Film for your pallet wrapper
| Wrappers | Turntable and rotary-arm, semi-automatic or automatic |
|---|---|
| Common roll | 20 in x 5,000 ft · 3 in core |
| Stretch on a powered carriage | 150 to 350% |
| Made | Cast or blown |
| Bought | By the pallet of rolls |
The carriage, not the label, decides what a roll of machine film is worth. A film that runs at 250 percent on a powered carriage wraps far more pallets than one that tears at 150.1
Four things to tell us
They decide the film before the gauge does.
| Carriage | Powered pre-stretch, or a friction brake that stretches by drag |
|---|---|
| Core and roll | Core size, and the heaviest roll the carriage will hold; a 20 in x 5,000 ft roll is about 32 lb |
| Turntable or arm | Whether the load spins, or the arm goes round a load that stays put |
| Loads | Weight, height, and whether the corners are square or sharp |
A friction-brake carriage stretches film by holding it back as the load turns, so it stretches less and needs a film that copes with uneven drag. A powered carriage stretches between rollers and can run film far thinner than its gauge suggests.2
Checking a change
Measure, don't guess.
When the film or the carriage setting changes, check containment force at the top, middle and bottom of a wrapped load, and again at least once a shift after that.3 If the figures hold, the thinner film or higher stretch has paid for itself. The wrapper was bought once; the film on it is bought every month, so this is where the savings repeat.
Turntable, rotary arm or ring
The wrapper's layout changes little about the film.
On a turntable the pallet spins and the carriage rides up and down a fixed mast; on a rotary arm the load stays put and the arm swings the carriage round it, which suits light, unstable or very heavy loads that shouldn't be spun; on a ring machine the carriage travels round a horizontal ring at high speed for automated lines. All three stretch film through powered rollers and lay down the same spiral. What differs is how fast the roll turns and how often it is changed, so busy ring and arm machines often take longer rolls.
Older wrappers
Settings drift over the years.
Pre-stretch rollers wear and lose grip, brakes on simpler carriages loosen, and settings get changed by whoever last fixed a problem. Before blaming the film, have the machine serviced and its pre-stretch checked.
Carriages have a maximum roll diameter; longer rolls may not fit. Measure the widest full roll your carriage holds, or look it up in the manual, and put that diameter in the request so the length we quote actually fits.
Questions buyers ask
- My wrapper keeps breaking film. Is it the film?
- Sometimes. Check first that the pre-stretch rollers are clean and turning, that the film path has no nicks or burrs, and that the wrap force is not set too high for the gauge. If all are right, a tougher or blown film is the next step.
- Can I run hand film on a wrapper?
- No. Hand rolls are too short and on the wrong core for most carriages, and hand film is not made to take a powered carriage's stretch.
- Does a rotary-arm wrapper need different film?
- The film is the same kind; the load stays still and the arm goes round it, so the film sees the same stretch and wrap force. Roll weight and core still have to suit the arm's carriage.
Related rolls
Sources
- Colony Packaging, "4 differences between stretch film and shrink film" (reviewed 2026-11-13)
- Uline, machine-length cast stretch film, 80 gauge, 20 in x 5,000 ft (product listing) (reviewed 2026-11-13)
- Lantech, "Use the force: containment force is the key to safe pallet loads" (reviewed 2026-11-13)
Facts on this page last reviewed 2026-11-13.
Ask for a stretch film quote
Put the wrapper make and model in the request if you have it, with the roll size and rolls a month.
- Step 1 asks what you need, how much a month, the delivery ZIP and how to reach you
- Step 2 asks the film, the width and the gauge; skip what you don't know