Stretch wrap, also commonly known as stretch film or pallet wrap, is a highly stretchable industrial plastic film used for cargo securing. When wrapped tightly around goods and pallet-stacked loads, its powerful elastic recovery force keeps all items firmly bound as a unified unit during handling, storage and transportation.
It is important to distinguish stretch film from shrink wrap. Shrink wrap is loosely fitted over products first and contracts into a tight fit by applying heat. Stretch wrap, on the other hand, creates firm binding purely through physical stretching and elastic memory, with no heat required in the wrapping process.
Although industrial stretch film looks similar to household plastic food cling wrap, standard stretch film is normally manufactured without food contact approved raw materials. It is designed for logistics packaging only and is not suitable for wrapping edible goods.
Typical Applications
Stretch film is widely adopted across warehouses, manufacturing plants and logistics companies. Its primary application is stabilizing full pallet loads to prevent cargo shifting and falling apart in transit. Apart from pallet unitization, it also works well for bundling small sized loose items together for easier management.
Main Types of Stretch Film
Different grades of stretch film are produced to fit various working conditions:
- Bundling stretch film: Specially made for binding small parts and scattered goods.
- Hand stretch film: Manual use rolls for low volume wrapping work without automated machines.
- Extended core stretch film: Comes with lengthened paper core for convenient hand grip during manual operation.
- Machine stretch film: Formulated for automatic pallet wrapping machines for high speed, mass production packaging.
- Static dissipative stretch film: Anti static variant for packaging electrostatic sensitive electronic parts.
Key Advantages
- Stabilizes palletized cargo to lower transport related product damage
- Provides basic dust-proof surface protection for stored goods
- Simple workflow, no heating equipment needed
- Cost-efficient solution for bulk industrial packaging
