Wrap, strap,
protect.

Freight · 11 February 2026

Shrink-wrap: anchor low, work up

Shrink-wrap turns a stack of separate boxes into one bonded unit, but only if it is applied with a little method. Start at the base and anchor the film to the pallet itself, taking a few turns around the bottom so the load is tied to the timber rather than just to itself. This is what stops the stack sliding off the deck.

From there, work upward in overlapping passes, each turn covering part of the last so there are no loose gaps. A couple of extra turns over the top corners pull the upper boxes down into the stack. Stretching the film as you go gives it grip; wrap that is merely draped on does little once the vehicle is moving.

Strapping and banding for heavier loads

Film alone is enough for many light, stable pallets, but heavier or taller loads benefit from strapping over the top of the wrap. Ratchet straps or plastic banding pull the stack firmly down onto the deck, adding a mechanical hold that film cannot match on its own and stopping any lean before it starts.

Run the bands top to bottom, around the load and the pallet together, so the stack and the timber move as one. Two or more straps spread the hold across the load rather than relying on a single point. Tightened properly, they keep even a dense, awkward pallet locked in place through braking and cornering.

Corner boards and edge protection

Straps grip hardest exactly where they can do the most harm: the corners of your boxes. Corner boards, simple angled lengths of board, sit under the straps to spread that pressure along the edge instead of crushing one point. They protect the goods and stop a tight band biting into soft packaging.

Edge protection has a second job too: it stiffens the corners of the whole stack, helping the pallet hold its shape and keeping the wrap from chafing through on a long run. For the wider picture of getting a pallet ready, our guide to sending a pallet ties it all together.

A quick test that it holds

When the wrap, straps and corner boards are on, push the top of the stack. If it moves as one block with the base, the prep has worked. If the top shifts on its own, add another turn of film or a strap before collection. A pallet that holds together is a pallet that arrives the way you built it.

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