Stretch Film Thickness Guide: How to Choose the Right Micron for Your Loads
Choosing the wrong stretch film thickness is the most expensive packaging mistake a warehouse can make — and it happens silently. Too thin, and pallets shift in transit, products arrive damaged, and you pay for the claim instead of the film. Too thick, and you quietly overspend on every single pallet for years. This guide gives you the micron-to-gauge chart, the load capacity for each thickness, and a simple method to work out the real cost per pallet — so you can specify film by performance instead of by guesswork.
For most palletized loads, 17–20 micron (68–80 gauge) film handles loads up to 600 kg. Use 23–25 micron (90–100 gauge) for loads above 600 kg or with sharp edges, and 30+ micron for steel, timber, chemical drums and other heavy or abrasive items.
Hand film typically runs 17–23 micron; machine film starts at 15 micron and goes to 35 micron, because a pre-stretch carriage lets a thinner film deliver the same containment force.
Why Thickness Matters More Than the Price on the Roll
Almost every buyer starts the conversation with “what is your price per roll?” It is the easiest number to compare and the most misleading one.
A roll price tells you nothing about how much film is actually on the roll, how many pallets it will wrap, or whether it will survive the journey your goods are about to take. Two rolls quoted at the same micron can differ by 30% in length and weight. One will wrap 45 pallets; the other, 32. The cheaper-looking roll can cost you more per pallet.
Thickness drives three things at once:
- Load containment force — how firmly the film holds the stack together under vibration and cornering
- Puncture and tear resistance — whether a sharp pallet corner tears through the wrap mid-transit
- Film consumption — how many wraps you need, and therefore your true cost per pallet
Get the thickness right and everything downstream gets easier. Get it wrong and you either pay for damaged goods or pay for film you never needed.
Stretch Film Thickness Chart: Micron, Gauge and Load Capacity
This is the table worth bookmarking. It maps film thickness to the load it can hold and the grade you should be buying.
| Thickness (Micron) | Gauge | Load Capacity | Typical Use Case | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12–15 µm | 48–60 | up to 300 kg | Light cartons, small boxes, retail bundling, uniform square loads | Hand |
| 17–20 µm | 68–80 | 300–600 kg | Standard pallets, mixed-case loads, food & beverage, general shipping | Hand / Machine |
| 23–25 µm | 90–100 | 600–1,000 kg | Heavy industrial goods, appliances, building materials, long-distance export | Machine |
| 30+ µm | 120+ | 1,000 kg+ | Steel pipes, timber, chemical drums, sharp-edged or irregular loads | Machine (blown) |
Gauge vs Micron: Don’t Get Confused
Micron (µm) is the metric measurement of film thickness. Gauge is the older imperial-style unit still common in North America and the UK. The conversion is simple:
1 micron ≈ 4 gauge — so 17 micron is roughly 68 gauge, 20 micron is 80 gauge, and 25 micron is 100 gauge.
The trap is that some suppliers quote “equivalent gauge” rather than “true gauge.” Equivalent gauge describes how a pre-stretched film performs, not how thick it actually is. A 7 micron pre-stretched film can be sold as “equivalent to 20 micron” because it delivers similar containment — but the physical film on the roll is a third of the thickness.
The Pre-Stretch Factor: Why 20 Micron Machine Film Can Beat 25 Micron Hand Film
This is the single most counter-intuitive point in stretch film selection, and understanding it will change how you buy.
Machine wrappers pre-stretch the film before it touches the load — typically 150% to 300%. A pre-stretched film has higher molecular orientation, which means it delivers more containment force per micron than the same film applied by hand at 0–50% stretch.
The practical consequence: a 20 micron machine film with 250% pre-stretch routinely outperforms a 25 micron hand film, while using significantly less material. Film consumption typically drops 30–70% when an operation moves from hand wrapping to a pre-stretch machine — because you are buying containment force, not plastic.
So when someone asks “is 23 micron strong enough?”, the honest answer is: strong enough for what, applied how? Specification by micron alone is incomplete. Specification by containment force and cost per pallet is what actually protects your goods and your margin.
Hand Film vs Machine Film: Which Grade Do You Need?
