So, you have found yourself in the position of purchasing shrink film for your business. Perhaps you are fresh out of college and are beginning your career in the purchasing department or you are a veteran purchasing manager who has been tasked with buying shrink film for the first time.
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Either way, you have quickly discovered that buying shrink film is not as simple as going to an e-com store, choosing a roll of film, and clicking "buy". Or, if you did that, you have now perhaps come to the realization that you purchased the wrong type of film for your machinery.
Maybe the film you chose works but isn’t the right gauge and you can see that you are wasting dollars with each product packaged. Then again, perhaps you choose a film that does not possess the right heat resistance and you now have a melted mess on your products and inside your heat tunnel.
Regardless of the issues that have brought you here, it’s very clear to you that you must answer several questions prior to ordering shrink film for your business. Knowing what to ask will help you ensure that you are in fact buying the correct film for your packaging needs.
At Industrial Packaging, we have helped thousands of businesses over the course of multiple decades choose the best type, size, gauge, and formulation of shrink film for their packaging needs. When new customers come to us, we walk them through the questions they should ask and make sure they know how to best optimize their packaging lines.
What Am I Shrink Wrapping?
Before you go about buying a roll or multiple rolls of shrink film for your packaging line, you have to take stock of what your products are. So, first things first, what products are you looking to wrap in shrink film?
Are you wrapping produce? If so, you are going to want to package your veggies in polyolefin. You may need alterations including perforations for breathability for certain veggies and possible anti-fog to allow for a clear product presentation and eliminated condensation.
You will also want to use polyolefin or a PVC for consumer goods such as toys or games. Many are moving away from PVC, however, if you are packaging candles, for example, you will need PVC. This is because the fragrances contained in the candles will break down the polyolefin film.
Are you wrapping bottled water, cans of vegetables, or sauces that you find at the big box stores? If you answered yes, you will want to choose polyethylene film. Are you packaging items like CDs/DVDs, and boxes for gaming & software? If you are, then you will want to use PVC.
Are you wrapping heat-sensitive items? Should your products even be packaged in shrink film in the first place? Some products cannot be packaged in shrink film due to the heat produced in the heat tunnel during the shrink wrapping process.
So, if you do not already know if your products can be sent through a heat tunnel, how do you figure that out? In order to find out if your products can be sent through a heat tunnel for shrink film packaging applications, you will need to work with your chosen vendor to send your products through a test run inside of a heat tunnel.
This is done by sending a dummy product with what is called heat-sensitive tape through the machine. The heat-sensitive tape will indicate if the heat in the tunnel is too great for your product. This is not something you should do yourself and you should work with your local packaging professional to choose the right tapes and conduct the test to ensure the proper safety and related protocols.
What Type Of Packaging Machinery Do I Have?
Are you using a hairdryer (I hope not!) to shrink your packaging film? Are you using a heat gun? Are you using a heat tunnel? What type of sealer are you using? Is it an l-bar sealer? Or maybe a flow wrapper?
You must take into consideration the tools you are using to shrink wrap your products before you purchase your shrink wrap. Your choice of film will be limited based upon the type of machinery you are using to wrap your items.
Once you have identified the type of machinery that you are using to wrap your products, you will have to check the machinery's specifications to see what types of film can be used on that type of equipment.
Once you discover the appropriate types of films for your machine, you can move on to finding the right shrink film for your packaging applications.
Need Help Choosing The Right Shrink Film?
Do You Have Minimum Order Requirements?
There are some types of shrink film that require you to order minimum amounts of material to be able to place an order. For example, most printed shrink film vendors will have a minimum order requirement that will often require you to spend thousands of dollars. This is due to the printing of the film and the various elements required to produce the product, for example, ink.
In order for the order to be profitable for the company producing the printed shrink film, they have to sell a minimum number of items to cover the cost of production. Every vendor who produces these types of films has a different minimum order requirement and you will have to ask your vendor what the minimum order requirement for their film is.
Does Shipping Cost Extra?
Every shrink film vendor is different. Some companies do not charge extra for shipping, while other companies do. To find out if your vendor charges for shipping, you simply have to ask. But make sure you know because you don’t want to be saddled with extra charges that you weren’t expecting.
Where Does The Vendor Ship From?
The cost of shipping for those companies who do charge for shipping is largely determined by how far you are from the vendor.
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Even though you won’t be calculating this on your own, it is well-advised to ask your shrink film vendor where they are located. The further away from the location that they are shipping from, the higher the cost of shipping will be to you.
What Are Your Lead Times?
The lead time for an order of shrink film is the time between the initiation and completion of a production process. The longer your estimated lead time, the longer it will take for you to receive your order of shrink film from your vendor. Generally speaking, you will want to choose a vendor with the shortest lead times possible.
Can Stock Items Replace Custom Orders?
There are times when you will attempt to place a custom order and some of the items you have requested are out of stock. In some cases, there may be stock items of similar or even the same specs, which can be used to fulfill an order that would otherwise have an excessively long lead time due to availability issues.
It is always worth asking about stocked items that could be used in place of custom orders when you find yourself in this position and need to get the order filled sooner than later.
What To Do With All Your Answers
Once you have answered all of the questions above, you should pretty much have all of the required information needed to make an educated shrink film purchase. With this data, you can buy the right amount, size, gauge, and type of shrink film for your needs.
Now, if after collecting all of this information and researching the types of film that would be the best fit for your packaging needs and you are still unsure of how to proceed, consider speaking with one of our packaging experts.
They will be able to help you collate and better understand all of these items and then assist you in choosing the best possible shrink film for your packaging applications, regardless of whether you choose to buy from us or not.
Pallet shrink wrap can be confused with a few different materials. People often look for rolls of a material that stretches to conform tightly around pallet loads of goods. Anyone searching will find a plethora of options online. Be sure you know about the common misunderstanding before purchasing pallet shrink wrap.
Below are twelve misconceptions people have about pallet shrink wrap. Anyone purchasing in bulk should read this before making a purchase. Pallet shrink wrap is a general term, be sure you purchase the products you need.
First, if you are looking for a true pallet shrink wrap, there are thicker pallet heat shrink materials used to shrink and conform to pallet loads of products. The most common of these are pallet shrink bags. Premade bags to fit various pallet sizes are made from a thick polyethylene shrink material to slide over pallet loads of goods to shrink and conform to hold and protect the load. Another less common method for heat-shrinking pallets is using a thick industrial or marine shrink wrap. Most marine wraps are opaque and colored either blue or white. Some new machines and equipment are often wrapped and sent out with this heat shrink material, but it is not often used for wrapping pallet loads of goods.
- 1. The material shrinks down – The phrase pallet shrink wrap sounds like the plastic shrinks down. Though some ‘pallet shrink wraps’ shrink down, people often reference the rolls of film wrapped around a pallet, also known as stretch film.
Most people searching for pallet shrink wrap want something they can pull tight around products to hold and unitize during shipment. This material is a stretch film, though people call it shrink wrap. Because the wrap is pulled tightly around the products, it appears shrunk and conformed. The wrap does the opposite and expands to wrap around the skid. With the proper amount of stretch, less film is used, and loads are held tighter together. This form of ‘pallet shrink wrap’ does not shrink down.
- 2. You must apply heat – The heat shrink materials mentioned above require heat, but stretch film for wrapping around pallets does not require heat. The proper amount of tension and stretch will appear the plastic shrunken around the shipment.
- 3. Pallet shrink wrap is food grade – It is tempting to use a wide, thin plastic for food applications. Covering containers as needed or using for direct food contact. We highly discourage any use of pallet shrink wrap with direct food contact. Unless specially made for direct food contact, pallet wrap can not be used touching consumable products.
- 4. Pallet shrink wrap can be stored in the sun – Made from LLDPE (linear Low-Density Polyethylene), without an ultraviolet inhibitor, the wrap will begin to break down in as little as 30 days of sunlight exposure. The pallet wrap will become brittle and easily pull apart. After enough exposure, the elasticity will be lost, and the film will break down, exposing products. Custom pallet wraps can include UV protection for several months, but it is not a standard feature for most pallet wraps.
