If you are new to shrink wrap, you may be confused at first by the many different shrink wrap sizes and thicknesses. The variety of shrink wrap products Zormot International offers is due to the demand for different levels of shrink-wrap protection. How do you know what you need? In this blog we will go through the basics of shrink wrap thicknesses to get you started.
What Are the Most Common Sizes for Shrink Wrap?
The three most common sizes for shrink wrap that we sell are:
- 17-foot wide shrink wrap
- 20-foot wide shrink wrap
- 40-foot wide shrink wrap
These shrink wrap sizes are very popular for marinas. Boats, of course, are very large, and the larger the boat, the more shrink wrap you will need to wrap it. Zormot sells shrink wrap that is up to 60 feet wide. One very common size we sell is our 40 feet x100 feet shrink wrap.
Shrink Wrap Thicknesses
One difference you will notice when you browse through our selection is that shrink wrap is available in different mils. What is a mil?
A mil refers to how thick the shrink wrap is. One mil is .001 (or 1/1000) of an inch. It’s very thin. We offer shrink wrap thicknesses from 4-12 mils. There are advantages for certain thicknesses over others, depending on the use. The thinner the mil, the less protection it offers, the less UVI inhibitor it has, and the weaker it will be. With the 4-mil thickness there is no UVI protection. Let’s go through the different sizes:
6 mil – This thickness is often used to wrap pallets, shed frames, and items that will be stored rather than transported. It’s used on boats too in warmer climates that do not see snow.
7 mil – This thickness is the most popular for wrapping boats in Michigan where Zormot is headquartered. Michigan sees a lot of snow and challenging winter weather so more protection is needed. A 7-mil thickness is also good to enclose buildings for light construction jobs and for medium sized machinery that needs to be transported.
8 mil – Marinas typically use shrink wrap of between 6-8 mils for covering boats. 8 mils is best for covering large boats or boats that will be exposed to harsh weather. If you need to wrap a large building or a big piece of machinery that will be transported on a flat-bed truck, you will need at least an 8-mil thickness, especially to cover objects with sharp protrusions.
10 mil – For wrapping scaffolding on large construction projects or big objects that will be transported on the deck of an ocean carrier, 10-mil shrinkfilm works very well. The more oddly shaped the object is, the thicker the shrink wrap should be.
12 mil – This is the thickest shrink wrap we offer. It gives the most protection to the objects it covers and ensures that no matter how large or how sharp-cornered an object is or how much weather, wind, or sun it’s exposed to, it will be protected from damage.
All of Zormot’s shrinkfilm is made from 100% virgin resin, and we guarantee true mil thickness and consistency on all of our shrink wrap rolls.
If you don’t know which film size or thickness would best suit your application, call us! Our friendly and knowledgeable customer service team is always available. Let us know as many details as you can about what you will need protected and under what conditions, and we can determine which shrink wrap product would work best for you. Whether it’s for containment, machinery, marine, vehicles, or for shipping domestic, export, open truck, closed truck, container or flat bed, Zormot can supply it!