Strapping

Strapping also referred to as pallet wrapping, bundling or banding, is the process of applying a strap to bundle item(s) together. Strapping is used across many different industries and is commonly used when shipping large items to keep them contained while in transit. Strapping is used manually or with the aid of a strapping machine like a straping dispenser or a sealless straping tool.

Strapping comes in many different types and materials. When deciding which strapping to purchase it's important to consider things like what you will be using it for, and the weight of the load you will be strapping. If you're shipping large industrial items for example then you will need a more heavy duty type of strapping.

Uses of strapping

- Bundling items together for handling and shipment: newspapers, pipe, lumber, concrete block, etc.
- Attaching items to pallets, skids, and crates
- Reinforcing wooden boxes, crates, and corrugated boxes, such as gaylords
- Attaching items to flatcars, flatbed semi-trailers,
- Securing a unit load of bricks, packaged glass, metal parts, etc.
- Closing corrugated boxes and shipping containers
- Securing coils of steel or paper
- Holding bales of agricultural products or textiles
- Load securing items within intermodal containers, boxcars, and semi-trailers

Strapping Characteristics

Steel, polypropylene, polyester and high tenacity polyester are excellent strapping materials. This poses a problem for those trying to select the best strapping material for their application. Each strapping product has specific characteristics, and each works well when those characteristics meet a packaging requirement.

Material Cost: How Much Should I Spend?

Polypropylene strap is the least expensive strapping material, followed by
Polyester strap, then high-strength polyester strap, and then steel
When selecting the strapping product for your application, material cost should only be a determining factor when two or more materials can equally protect the package or shipping unit. good
For some packages, one strapping material protects much better than others. In these situations, the performance benefits certainly outweigh the costs

Strapping Strength:

Tape is purchased for reliability and product protection; the strength of the strap becomes a by-product of the strap properties that contribute to the required protection.
A strap's ultimate strength is measured and compared to its resistance to strap breakage and tensile strength.
Breaking strength is just that: the number of pounds of tensile force required to break a belt.
Tensile Strength is more difficult to figure out because it is a derived number expressed in pounds per square inch. Tensile strength is equal to breaking strength divided by cross-sectional area.
Why is tensile strength important? It provides the basis for comparing the strength of the strapping materials themselves, without reference to the dimensions of specific samples.

Thoughts to keep in mind:

Steel strapping has almost twice the tensile strength of a heavier plastic strapping.
The concept of breaking strength provides more useful numbers than tensile strength. Not only are they smaller numbers, they also quantify a familiar measure: pounds.
When a belt fails, insufficient force can rarely be blamed. In most cases, errors are due to poor application or handling practices.
If packages are heavy enough to require heavy-duty strapping and strong enough to withstand high-tension strapping (and not shrink or settle), steel is the choice usually the choice.
If they are not that heavy and strong then one of the plastics may be needed. Given the relatively small differences in strength between them, the selected plastic must be chosen according to criteria other than strength.