Stretch wrap for beverage plants

• Full cases of cans or bottles

  Machine film, 90 ga

  Heavy, dense loads; 90 gauge suits loads up to about 2,600 lb on the buying-guide chart.

• Empty glass on tier sheets

  Cast film, 80 ga

  Light but fragile; the film has to keep the tiers from sliding without crushing.

• Plastic bottle preforms and empties

  Blown film

  Bulky, slippery, and prone to shifting.

• Mixed route-delivery pallets

  Hand film by the case

  Built to order at the warehouse and wrapped by hand.

• California63,604 jobs
• Texas24,154 jobs
• New York13,802 jobs
• Pennsylvania13,207 jobs
• Florida12,661 jobs

US total in beverage manufacturing: 316,938 private jobs across 16,316 establishments, 2025 annual average.¹

California has more beverage jobs than the next three states put together. Wherever the plant is, the failure is the same: the top tiers keep moving when the truck stops. A buying guide puts 90 gauge at loads up to 2,600 pounds and 100 to 115 gauge above 3,000;² many drink pallets sit between. Extra turns at the top and the base, and a measured check of containment force at top, middle and bottom,³ matter as much as the gauge. Glass has its own risk: too much wrap force can crush a tier of empties.

Drinks often reach the wrapper already shrink-bundled into multipacks on the filling line, so the stretch film is holding slippery bundles together, and cling and top turns matter more than usual. Empties travel the other way: can makers ship empty cans in tall layers on tier sheets, light loads where the film's job is to stop the tiers sliding.

Kegs stand on pallets in rows and roll if the film loosens; firm base wraps and a band round the top rims hold them. Returnable crates and shells come back for reuse, so film that leaves residue or strands in the handles slows the line that cleans them. Blown film with good cling and a clean cut-off suits both.

Should we wrap glass empties tighter?

No. Glass on tier sheets needs enough hold to stop the tiers sliding, not crushing force. Lower the wrap force and add turns instead.

Cans or bottles, does it change the film?

Cans are heavier per pallet; plastic bottles flex and settle. Both want firm top wraps; plastic bottles benefit from blown film's cling.

How tight should cased wine be wrapped?

Firm enough to stop cases sliding, gentle enough not to crush the cartons or the glass. Moderate tension and more turns works better than a hard pull.