Stretch film/wrap, also commonly known as pallet stretch is commonly used to secure products in place on a pallet. They help to reduce product loss, worker injury and also discourages load tampering. Our stretch film/wrap can be manufactured to a variety or widths, thicknesses and types of stretch film.

There are two types of stretch film: blown and cast. While both of them can be used to serve the same purpose, knowing the differences between them can help you to identify which is the best option for your use case.

The names cast and blown refer to how the film is manufactured or produced. As the name suggests, blown stretch film is extruded just like normal PE films. The resin is heated and forced through a circular die and then blown out vertically into a bubble. This bubble is then cooled by the surrounding air as it is transformed to rolls of stretch film.

Cast stretch film involves resin being heated just as it would with blown however, rather than being fed through a circular die, it is fed through a narrow slotted die. This produces a “sheet” of film rather than a bubble (as with blown). The film is then cooled along a rolling path which solidifies the film before being transformed into rolls.

The differences between the two goes beyond the manufacturing, however. Blown and cast stretch film possess different properties which we have summarised in the table below:

film possess different properties which we have summarised in the table below:

	Blown Stretch Film	Cast Stretch Film
Load Retention	More holding power	Less retention strength
Film Memory	Higher film memory; able to shrink back to its original size after stretching	Less film memory; minimal ability to shrink back
Load Retention	More holding power	Less retention strength
Film Memory	Higher film memory; able to shrink back to its original size after stretching	Less film memory; minimal ability to shrink back
Film Yield	Very high; its high stretch capacity allows more pallets to be wrapped per roll	Lower micron (thickness) films allow for greater stretchability
Puncture Resistance	Superior puncture resistance	Tearing can occur when stressed too much
Cling of the Film	One-sided cling allowing for high load retention	Naturally clingy/sticky on both sides which can cause pallets to stick together
Visual Clarity	Low clarity; text or visuals can be difficult to read	High clarity allowing for texts or visuals to be easily read; however its high gloss can make reflections annoying
Noise on Unwind	Noisy when being unwound	Very quiet during use