injuries within work areas.
We have a separate product guide for our Specialty Stretch Wrap products:
While some may use “stretch wrap” and “shrink wrap” synonymously, they are actually two different products. Shrink wrap uses heat to constrict, or shrink, around the item held inside. Stretch wrap does not require heat activation and, in fact, should not be exposed to a heat gun or shrink tunnel for extended periods of time. Stretch films are more pliable and will stretch to create strength during the wrapping process.
For more information on the differences between stretch wrap and shrink wrap, be sure to take a look at our article comparing these packaging materials side-by-side.
What are the Types of Stretch Wrap?
Type
Description
Benefits
Drawbacks
Cast
Formed from a cast extrusion process, most popular type of stretch wrap
Wide selection, cost-effective, quiet when unwinding
Can cling to other wrapped shipments, lower tear resistance than blown
Blown
Formed from blown air and continuous spinning
Stronger and more flexible than cast, high tear resistance, low temperature tolerance
More expensive, narrow selection, noisy when unwinding
High Performance
Special manufacturing process forms a high-strength, super thin film
Higher performance than stretch wraps of similar gauges
More expensive, narrow selection
Pre-Stretched
Film is pre-stretched close to the breaking point
High-strength film is easier to apply, lessening strain
More expensive, narrow selection
What are the Styles of Stretch Wrap?
Hand Stretch Wrap
Hand Stretch Wrap products range anywhere from 11” to 20” widths. These rolls have a 3” diameter core and are designed to be applied by hand. To ease the application process, dispensers and hand-saver products can be used but are not required.
Pallet Stretch Wrap, also known as extended core or pipe wrap, features a 1” core that extends beyond the width of the stretch film on both sides. This creates built-in handles for easy application. Tension handles are available for these products to prevent wear on the hands of users.
Mini Stretch Wrap products are small-width rolls, making them great for small-scale bundling applications. Mini stretch wrap is a quick and easy alternative to tape, twine, and strapping products. Mini stretch can be paired with handles or dispensers for easy hand-wrapping applications.
Colored Stretch Wrap is available in a variety of types and colors. Our colored wraps come either as opaque or tinted. Opaque stretch film prevents people from being able to see the product that is wrapped up, which is ideal when privacy is a necessity. Tinted stretch film allows the contents to be seen but retains the color of the wrap. Both options can be great for easily organizing and identifying bundles of products.
Coreless Stretch Wrap rolls do not include the standard cardboard core. This feature reduces both the weight of the roll and waste, making these products a great solution for environmentally conscious buyers. Reusable dispensers take the place of the traditional core for safe and easy application.
Machine Length Stretch Wrap is ideal for large-scale industries. These film rolls are large capacity and feature a standard 3” core. When used with a stretch wrapping machine, this stretch film can wrap several pallets and bundles in an hour.
Gauge, as it relates to packaging, is one-hundred-thousandths of an inch. For reference, human hair comes in at around 400 gauge, or 0.4% of an inch. Gauge is a popular unit of measurement for the thickness of stretch film; the higher the gauge, the thicker the film. Thicker film is stronger than thinner film, but can be more costly.
Heavy Duty (100 Gauge and Above) – We define heavy duty stretch film as anything over 100 gauge. Due to the thickness of the film, these products tend to have less length per roll but are the strongest available in our catalog. These are commonly recommended for wrapping heavy industrial products.
Regular (80 - 99 Gauge) – Any films that are 80-99 gauge are classified as regular. The 80 gauge films are the bestselling and most common products. This thickness offers the best strength for most applications without the added costs of thicker heavy-duty films. If you are unsure of which film to use, we recommend starting with an 80 gauge film in most cases.
Medium (60-79 Gauge) – Our medium gauges range from 60-79 gauge. These films are recommended for smaller loads or where lightweight items are being bundled.
Economy (60 Gauge and Below) – We classify any film under 60 gauge as economy in our catalog. These films are only recommended for the lightest product bundling and wrapping applications. These films offer better pricing than heavier gauge films, but at the expense of strength.
