70 gauge stretch wrap

The buying guide puts 70 and 80 gauge in one band, for loads of 2,200 to 2,400 pounds.¹ So 70 is the film to try when 80 holds comfortably and you would like to use less of it. On a wrapper with a powered carriage that stretches 150 percent or more,² the difference between 70 and 80 is often lost in the stretch.

By hand the film only stretches 25 to 100 percent,² so the thickness on the roll is close to what ends up on the load. 70 gauge is fine for boxed goods of an even size; it is thin for mixed pallets or anything with an edge. If wrappers tear the roll at a corner or the tail won't stay, go to 80. If 70 already feels heavy for the loads, try 63.

Many hand-wrap docks run 80 gauge because that is what the first supplier sent. For a warehouse shipping boxed consumer goods, stationery, packaged food or light parts in uniform cartons, 70 gauge holds the same pallets with a little less film and a little less effort per turn. The roll is lighter to carry round a load all day, which operators notice before anyone reads the invoice.

It is a worse choice for anything that shifts: bags that slump, mixed orders with small cartons on top, or pallets that travel a long way. There the extra thickness of 80, or blown film at 70, is cheaper than a load that arrives leaning.

At 70 gauge there is less film between a carton corner and a tear, so the choice of type counts for more. Cast 70 suits even, square stacks and hand docks that want to read labels through the wrap. Blown 70 forgives a slightly rougher load: mixed case sizes, a pallet with a short top tier, shrink-wrapped trays with hard edges. Some sites buy cast for the machine and blown for the hand dispensers at the same gauge, which keeps ordering simple while matching each film to the loads it actually meets.

Machine rolls at 70 are common in the same 20 inch width as 80 and run on the same carriages.

Say cast or blown, hand or machine, the width and length, and whether the 70 is true or equivalent gauge, since some lightweight rolls are labelled by the film they replace. Give the weight of a typical and a heavy load. If you are moving down from 80, ask for a few cases first and keep the 80 on hand until the trial is done; the cost of a short overlap is small next to a week of leaning pallets.

Is 70 gauge a common hand film?

It is a common step down from 80 for docks wrapping lighter cases by hand, in the same 18 inch width.

Does 70 gauge come in cast and blown?

Yes. Cast suits square loads at this gauge; blown gives more toughness if the cartons have corners.

How do I test 70 against 80?

Wrap a day of typical loads with each, count the film used per pallet, and check containment force at top, middle and bottom. Keep the one that holds with less film.

Does temperature matter more at 70?

A little. Light film stiffens faster in the cold and blocks sooner in the heat, so keep stock indoors and let winter deliveries warm before use.

Is 70 gauge common for machines?

Yes, on powered carriages wrapping light, square loads such as beverages in shrink trays or canned vegetables.