Are you using the right pallet wrap?
Are you wondering which?pallet wrap?is best for your business?
A lot of businesses are under pressure to respond to the plastic tax and are researching their options around packaging supplies. OK, we are another merchant that supplies pallet wrap – but this article is not about our product, instead we will explore the current choices of hand wrap available and which is best suited for your application.
Nowadays, there are four different types of pallet wrap available.
Often sold in 17, 20 or 23mu and it is exactly that thickness. Traditional wrap is still common, however it is becoming less popular these days.
From 10 to 15mu and often recorded as ‘performs like’. This type of pallet wrap has a better ‘recipe’ and perform-like standard hand wraps. This is probably the most commonly available type of hand wrap.
Pre-stretched during manufacturing and wound onto the core already stretched. This very thin hand wrap is often 5-8mu micron and retracts around to grip the goods onto the pallet after application.
Wrap made using ‘Nano technology’ – made of several ‘nano’ layers. This hand wrap, whilst very thin – often 4-6mu offers a very high performance.
We’ll look at each one in turn, over the following comparisons:
Puncture resistance
How well the hand wrap handles sharp corners or products. The higher the green mark the better the performance.
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Cost per pallet wrapped
This is not the cost per roll!?This is cost per pallet wrapped.?Rolls of wrap have differing lengths and types of film.?The higher the green mark, the cheaper the cost to wrap a pallet.
Stretchability
This is how much the hand wrap stretches or how little. The less it stretches off the roll, the less wrap required for the pallet. High green mark is low stretch, and this means a good cost saving for you.
Clarity
This might not be relevant to all, but we have included it just in case.
Cling
Often referred to as how ‘sticky’ the hand film is – film with good inside cling will improve load security.
Load Stability
How well the wrap performs under movement or duress.
There is no real best vs worst here – although you can probably tell that standard pallet wrap has become outdated!?It’s down to application and the current pressures on your buying decision.?For example, you may have an extremely uneven pallet with very sharp edges… although?Pre-Stretch hand wrap?or Nano hand wrap would save you money, puncture resistance has the power of veto and you must go with a performance film.?Likewise, if you are wrapping standard size pallets and your usage is high, a Nano would be a no-brainer.
Other considerations are whether the film is cast or blown, extended or flush core or has a dispenser system.?This article doesn’t cover those variations for now, but others may be / will be available on this site.?Wraps with recycled content are also available and there is a chart on page 48 of our?catalogue?outlining which is which.
This article is aimed at helping you ask the right questions and make the right selection, either on-line or when speaking to packaging providers and we trust it has done just that.
?If you’d prefer a bit of human contact and you'd like to speak with our team, you can contact us?here.