Shrink Wrap Film Usage Calculator

Work out shrink wrap film usage instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Shrink Wrap Film Usage Calculator

A shrink sleeve must wrap the pack girth with overlap and cover the ends, so film width is set by half the girth plus clearance and film length by the pack length plus twice the height plus seal allowance. Multiplying area by thickness and polyolefin density of about 920 kg/m3 gives the weight consumed per pack.

Formulas

Shrink film size

Centre-fold width = 2 x (pack width + height) + clearance; film length = pack length + 2 x height + seal allowance

Film weight

Weight (g) = area (m2) x thickness (micron) / 1,000,000 x 920 x 1000

Worked example

With the default values below, Shrink Wrap Film Usage Calculator returns Film Weight Per Pack of 10.8928. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Pack Lengthminimum 1 mm: 300 mm
Pack Widthminimum 1 mm: 200 mm
Pack Heightminimum 1 mm: 150 mm
Film Thicknessminimum 1 micron: 25 micron

Results

Film Weight Per Pack: 10.8928
Film Area Per Pack: 0.47360
Centre-Fold Film Width: 740
Film Length Per Pack: 640

Step by step

1Values used
2Shrink film size
3Film weight
4Film Weight Per Pack= 10.8928
5Film Area Per Pack= 0.47360
6Centre-Fold Film Width= 740
7Film Length Per Pack= 640

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which film thickness should be used?

12-15 micron for light multipacks, 19-25 micron for general retail packs and 30-50 micron for heavy or sharp-cornered products. Over-specifying thickness is a common and expensive habit.

Why does film width matter more than length?

Film comes in fixed centre-fold widths. Choosing the next width up wastes film on every pack forever, so matching the width to the pack girth is the single biggest saving.