The Value of Stretch Wrap

Stretch wrapping, whether hand film or machine film, fulfills a vital role in the shipping process. It’s one of the most effective ways to secure products onto a pallet and can provide the best defense against product damage. However, like all types of packaging, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, and not all stretch wrap solutions are made equally. Stretch film quality (single sided vs double sided cling), gauge thickness (42G vs 100G), and width (20” vs 30”), all determine how well your pallet will be contained, how expensive it is to ship your product, as well as your overall return on investment (ROI).

Expensive Pallets, Cheap Film

From R&D to general overhead costs, manufacturing products are expensive and highly competitive. You do everything you can to refine your product, create market strategies, target prospects, and care for your customers and clients. With such a high investment, there’s no question that a pallet of your product is valuable, and any damage incurred in transit could result in hundreds or thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

In order to prevent this, it’s important to consider the value of your investment into your product — and why it’s equally important to invest in high-quality film.

The saying, “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be truer when it comes to stretch films. In most cases, the smaller your investment on a cheap roll of film, the lower the quality you’ll receive. By purchasing a high-performance film, you purchase a guarantee that the stretch film will perform beyond expectations. Don’t miss out on the peace-of-mind that the right stretch film will provide — make the proper investment and wrap pallets better.

It’s All in The Gauge

Besides quality, there’s another crucial factor that will determine whether your stretch film will perform well and save you money: gauge.

A film’s thickness, or gauge, is a key indicator of its containment potential. Measured in millimeter (MIL), gauge impacts load containment and can predict the likelihood of film breakage. Most commonly, the thinner the gauge, the less weight it will be able to contain — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In some cases, where pallets are carrying less weight, using a film with too high of a gauge is wasteful, costly, and unnecessary. However, if you use a film that’s too low in gauge, your pallet could be poorly contained or may need to be wrapped too many times. In both situations, the selection of an incorrect film gauge can be detrimental to your operations and result in a high cost per load.

Ready to explore the benefits of a hand-selected stretch film?

Our Packaging Specialists have a deep understanding of stretch film and the best strategies to reduce your cost per pallet. Through rigorous testing, your dedicated Packaging Specialist will create a stretch wrap solution that will lower film costs, increase the containment load, find cost per load, and prevent damages to your product.