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How to Select Micron and Width for Stretch Film in Your Industry

Bherav Packs · Packaging Materials, Chennai

Why micron matters

Micron is the thickness of the film. Thinner film (lower micron) is cheaper per roll but may need more wraps to secure a load; thicker film (higher micron) holds heavier or sharper-edged loads with fewer wraps but costs more per roll.

General starting points

• 23 micron — lighter loads, standard cartons, hand-wrapping
• 29 micron — heavier or irregular loads, machine wrapping, longer transit

These are starting points, not fixed rules — load weight, edge sharpness, and how long the pallet needs to hold together in transit all affect the right choice.

Choosing width

Stretch film widths from 50mm to 1000mm are available. Narrower widths (50–100mm) are typically used for bundling smaller groups of items; standard pallet wrapping usually uses films in the 400–500mm range for hand wrapping, with wider rolls used on wrapping machines.

By industry

• FMCG / retail cartons — 23 micron, standard width, hand or machine grade
• Pharma — 23–29 micron depending on load weight, consistent machine-grade wrapping preferred for uniformity
• Export / heavy manufacturing — 29 micron, machine grade, for load stability over long transit

If you're unsure, share your typical load weight and pallet size with us and we can recommend a micron and width to start with.