The dividing line is volume. Below roughly 15–20 pallets per day, manual wrapping is practical. Above that, the labour cost, the ergonomic risk and the film waste make a machine pay for itself — often within a few months.
| Dimension | Hand Film | Machine Film |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness range | 12–25 µm | 15–35 µm |
| Width | 100–500 mm | 300–1,500 mm |
| Core size | 1.5″ / 2″ / 3″ | 3″ / 6″ |
| Roll weight | 0.3–4 kg (operator comfort) | 2–20 kg (jumbo roll) |
| Pre-stretch | 0–50%, by operator | 150–300%, by machine carriage |
| Film used per pallet | Higher | 30–70% lower |
| Throughput | 15–20 pallets/day practical | 60–120+ pallets/hour |
| Consistency | Varies by operator | Repeatable, every pallet |
| Equipment needed | Hand dispenser only | Turntable / rotary arm wrapper |
| Best for | Low volume, multiple locations, irregular loads | High volume, export, heavy loads |
If your loads vary widely, or you are not yet sure which grade fits, a mid-range machine film gives you the widest margin for error at a small cost per pallet. Where volume is low but loads are heavy, a thicker hand film is the pragmatic choice — just accept the higher film cost per pallet as the price of not investing in equipment.
Cast vs Blown Film: Which Manufacturing Process Fits Your Loads?
Thickness is not the only variable. How the film is made changes how it behaves.
| Property | Cast Film | Blown Film |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Extruded onto a chilled roller | Inflated into a bubble and cooled |
| Clarity | High — easy to scan barcodes through | Lower, hazier |
| Unwind noise | Quiet — preferred for hand wrapping | Louder |
| Puncture resistance | Medium | High |
| Stretch recovery | Good, consistent | Higher — holds tension better |
| Best for | Hand wrapping, printed film, clear loads | Heavy, sharp-edged, irregular or outdoor loads |
A simple rule: cast for clarity and hand application, blown for durability and heavy loads. If your pallets contain anything with corners, protrusions or abrasiveness, blown film’s puncture resistance will earn its price difference.
Specialty Stretch Films for Specific Problems
Beyond standard clear film, several formulations solve narrow but expensive problems. If any of the situations below apply to you, the standard film is the wrong film.
UV-Stabilized Film
Standard LLDPE degrades under prolonged sun exposure, losing tensile strength and turning brittle within 3–6 months outdoors. UV-stabilized film uses hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) to extend outdoor service life to 12–24 months. Essential for outdoor lumber yards, port storage terminals, construction sites and agricultural pallet storage.
VCI (Corrosion-Inhibiting) Film
Releases vapour that forms a molecular protective layer on ferrous metal surfaces, preventing rust during shipping and storage. Used for machinery parts, tools, bearings and any metal component travelling by sea.
Anti-Static Film
Contains conductive additives that prevent electrostatic discharge during wrapping, with surface resistivity typically in the 10⁹–10¹¹ ohm/sq range for compliance with IEC 61340-5-1. Standard for electronics and semiconductor logistics.
Colored and Opaque Film
Color is a working tool, not decoration. Black conceals contents and reduces pilferage in transit. Blue, green, red and orange are used to code shipment type, destination, priority or quality-control status. A simple two-colour system — clear for standard pallets, one colour for “hold” or “special handling” — prevents shipping errors at almost no cost.
Printed Film
Carries your logo, handling instructions or branding around the load. Useful for brand visibility, tamper deterrence and warehouse identification. Available in up to two colours on custom orders.
Cold-Room Film
Formulated to stay pliable at low temperatures for refrigerated and frozen storage, where standard film becomes brittle and snaps.
How to Calculate Your Real Cost Per Pallet
Cost per roll is a starting point, not a decision. Here is the formula that actually matters:
Cost per pallet = (roll price ÷ roll length) × film used per pallet
Where film used per pallet = total metres of film consumed wrapping one pallet, including overlap and waste.
Worked example. A roll costs $14 and holds 1,500 m. Your operator uses 28 m per pallet (four passes up, two anchoring wraps at the base, 50% overlap).
