Perforated stretch hood: a 480 mm tube with a 180 mm gusset

Standard stretch hood film starts at 1300 mm width, because the hood is designed around a pallet. We have produced a perforated stretch hood: a tube 480 mm wide with a 180 mm gusset (1680 mm circumference) and venting holes that ventilate the space under the hood and limit moisture build-up. To our knowledge, it is unique in Europe. Below you can see it in footage from our production hall, and we explain when a hood this small makes sense.

480/180 mm tube with venting holes, filmed in production in Podanin (29 s, with hall sound).

01 Why stretch hoods are only associated with pallets

A stretch hood is a film tube that the applicator cuts to length, seals at the top, stretches with four arms and lowers over the load. Once the arms release it, the film recovers towards its original size and holds the load on five sides: on top, on all four sides and under the base. A full cycle usually takes 15-25 seconds. We describe the mechanism in detail in our guide How stretch hood film works.

Because the technology was born on pallet lines, the market designs tubes for pallets. In our NEX-HOOD specification, standard widths are 1300-2200 mm, and most catalogues in Europe look the same. A small load is then left without options: either spiral wrapping or an oversized hood that does not hold.

02 480 mm stretch hood tube with a 180 mm gusset: what the footage shows

The tube is 480 mm wide with a 180 mm gusset. The gusset is the folded side of the tube that the applicator opens out during application. Thanks to the gusset, the flat tube on the reel is narrower, and once opened the hood wraps the load without creasing at the corners. The full circumference includes the gussets: 2 × 480 + 4 × 180 = 1680 mm. In the footage you can see both gussets as fold lines on the wound reel.

480/180 mm tube on the line: the film runs over the rollers and winds onto the reel. The gusset lines are visible.

A narrow tube with a deep gusset is a harder job for extrusion than a wide one. Any size deviation along the reel turns into uneven stretching of the hood by the applicator arms, and with a small width the same deviation in millimetres is a larger percentage of the size. Stable dimensions across the whole reel are a precondition here, not an extra.

03 Perforated stretch hood: what the venting holes are for

In this application the holes are mainly about ventilation. Under a solid hood, moisture has no way out, so during storage it builds up under the film and condenses on its inner side. Perforation ventilates the space under the hood and limits moisture build-up and condensation. A second effect shows during application: air under the stretched hood has a way out, so it does not form pockets and the holding force is spread evenly.

Venting holes close up: small dots at regular spacing on the flat tube, before it is wound onto the reel.

Perforation in stretch hood film is rare, because every hole is a potential starting point for a tear when the hood is stretched. The spacing and size of the holes therefore have to be matched together with the film formulation, so that the hood is ventilated and at the same time withstands stretching in the applicator and the whole journey.

04 How to order a stretch hood for a non-standard load

We do not start from a catalogue, we start from the load and the line. We need the dimensions and weight of the load, information about the applicator (we work with Lachenmeier, Beumer, MSK and Bocedi lines), transport and storage conditions, and whether the product releases heat or moisture. On that basis we select the width, gusset, thickness, film structure and perforation.

This particular format with holes was developed for packing refrigerators, a niche of smaller loads for which a pallet hood is too big. We also make somewhat larger formats where the saving comes from a better size match: for example, a tube 30% narrower than the one the customer used before. Lower film consumption can therefore come both from downgauging and from a change of format. The example below shows how to calculate it.

You will find the full specification and case studies on the NEX-HOOD page. Implementation examples with figures: one HQ 90 µm hood instead of two 120 µm hoods at a pellet producer and 35% recyclate in a 50 µm stretch hood.

05 How much film a matched format saves: a worked example

We calculate film consumption per hood from the full tube circumference including the gussets, not from the width alone. Hood weight is circumference × length × thickness × PE film density (approx. 0.92 g/cm³). For the 480/180 mm tube the circumference is 1680 mm, which means 1.68 m² of film for every metre of hood length.

Below is an example based on assumed dimensions that shows the mechanism. These are not a specific customer’s figures: all variants use the same hood length of 2500 mm and the same 300 mm gusset.

Two things follow from this example. A tube 30% narrower gives about 20% less film, not 30%, because the gussets stay the same and what counts is the full circumference. That is why we compare circumferences, not widths alone. Savings from the format and from downgauging add up: in the third variant they reach more than a third of the film.

06 Frequently asked questions

What is the smallest size of stretch hood film?

The typical stretch hood range starts at around 1300 mm width, because tubes are designed for pallets. At Kablonex we have produced a tube 480 mm wide with a 180 mm gusset, which gives a 1680 mm circumference. We match the size to the specific load and the customer’s line.

How do you calculate film consumption per stretch hood?

We multiply the full tube circumference including the gussets (2 × width + 4 × gusset) by the hood length, the film thickness and the PE density, approx. 0.92 g/cm³. In the example in this article, a tube 30% narrower with the same gusset gives about 20% less film per hood, and after downgauging from 100 to 80 µm about 36% less.

What is perforation in stretch hood film for?

The holes ventilate the space under the hood: they limit moisture build-up and condensation under the film during storage, which matters for example for roof tiles, bricks and products in cardboard boxes. During application they also let out trapped air, so the film grips the load on five sides, without air pockets.

Do venting holes weaken the hood?

Every hole is a potential starting point for a tear during stretching. That is why we match the spacing and size of the holes together with the film formulation, so that the hood withstands stretching in the applicator and the whole journey. Where the load has to be sealed tight, we stay with solid film.

Which applicators does the NEX-HOOD tube run on?

We work with Lachenmeier, Beumer, MSK and Bocedi lines. Before quoting we need the dimensions and weight of the load, information about the applicator, and transport and storage conditions.

How long do a quotation and a stretch hood sample take?

We reply to an enquiry within 24 h, send a quotation within 72 h and prepare a sample from 14 days. The MOQ for non-standard variants is agreed at the quotation stage.

Footage: Kablonex extrusion hall in Podanin, November 2026. The worked example in section 05 is based on assumed dimensions, not customer data. The term “unique in Europe” describes the range of stretch hood film producers known to us. Tube parameters are selected individually; the MOQ for non-standard variants is agreed at the quotation stage.