Stretch Film Usage & Cost Calculator
Enter the load size, film width, overlap, neckdown, pre-stretch, and roll details to estimate how much roll film each pallet consumes and what the job will cost.
Roll film consumed per pallet (ft)113.97
- Effective applied film width (in)
- 18
- Spiral revolutions per pass
- 7
- Applied wrap length per pallet (ft)
- 284.93
- Estimated film weight per pallet (lb)
- 0.73
- Whole pallets per roll
- 43
- Film cost per pallet
- $1.25
- Rolls required for job
- 3
- Estimated job film cost
- $165.00
Applied length breakdown
| Segment | Applied length | Roll film consumed |
|---|---|---|
| Spiral passes | 205.6 | 82.24 |
| Top and bottom wraps | 73.33 | 29.33 |
| Tie-off and waste allowance | 6 | 2.4 |
Applied length is the film path around the load after stretching; roll film consumed is the unstretched footage taken from the roll.
Film weight uses the nominal film width, entered thickness, and a polyethylene density of 0.0332 lb/in3.
This planning estimate does not test load containment, corner puncture risk, or transport stability.
How to use this calculator
- Measure the wrapped load length, width, and height at the outside path the film travels.
- Enter the nominal film width, expected overlap, neckdown, full-height passes, and extra top and bottom wraps.
- Add a tie-off allowance for tails, wipe-down, cutoffs, and routine waste.
- Enter the measured pre-stretch, film thickness, roll footage, roll cost, and job pallet count.
- Read the roll film consumed per pallet, pallets per roll, job rolls, and cost estimate.
How stretch film usage is calculated
This calculator estimates the film path around a rectangular pallet load, then converts that applied length back to unstretched roll footage. Vendor examples often multiply pallet perimeter by a counted number of revolutions. That is a useful starting point, but a spiral wrap also climbs the load, overlap changes the vertical advance, and stretched film can narrow under tension. Those effects matter when roll yield or job cost is being quoted.
The load perimeter is:
P = 2 x (length + width)
Nominal film width is reduced for neckdown:
E = film width x (1 - neckdown / 100)
The vertical advance per spiral revolution is:
V = E x (1 - overlap / 100)
The calculator rounds height / V up to get the revolutions needed for each full-height pass. Each spiral revolution is treated as a helix:
D = sqrt(P^2 + V^2)
Total applied length is the helical length for every spiral pass, plus complete top and bottom reinforcement wraps, plus the tie-off and waste allowance:
A = (passes x revolutions x D + reinforcement wraps x P) / 12 + allowance
Pre-stretch is then applied in reverse. At 150% pre-stretch, 1 foot of film from the roll becomes 2.5 feet on the load, so roll film consumed is A / 2.5. Film weight uses the unstretched length, nominal film width, entered thickness in mils, and an assumed polyethylene density of 0.0332 pounds per cubic inch.
What moves the result most
Overlap and neckdown usually move usage more than small changes in pallet size because they control vertical advance. A 20 in film with 10% neckdown and 50% overlap advances 9 in per revolution. Increase overlap to 75%, and the same pass needs roughly twice as many revolutions. Pre-stretch has the opposite effect: higher measured pre-stretch reduces the roll footage consumed for the same applied wrap pattern.
What this calculator leaves out
The estimate does not decide whether the wrap pattern is strong enough. It does not model containment force, film relaxation, corner tearing, roping, banding, variable carriage speed, turntable acceleration, load bulge, irregular geometry, or film lost to breaks and roll changeovers. Use it for material planning, then verify important loads with actual machine settings, measured roll use, and the test method required by your customer or quality system.
Worked example
For the default load, the perimeter is 2 x (48 + 40) = 176 in. A 20 in film with 10% neckdown has an effective width of 18 in, and 50% overlap gives a 9 in vertical advance. A 60 in wrap height therefore needs ceil(60 / 9) = 7 revolutions per full-height pass.
The helical distance per revolution is about 176.23 in. With two spiral passes, three bottom wraps, two top wraps, and a 6 ft allowance, applied length is about 284.9 ft per pallet. At 150% pre-stretch, roll film consumed is about 114.0 ft. A 5,000 ft roll wraps 43 whole pallets, costs about $1.25 per pallet at $55 per roll, and a 100-pallet job requires 3 rolls, or $165 in whole-roll film cost.
Common questions
How many pallets can one roll of stretch film wrap?
Divide the unstretched roll footage by the roll film consumed per pallet, then round down to whole pallets. With the default inputs, a 5,000 ft roll and about 114.0 ft consumed per pallet gives 43 whole pallets per roll.
How is stretch-film pre-stretch calculated?
Mark a known length of film before wrapping, wrap normally, then measure the mark after stretching. The stretch percentage is the increase divided by the original length. A 10 in mark that becomes 25 in is 150% pre-stretch because the film became 2.5 times its original length.
What overlap percentage should I enter?
Enter the share of each applied film width covered by the next wrap. A 50% overlap means each revolution advances by half of the applied film width. If you measure the actual vertical advance on the load, you can adjust overlap until the calculator matches that advance.
What is film neckdown?
Neckdown is the reduction in film width after tension and pre-stretch are applied. A nominal 20 in film that measures 18 in on the load has 10% neckdown. Use zero if you enter a film width that is already the measured applied width.
What is the difference between applied length and roll film consumed?
Applied length is the stretched film path on the pallet. Roll film consumed is the original footage drawn from the roll before stretch. Pre-stretch makes roll consumption lower than applied length, while zero pre-stretch makes the two values equal.
Why might actual film use differ from the estimate?
Actual use changes with operator technique, machine settings, load shape, roping, film breaks, wrap tails, roll changeovers, and film gauge tolerance. The result is best used as a planning estimate until it is checked against measured roll use on the line.