Shrink wrap gives a product a tight, clear, tamper-evident skin that protects it from dust and damp and bundles loose items into one pack. It is used for everything from a single book to a pallet of tinned food, and the film you choose depends on what is inside. This page explains the film types, the sealing equipment and the heat needed, so your request to shrink wrap suppliers is complete. Quotes arrive from suppliers who deliver to your area, free and with no obligation.
PVC, polyolefin and polyethylene film
PVC shrink film is the cheapest, shrinks at low temperature and seals easily on a basic sealer, but it gives off fumes when heated, goes brittle in the cold and is not suitable for food. Polyolefin (POF) is the standard for most retail packs: clear and glossy, strong, odour-free, food-safe and still tough at 19 to 25 micron. Polyethylene (PE) shrink film is thick, 50 to 200 micron, and used for heavy bundles, pallet hoods and covering boats or building materials outdoors.
If the pack touches food, ask for a food-contact declaration for the film.
Centre-fold film, flat film and sleeves
Most small producers buy centre-fold film, a roll folded in half so the product sits in the fold and only the open edges need sealing. Roll width is chosen by the product: width about the product's width plus its height plus 20 to 30 mm. Flat film is bought for wide or irregular packs. Shrink sleeves and bands are pre-formed tubes slipped over bottle necks or multipacks and used for tamper evidence or full-body printing. Bottle multipacks of water, juice and cleaning products are usually wrapped in a flat film or in printed PE film on a bundler line.
L-bar sealers, heat tunnels and heat guns
The film is only half the setup. A heat gun shrinks small, irregular items one at a time and suits a start-up or craft business, but is slow. A manual L-bar sealer seals two sides in one movement, and a heat tunnel then shrinks the film evenly as the pack moves through. Together they handle 5 to 15 packs a minute. A full automatic line costs a great deal more and suits factories running thousands a day. Equipment is covered under packaging machines, and many film suppliers also sell, service and supply spares.
Tunnel temperature matters: PVC shrinks at about 120 to 150 degrees, polyolefin nearer 150 to 180. Running too hot burns holes.
Choosing the right film
Match the film to the product, the speed and the budget. Food, cosmetics and books should be in polyolefin. A one-off job or low-value item can use PVC if there is no food contact. Heavy items outdoors need PE. Always request a small sample roll and test it on your own sealer before you commit to a pallet. Shrink film is different from pallet wrap, which stretches and clings with no heat, and from boxes or courier bags that protect a pack in transit.
What to include in your request
- What you are wrapping and its size
- Film type: PVC, polyolefin or PE
- Roll width, micron and core size
- Sealer or tunnel you already own
- Packs per week and delivery address
Shrink Wrap for different businesses
- Online shops and ecommerce: sealing books, games and boxed gifts so they arrive clean and tamper-evident
- Restaurants, takeaways and food producers: bundling bottled drinks and wrapping cheese, tinned goods and dry goods in food-safe film
- Shops and retail stores: wrapping display packs, cards and boxed stock for shelves and counters
- Factories and manufacturers: covering parts and bundling product multipacks on a small packing line
- Warehouses, distributors and exporters: PE film hoods and heavy sheets over outdoor pallets and building materials
- Households and offices moving: wrapping loose items like drawers, cushions and pipe bundles into single units
- Farms, packhouses and nurseries: sleeving jars and bottles of sauce, honey and juice sold at farm stalls
- Cosmetics, candles and health products: tamper-evident bands on jars and tubs, and film around gift sets of soap and candles
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between shrink wrap and cling wrap?
Can I use a hairdryer instead of a heat gun?
How much does shrink film cost?
Is shrink wrap food-safe?
Shrink 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