- 5. 80 Gauge is the thickness you need – Any quick search or glimpse at products online will have you thinking 80 gauge is the right thickness. Over the years, it has become the most popular thickness for wrapping loads. It is a versatile wrap but is not always the best choice. Now, most companies are not using a standard 80-gauge pallet shrink wrap.
Though the term ’80 gauge’ is still popular, many are using an equivalent 80 gauge wrap due to increased petroleum prices. The equivalent materials are thinner than an actual 80-gauge film but are said to have the same holding strength. Thinner yet stronger films can reduce waste and have comparable tension, but they still do not offer the same puncture resistance as a standard 80 gauge.
In addition to the equivalent films, several other thicknesses are available to fit the needs of many scenarios. Lighter materials can protect and wrap half loads or load with less weight. In contrast, thicker 100 gauge can be used for large and heavy pallet loads. There are many different selections available when choosing a pallet shrink wrap; consider other options if applicable to save on money, waste, and possible product damage. View our stretch film thickness chart to get a better idea of the thickness that may work for your needs.
- 6. Pallet shrink wrap is available locally at Home Depot or Lowes – In a pinch, pallet shrink wrap is available in Home Depot and Lowes by the roll. They are found in the moving section of either store.
Hand-sized rolls with extended cores are most often available. The rolls are perfect for wrapping furniture and bundling boxes and household items. Because of the cost and thickness of the film sold at these stores, we recommend buying pallet shrink wrap in bulk if using any volume. There are more options, better quality, and lower prices for purchasing materials in bulk.
- 7. Hand and machine pallet shrink wrap rolls are the same – Rolls of pallet wrap are not the same. Larger rolls with thousands of feet of film are made for machine wrapping. Machine pallet shrink wrap has more stretching capabilities. Hand rolls will not stretch more than 150%; machine wrap will expand 250% or more.
This difference in stretch rate is intentional because of the consistent tension a pallet wrapping machine can maintain during the wrapping process. During hand application, users can not pull hard enough as they apply film to reach 250% or more stretch. If a hand roll is used on a wrapping machine, it may not work with the film carriage. If it does work, there will still be waste by not obtaining the total amount of stretch the machine is capable of.
- 8. Pallet shrink wrap can be applied without pulling the material – The expansion and elasticity of the wrap are what bundle the products. It also gives the material the “shrink wrapped” look.
Unless using a pre-stretched pallet wrap, users must pull the roll as the load is being wrapped. Without pulling and tightly wrapping the products, they can topple over and move during shipping.
- 9. Pallet shrink wrap is waterproof – Pallet shrink wrap stretched around a pallet is not waterproof. It can be water resistant, but it is not waterproof. Heat-shrinkable pallet bags are waterproof and an excellent option for moisture protection. For added security when using a pallet wrap, pallet covers and sheeting provide an extra layer against moisture.
- 10. Cheaper the better – Many equivalent resin mixtures have become popular. They use less material and have more substantial load tension. If a more affordable wrap is an option, we recommend trying a sample to be sure it works. If it does, you can save money and hopefully lower film usage. If wrapping loads with sharp corners and edges, spend more and buy a premium wrap. The additional cost can pay for itself if preventing product loss.
- 11. Pallet shrink wrap cannot be recycled – It can be recycled, but not often part of local pickup plans. Stretch pallet wrap is made from LLDPE (low-density polyethylene) with a number four recycle code. We recommend calling recycling centers in the local area to find facilities accepting LLDPE.
- 12. Food cling wrap is the same as pallet shrink wrap – Food cling wrap, often called Saran Wrap, is not the same as pallet stretch wrap. Food cling wrap is usually made from a food-grade PVC material, while pallet wrap is made from LLDPE. Cling wrap does not have the stretch capabilities pallet film wrap does. Pallet shrink wrap is also not recommended for direct food contact. There are many other differences, and they should not be used as substitutions for each other.
Conclusion
Call it pallet shrink wrap, stretch wrap, or cling wrap; the right pallet stretch film can reduce product loss and unitize multiple items. Understanding what many do not realize before making a purchase can ensure you make an informed decision. For help purchasing pallet shrink wrap, call 1-800-441-5090 and let us know if you have any questions.
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