- Cost per metre = $14 ÷ 1,500 = $0.0093
- Cost per pallet = $0.0093 × 28 = $0.26
Now compare that to a cheaper roll at $11 that only holds 1,100 m and needs 34 m per pallet because it tears and requires extra passes:
- Cost per metre = $11 ÷ 1,100 = $0.0100
- Cost per pallet = $0.0100 × 34 = $0.34
The “cheaper” roll costs 31% more per pallet. Multiply that across 200 pallets a week and you are looking at a five-figure annual difference — from a decision that looks like it saves money.
The Five Most Common Stretch Film Buying Mistakes
- Buying on price per roll. Without roll length and weight, a roll price is not a comparison — it is a sales tactic. Always normalise to cost per pallet.
- Over-specifying “to be safe.” Many operations specify one grade up as insurance. A correct 20 micron machine film at 250% pre-stretch outperforms an over-specified 25 micron film applied poorly — and costs less.
- Comparing gauge without accounting for pre-stretch. True gauge and equivalent gauge are different measurements. Compare like with like, or you will always be misled.
- Ignoring core size. A 3″ core will not run on a machine built for 6″. Confirm compatibility before you commit to a container order, because changing cores mid-contract is expensive.
- Staying on hand film past the crossover point. Past roughly 15–20 pallets a day, manual wrapping becomes a labour cost and an injury risk. The film saving from switching to a machine often repays the equipment within months.
Stretch Film Selection Checklist
Work through these six questions before you place an order. If you can answer all of them, you know your specification.
- Load weight per pallet? Under 300 kg, 300–600 kg, 600–1,000 kg, or above 1,000 kg — this sets your micron band from the chart above.
- How is the film applied? By hand, by a semi-automatic wrapper, or by a fully automatic line — this sets your grade and core size.
- Are there sharp edges or protrusions? If yes, move to blown film and step up one thickness band.
- Where will the load be stored or shipped? Indoors, outdoors, refrigerated, or by sea — outdoor and sea freight point to UV-stabilized or VCI film.
- Does the load need to be seen, or concealed? Clear for scanning and inspection; an opaque colour for security or coding.
- What is your target cost per pallet? Set the number, then work back to the film specification that achieves it — not the other way around.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickness of stretch film should I use for a standard pallet?
For a standard mixed-case pallet under 600 kg, 17–20 micron (68–80 gauge) is the normal choice. Machine film at 20 micron with pre-stretch is the cost-performance sweet spot for most warehouses. Move to 23–25 micron once loads exceed 600 kg or contain sharp edges.
Is 23 micron stronger than 20 micron?
At the same application method, yes — 23 micron has roughly 15% more material and resists puncture and tension loss better. But application method changes the comparison. A 20 micron machine film with 250% pre-stretch frequently delivers more containment force than a 23 micron hand film applied at low stretch.
What is the difference between micron and gauge?
Micron (µm) is the metric measure of film thickness; gauge is the older imperial-style equivalent. 1 micron is approximately 4 gauge, so 20 micron equals about 80 gauge. Beware of “equivalent gauge,” which describes pre-stretched performance rather than actual physical thickness.
How many pallets will one roll of stretch film wrap?
It depends on roll length, film thickness and your wrapping pattern. A 1,500 m hand roll typically wraps 45–60 standard pallets; a 5,000 m machine jumbo roll can cover 150–250 pallets depending on pre-stretch settings. Always calculate from metres used per pallet rather than guessing from the roll.
Can I use hand stretch film on a wrapping machine?
Not reliably. Hand film is formulated for low stretch and comes on light cores that do not fit machine carriages. Running hand film on a machine causes frequent breaks and inconsistent wrap force. Always use machine-grade film on a wrapper.
Do you supply custom thickness, width and color?
Yes. We manufacture custom PE stretch film from 12 to 30 micron, in widths from 100 mm to 1,500 mm, in any color, with up to two-color printing and your choice of core size. Send us your specification and we will quote within 24 hours.
Get a Stretch Film Specification Quoted in 24 Hours
Tell us your load weight, application method and target cost per pallet. We will recommend the right micron, grade and roll format — and send samples so you can test before you commit to a container.
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