A pallet that shifts on the truck can ruin a whole load, and the film holding it together is one of the cheapest parts of freight. Pallet wrap, also called stretch film, comes in hand rolls and machine rolls, in different thicknesses and in clear, black or coloured film. Buying the wrong grade means wasted film or a load that leans. Send your pallet size, load weight and volumes, and pallet wrap suppliers near you quote directly. It is free and you are under no obligation.
Hand film and machine film
Hand pallet wrap is usually 450 or 500 mm wide, rolled on a 38 mm core that fits a hand dispenser, and weighs 2 to 3 kg. It suits a warehouse that wraps up to about 20 pallets a day. Machine pallet wrap comes on heavier rolls of 15 to 25 kg, often 500 mm wide, and runs through a turntable or rotary-arm wrapper. Machine film is thinner, stretches further and costs less per pallet, but the machine has to be bought or hired, so see packaging machines.
Operators who wrap more than about 30 pallets a day usually save money by moving to a machine.
Micron, pre-stretch and cast or blown
Pallet wrap is sold by thickness in micron. Hand film is typically 17 to 23 micron, machine film 12 to 20 micron. Thicker is not always better: a good 17 micron film that stretches 200 percent covers far more pallets per roll than a stiff 23 micron film that barely stretches. Pre-stretched film is stretched at the factory, so the operator does less work and a thin 8 to 12 micron roll can replace a thicker one.
There are two ways of making it. Cast film is clear, quiet to unwind and clings well. Blown film is tougher and more puncture resistant, which helps with sharp pallet corners, but is a little cloudier. Ask the supplier which one they are quoting.
Clear, black and UV film
Clear film lets a scanner read barcodes on the load and lets you check the contents. Black pallet wrap hides the goods from view, which reduces pilferage of valuable loads like electronics and alcohol. Coloured film in blue, red or green marks batches, customers or quarantined stock. Loads stored outside for weeks need UV-stabilised film, otherwise the sun makes it brittle. Pallets going by sea usually get extra layers of film and corner boards, and export pallets must be built on heat-treated ISPM 15 wood where the destination requires it.
How many wraps per pallet
For a standard 1,200 x 1,000 mm pallet stacked to about 1.6 m, aim for 3 to 5 turns around the base, a firm spiral up the load with a 50 percent overlap, and 3 to 4 turns at the top. A heavy or uneven load needs more. Keep the film tight and trap the pallet base in the first turns so the load and pallet move as one. Add edge boards to stop corners crushing. A 500 mm x 300 m hand roll at moderate stretch usually wraps 15 to 25 pallets.
What to include in your request
- Hand or machine rolls, and machine model
- Pallets wrapped per day or week
- Film width, micron and roll weight
- Clear, black, coloured or UV film
- Delivery address and storage conditions
Pallet Wrap for different businesses
- Online shops and ecommerce: wrapping outbound pallets from the fulfilment centre and bundling cartons for collection
- Restaurants, takeaways and food producers: stabilising pallets of cartons and tubs in cold rooms and dry stores
- Shops and retail stores: wrapping pallets of stock in the back store and returns before they are collected
- Factories and manufacturers: securing finished goods on pallets at the end of the production line
- Warehouses, distributors and exporters: film by the pallet for dispatch, cross-docking and containers going to port
- Households and offices moving: wrapping furniture, mattresses and loose items to protect against dust and scuffs
- Farms, packhouses and nurseries: holding fruit and vegetable cartons on pallets from the packhouse to the cold chain
- Cosmetics, candles and health products: keeping cases of bottles, jars and candles stable between factory and distributor
Frequently asked questions
How much does a roll of pallet wrap cost?
What is the difference between pallet wrap and shrink wrap?
Can pallet wrap be recycled?
Why does my film keep tearing?
Pallet Wrap by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg