63 gauge stretch wrap

A buying guide puts 63 gauge at the light end: pallets up to 2,200 pounds.¹ Think cases of paper goods, empty containers, boxed soft goods, light consumer products that stack square. On a wrapper with a powered carriage, 63 is close to what one wrapper maker calls today's industry average of about 65 gauge, down from 80 fifteen years ago.²

Move up to 70 or 80 when the load passes 2,200 pounds, when cartons have sharp corners that punch through, or when pallets lean after a trip in a trailer. Move down only on a machine, only with your pre-stretch set right, and only after measuring the loads. A heavier gauge that wraps fewer layers can use about the same film as a light gauge wrapped many times; count turns as well as thickness.

Cartons of tissue and paper towels, cereal and snacks, empty plastic bottles and tubs, boxed apparel, light housewares: the stacks are even, the corners soft, and the weight well under a ton. Shipments going a few hours by truck to a store or another warehouse are the best fit; long, rough hauls and export containers ask more of the film. Cast film suits these loads, since they are square and the receiving dock often wants to read labels through the wrap.

Hand wrappers can use 63 too, on the same kind of light loads, but they lose the advantage machines get from stretching it hard. If a hand dock is trying to cut film, pre-stretched rolls usually save more effort than a lighter ordinary roll.

When switching a turntable to 63 gauge, begin with the carriage's wrap force turned down a notch and the pre-stretch at its usual setting. Wrap a dozen loads, take containment readings, and raise the force until they match what the heavier film gave. Watch for necking, where the web narrows into a band as it leaves the carriage: that means the film is being pulled too hard for its thickness and is losing coverage. Record the final settings beside the machine so every shift runs them.

Some makers sell 65 gauge rather than 63; treat them as the same step.

Is 63 gauge a hand or machine film?

Both exist. On a machine it stretches hard and goes a long way; by hand it suits light boxes where an 80 gauge roll is more than the load needs.

What loads are too much for 63?

Anything over about 2,200 pounds, sharp corners, or loads that shift: drums, bags that slump, mixed cartons. Go up a step.

Will a lighter gauge save film?

Per turn, yes. If you have to add turns to make it hold, the saving shrinks. Count the film per pallet, not the gauge.