100 gauge stretch wrap

100 gauge is a full mil thick. The buying guide groups 100 to 115 gauge for the heaviest loads, 3,000 pounds and up:¹ pails of liquid, sacks of resin or feed, stacked metal, full drums. These loads carry enough momentum that a sudden stop in a trailer throws the top tier forward, and the film has to stop it.

What holds a heavy pallet is the total squeeze of every layer, containment force, measured at the top, middle and bottom of the load.² A thicker film gives more of it per turn; more turns of a lighter film can give the same total. One wrapper maker blames about half of in-transit damage on wrapping that didn't hold,³ so the test after any change matters more than the gauge on the box. For the very heaviest or sharpest loads, see 120 gauge; for anything under 2,600 pounds, 90 is usually enough.

Pails of paint and coatings, bagged cement, salt and fertiliser, boxed fasteners, cases of motor oil, stacked steel plate and full drums all put a great deal of weight on a small footprint. The bottom tier carries the rest, and the film has to tie that tier to the pallet deck, so base wraps matter as much as gauge. Expect to carry the film down onto the pallet boards and to add a turn or two there.

Most heavy loads at 100 gauge are wrapped on a turntable or rotary arm, where the carriage does the stretching. By hand, the film is hard to pull; if your heavy loads are wrapped by hand, ask about a dispenser with a brake, and expect short rolls to be easier to carry.

A pallet bound for a container ship may spend weeks in a steel box, through port handling, swells, heat and humidity. Film relaxes over time, and cartons soften in damp air, so the wrap that left the dock tight can be slack on arrival. Heavier film, more top turns, slip sheets between tiers, and strapping as well as film are common for these loads. Some exporters also add a cap sheet against condensation dripping from a container roof. Check your customer's or forwarder's packing instructions, which sometimes specify the film.

For the same roll weight, a thicker film carries fewer feet, so heavy-gauge rolls are often shorter or heavier than their 80 gauge equivalents. Check what your carriage and operators can lift.

Is 100 gauge too heavy to wrap by hand?

It is hard work to stretch by hand. Most heavy loads at this gauge go on a wrapper.

Do I need 100 gauge for every heavy pallet?

No. Heavy square loads can hold on 90 with extra turns; check the containment force before buying the heaviest film.

Cast or blown at 100 gauge?

Blown for drums and sharp loads, cast for heavy square cases.

Cast or blown at 100 gauge for pails?

Blown, usually: pail rims and handles snag cast film. Cast suits heavy, square cases at this gauge.

Is 100 gauge sold by the case or the pallet?

Hand rolls by the case, machine rolls by the pallet, like other gauges; heavier rolls mean fewer per case.