Use stretch film to stabilise pallets: it is stretched cold and wrapped around a load, needs no heat, and holds items together for transit. Use shrink film to collate or overwrap products: it is heat-shrunk tight around packs for retail multipacks and dust protection. Stretch = pallet stabilisation; shrink = product/multipack packaging.
| Factor | Stretch Film | Shrink Film |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Cold-stretched, clings around load | Heat-shrunk tight around product |
| Equipment | Hand or turntable/auto wrapper | Heat tunnel / shrink gun |
| Energy use | No heat — low energy | Needs heat — higher energy |
| Best use | Pallet stabilisation for transit | Multipacks, overwrap, dust cover |
| Clarity | Functional, less critical | High clarity for retail |
| Material | Multi-layer LLDPE | High-clarity LDPE |
| Best for | Whole-pallet unitising | Bottles, cans, trays, tiles, retail packs |
Choose stretch film when you need to bind and stabilise a whole pallet for transit with no heat. Choose shrink film when you're collating multipacks or overwrapping products for retail presentation and dust protection. Many operations use both — shrink for packs, stretch for the outbound pallet.
Pick the right material for your load