An LTL pallet gets picked up, dropped, re-stacked and re-loaded at two or three terminals before it reaches the customer. Most of the damage we hear about is not a forklift accident; it is a pallet that was wrapped well enough to leave the dock and not well enough to arrive. Here is the routine that holds.
1. Stack it so it can be wrapped
- Heaviest cartons on the bottom, no overhang past the pallet edge. Overhang is where corners get crushed and film gets torn.
- Column stack (cartons directly on top of each other) for strength; interlock the top layer or add a sheet of cardboard between layers if the stack leans.
- Keep it under about 60" tall unless the carrier says otherwise. Tall, narrow pallets tip.
2. Lock the load to the pallet
This is the step most people skip. Start the film by tying the tail around a corner of the pallet itself, then make the first two wraps around the base low enough to catch the top of the pallet deck. If the film only goes around the cartons, the whole stack can slide off the pallet as one block.
3. The wrap pattern
| Zone | Wraps | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Base (catching the pallet deck) | 3 | Anchors everything |
| Spiral up, each pass overlapping the last by half a film width | 1 pass | Containment |
| Top edge | 2 to 3 | Stops the top layer walking |
| Spiral back down | 1 pass | Second layer at every height |
| Base again | 1 to 2 | Finish where it started |
For fragile or mixed loads, add a corner board on each vertical edge before you wrap. For anything going by ocean freight, double the counts.
4. Stretch the film, do not just wind it
Film only holds when it is stretched. Film laid on slack is a dust cover. Wrapping by hand, walk backwards and keep the roll pulling against you; most people manage 30 to 50 percent stretch on a good day and far less when they are tired. A dispenser with a brake, or better a wrapper with a tension knob, applies the same stretch on every pass. Our stretch film gauge article covers how much film that saves.
5. Strap first when the load is heavy
Film stops cartons separating; it does not stop 800 lb of lumber or machinery shearing across the pallet. Anything heavy, dense or in long pieces gets strapped to the pallet with PET strap on the RCV2 first, two straps minimum, then wrapped. The wrap then only has to keep the load tidy.
6. Finish and label
- Press the film tail firmly against the wrap so it does not peel in the truck.
- Put the shipping label on the carton under the film if you can, or on the film on two adjacent sides. Clear film lets the driver scan through it.
- Note the carton count on the label. It settles disputes at the receiving dock.
Hand wrap or mobile wrapper?
Up to a handful of pallets a day, a hand roll of 80 gauge hand film and the pattern above are fine. Past 10 to 15 pallets a day, the limiting factor is the person: inconsistent tension, sore backs from wrapping the base, and the odd pallet that leaves loose. The RCV7 mobile wrapper fixes all three without a powered turntable: the operator walks it around the pallet standing upright, the film carriage rides up and down the column, and the tension knob sets the stretch for every pass. The RCV7 manual (PDF) covers loading film and setting tension. For a turntable machine, use machine-grade film on a 5,000 ft roll.
A 30-second check before it leaves
Push the top of the stack with one hand. If the cartons move independently of the pallet, it needs another base wrap. If the whole thing rocks as one unit, it is ready.
Questions? Phone +1 (562) 203-3004, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm Pacific · support@rockcub.com