Also known as: Film Pre-Stretch, Pre-Stretched Film
Pre-stretch is elongating stretch film before it reaches the load, typically by 150–300%. It converts one metre of film into two-and-a-half or more, so film cost per pallet falls sharply while holding force actually improves.
LLDPE film can be elongated far beyond what a person can achieve by pulling on a roll. Hand wrapping realistically achieves 10–20%; a powered pre-stretch wrapper achieves 200–300% routinely. The film gets longer, thinner and stronger as the polymer chains align.
The economics are the point. At 250% pre-stretch, one kilogram of film covers roughly three and a half times as many pallets as the same film applied by hand. That is why a plant wrapping any volume saves more on film than the wrapper costs within a year.
Holding force improves too, because oriented film resists further elongation. A pre-stretched wrap holds a load more tightly than an unstretched one of the same nominal gauge.
The most common costly error in an Indian warehouse is buying heavier film to fix collapsing loads while wrapping by hand at 15% stretch. The gauge is rarely the problem; the unrealised stretch is.
Pre-Stretch at a glance
| Hand wrapping | Typically 10–20% achieved |
|---|---|
| Machine pre-stretch | 150–300% standard |
| Film yield at 250% | About 3.5× the pallets per kg |
| Effect on strength | Increases — chain orientation resists further stretch |
| Equipment | Powered pre-stretch turntable or pre-stretch hand dispenser |
Common questions
How much film can pre-stretching save?
At 250% pre-stretch against typical hand wrapping, film consumption per pallet falls by roughly two-thirds. For most plants wrapping meaningful volume, the wrapper pays for itself inside a year on film cost alone.
Does pre-stretched film hold loads less well because it is thinner?
No — it usually holds better. Stretching orients the polymer chains, so the film resists further elongation and maintains tension more effectively than thicker unstretched film.
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