Choosing the Right Pallet Wrap

Are you wondering which pallet wrap is best for your business?

As pressures rise on plastic – tax, sustainability and recycling – many companies are researching their options around packaging supplies. OK, we are another merchant that supplies pallet wrap – but this article is not about our product. Instead, we will explore the current choices of hand wrap available and which is best suited for your application.

Nowadays, there are four different types of hand pallet wrap available.

Standard Pallet Wrap

It is often sold in 17, 20 or 23mu and is precisely that thickness. The traditional wrap is still standard. However, it is becoming less popular these days. Standard pallet wraps are available in cast or blown. These refer to the method of manufacture.

Cast film is competitively priced, tear resistant, and quiet off the roll. Blown film is more robust, high tack (if needed) and has a better ‘recovery’ – more elastic.

Performance Pallet Wrap

From 10 to 15mu and often recorded as ‘performs like’. This type of pallet wrap has a better ‘recipe’ and perform-like standard hand wraps. This is probably the most commonly available type of hand wrap and is also available in cast or blown.

Pre-Stretched Pallet Wrap

Pre-stretched during manufacturing and wound onto the core already stretched. This very thin hand wrap is often 5-8mu micron and retracts around to grip the goods onto the pallet after application.

Nano Pallet Wrap

A wrap made using ‘Nano technology’ – made of several ‘nano’ layers. This hand wrap, whilst very thin – often 4-6mu offers high performance.

We’ll look at each one in turn, over the following comparisons:

• Puncture Resistance

How well the hand wrap handles sharp corners or products. The higher the green mark, the better the performance.

• Cost per Pallet Wrapped

It is not the cost per roll! This is the cost per pallet wrapped. Rolls of wrap have different lengths and types of film. The higher the green mark, the cheaper the price for wrapping a pallet.

• Stretchability

How much the hand wrap stretches, or how little? The less it pulls off the roll, the less wrap the pallet requires. A high green mark is a low stretch, which means a good cost saving for you.

• Clarity

This might not be relevant to all, but we have included it just in case.

• Cling

Often referred to as how ‘sticky’ the hand film is – a film with good inside cling will improve load security.

• Load Stability

How well the wrap performs under movement or duress.

There is no absolute best vs worst here – although you can probably tell that standard pallet wrap has become outdated! It’s down to application and the current pressures on your buying decision. For example, you may have an extremely uneven pallet with very sharp edges… although Pre-Stretch hand wrap or Nano hand wrap would save you money, puncture resistance has the power of veto, and you must go with a performance film. Likewise, a Nano would be a no-brainer if you are wrapping standard-size pallets with high usage.

Other considerations are whether the film is cast, blown, extended, flush core, or has a dispenser system. This article doesn’t cover those variations for now, but others may be / will be available on this site. Wraps with recycled content are also available, and there is a chart on page 28 of our catalogue outlining which is which.

This article is aimed at helping you ask the right questions and make the proper selection, either online or when speaking to packaging providers, and we trust it has done just that.

You can contact us here if you’d prefer a bit of human contact and want to speak with our team.