Selecting the Right Shrink Wrap for Product Packaging

Flexible packaging solutions such as shrink wrap provide many benefits to the packaging industry. For any consumer product, it is crucial to make sure that it is properly packaged and sealed to protect the product for mass distribution. Packaging food comes with its own set of challenges such as food safety and shelf life. Thankfully, the packaging industry has continued to offer solutions to these problems with FDA-approved shrink wrap.

Flexible packaging has a number of different benefits as it’s lightweight, easy to open, ensures food safety, and is one of the most environmentally friendly packaging options since it takes much less energy to manufacture and transport.

There is a range of different flexible packaging solutions to choose from, and it can be challenging to know which is the best for your product. To make the selection of shrink wrap easier, we’ve provided a list of things to consider before packaging your product.

Polyolefin (POF)

• FDA Approved
• Highly resistant to puncture
• Works for irregular-shaped products
• Commonly used for toys, games, books, food, candy, etc.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

• High strength-to-mass ratio
• Can be recycled  
• Higher strength/stretchability
• Commonly used for plastic bottles, containers, milk jugs, etc.

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

• Low Density (less mass compared to volume)
• Highly resistant to impact, moisture, and chemicals
• Can be recycled
• Used with heat sealing
• Commonly used for flexible lids, bottles, wire and cable applications

Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)

• Increased flexibility compared to other options
• High conformability
• Less shrink compared to other options
• Most commonly used for wrapping pallets, frozen foods, and carrier bags

These different options depend on the product’s size, weight, shape, machine type, shipment, etc. At Update Ltd. we provide top-of-the-line shrink wrap for a number of applications, including food packaging. We carry both Polyolefin shrink wrap film and heat seal tape for a range of different packaging applications. Take a look through our products online or call us today to purchase!