Pre-stretched film

The largest saving in this catalogue

Pre-stretched film has already been stretched during production, so the material is thinner and longer before it reaches you. The same pallet is wrapped with 30–50% less polyethylene, and the roll is a third of the weight.

On an operation wrapping 200 pallets a day, that is the single largest consumable saving available here — larger than any price negotiation on conventional film, and larger than downgauging.

The second benefit nobody quotes

A conventional 500 mm roll at 23 µm weighs 2.4 kg and has to be stretched by the operator, which means film consumption varies with who is wrapping. A pre-stretched roll weighs 1.9 kg and applies at low tension: consumption becomes consistent, and the wrap stops depending on the strength of whoever is on shift.

For a site with manual handling concerns, that is worth as much as the material saving.

What it does not do

Pre-stretched film has less further stretch available, so it does not recover from a badly applied wrap the way conventional film does. On loads with sharp exposed corners it punctures more readily.

It is the right answer for regular boxed loads, which is most palletised freight. For machinery, timber or anything with edges, conventional blown film holds better.