120 gauge stretch wrap

The buying guide stops at 100 to 115 gauge for loads of 3,000 pounds and up.¹ 120 gauge is beyond that: not for a heavier pallet so much as for a harder one. Angle iron, lumber with rough ends, castings, bricks and blocks, machinery parts with protruding edges. On these the film fails by tearing at a point, not by stretching too far, and a thicker blown film is what stops the tear.²

Corner boards spread the load of the film over an edge, so a lighter gauge can survive it. And more turns of 100 gauge can reach the same containment force; check it at the top, middle and bottom of the load.³ Heavy film is also hard work by hand and heavy on a carriage, so ask whether your wrapper is set up for it. If it is, 120 is the heaviest film in the range.

The buyers are usually not warehouses but producers: lumber yards bundling rough-sawn boards, brick and block plants, foundries and machine shops, steel service centres shipping cut lengths. Their loads often stand in an outdoor yard before shipping, where wind and handling test the wrap as much as the truck does. A heavier film resists the scuffs and snags of forks and straps that would open a lighter web.

On those loads it is worth asking whether stretch film is the right tool at all: strapping still holds heavy bundles better, and many yards use both, strapping for strength and film to keep the load clean and together.

Corner boards are the familiar fix, but there are others. Plastic edge guards clip over the ends of angle and channel. Cardboard caps or a sheet across the top tier stop a sharp top edge cutting the film as it rolls over. Wrapping a few turns of light film first, to soften burrs, then finishing with a heavy film, sometimes beats one heavy wrap. And a rough timber load can be squared up and banded before wrapping so the film rides on a flatter face. Each of these lets a lighter gauge survive.

Very heavy gauges are less common, so lead times can be longer. Order ahead, and keep a case in reserve. Say in the request whether the loads go outdoors, overseas or into a yard, because that can change which heavy film we suggest.

Who actually needs 120 gauge?

Loads that cut film: metal edges, rough lumber, blocks and castings. Weight alone rarely calls for it.

Can a turntable run 120 gauge?

Only if the carriage and its pre-stretch are set up for film that heavy. Ask before ordering machine rolls.

Would corner boards let me use 100 gauge?

Often yes. They take the edge off the corners, which is where heavy film is usually being asked to survive.

Do operators need cut-resistant gloves?

Around metal edges and rough timber, yes. The loads that need 120 gauge are the ones that cut hands too.