How Stretch Hood Film Works: A Technical Guide for Production and Purchasing Managers

One roll of stretch film secures 150-200 pallets. One roll of stretch hood film secures 800-1200. The gap comes from a different physical packaging mechanism, and most companies in Poland still leave it out of their packaging line TCO because “we’ve always used stretch film”. In this guide I explain how stretch hood works, what the film has to withstand and how to check whether the switch pays off on your line.

What Is Stretch Hood?

Stretch hood is a pallet-securing method in which a tubular film is sealed into a hood, stretched by four applicator arms, pulled over the load and released. The film recovers elastically, without heat, and clamps the pallet from five sides. Stretch wrap holds the load through the tension of a layered spiral; stretch hood holds it through the elastic memory of a single fitted layer.

Stretch Hood vs. Stretch Wrap: The Difference Starts in Physics

Stretch wrap is a spiral of film. The film is unwound from a roll, pre-stretched and wound around a rotating pallet. Each layer overlaps the previous one, and stability comes from the sum of tensions from several rotations. The advantage: an inexpensive machine. The drawback: the pallet receives tension from four sides only, and only where the film was stretched.

Stretch hood works differently. The tubular film (sleeve) is cut to the height of the pallet, sealed at the top and stretched by four applicator arms to 80-100% of its original width. The stretched hood is lowered onto the pallet, the arms release, and the film recovers on its own, without heat, applying uniform pressure from five sides: the top and four walls. It also tucks under the pallet base.

The two methods hold the load in different ways. Stretch wrap relies on friction between layers and the tension of the spiral. Stretch hood relies on the elastic memory of the material: the film keeps trying to return to its original dimension throughout the logistics cycle. The consequences are measurable. A packaging cycle on Lachenmeier or Beumer lines takes 15-25 seconds per pallet, while an automatic stretch wrapper needs one to two minutes. Film consumption drops by 30-50% because one fitted layer replaces a multi-layer spiral. And a pallet sealed on five sides is far less exposed to rain, dust and UV.

Stretch wrap remains a good compromise for small volumes. Stretch hood is packaging engineering for lines that produce more than a dozen pallets per hour.

Stretch Hood vs. Shrink Hood vs. Stretch Wrap: Comparison

Shrink hood is often confused with stretch hood. Both cover the pallet from five sides, but shrink hood needs heat: a loose film hood is placed over the load and shrunk onto it in a heating frame or tunnel. Stretch hood is applied cold.

Criterion	Stretch wrap	Shrink hood	Stretch hood
How it holds the load	Tension of a multi-layer spiral	Heat shrinkage of the film	Elastic recovery of a stretched film
Heat at the line	No	Yes (heating frame or tunnel)	No
Pallet sides covered	4 (top only with an extra top sheet)	5	5
Weather and UV protection	Limited	High	High
Best fit	Low volumes, variable pallet geometry	Loads where a heat process is acceptable	High volumes, export, outdoor storage

Kablonex produces films for both principles: NEX-HOOD stretch hood films and NEX-SHRINK heat-shrink films.

Process Anatomy: What Happens in 15 Seconds

A stretch hood cycle consists of five steps and typically takes 15-25 seconds. Breaking it down shows why the film has to be designed for the line.

Step 1: Unwinding the film from the roll. The stretch hood sleeve is produced as a tubular film on a roll, 1300-2200 mm wide. The line unwinds a section matched to the pallet height. It sounds simple, but it requires geometric stability of the sleeve: the width must be repeatable along the entire roll, because any deviation turns into uneven stretching by the four arms in step 3.

Step 2: Sealing and cutting the hood. The top edge of the cut sleeve is sealed, creating a hood closed at the top. The seal must withstand the stretching force in step 3 and the elastic tension throughout the logistics cycle. A weak seal means a torn hood at the first transshipment.

Step 3: Stretching the hood with 4 applicator arms. This is the critical moment. Four mechanical arms enter the open bottom of the hood and stretch it to 80-100% of its original width. The film is now under stress but still elastic. If the formulation is poor, the hood tears or loses its elastic memory in this phase.

Step 4: Lowering the hood onto the pallet. The stretched hood is lowered vertically, pulled over the pallet and tucked under its base. Geometry matters here: the film must be longer than the pallet height by a constant margin (usually 100-200 mm) to cover the bottom edge of the load.

Step 5: Releasing the arms. The arms release, the film recovers and embraces the load from five sides. This is where holding force is created: the clamping force the film keeps generating throughout the logistics cycle. It is also where a 5-layer mLLDPE construction shows its advantage over a standard 3-layer one.

In a 5-layer film each layer has its own task: the core (mLLDPE, two metallocene grades) carries the holding force, a high-purity LDPE layer resists edge tearing, another layer accepts PCR without loss of parameters, and the skin layers control slip and surface. A 3-layer film forces more compromises because there is less room for selective design. In my experience the difference in holding force on long export routes can reach 15-20% at the same film thickness. More on layer design: Multilayer Extrusion: How 3 and 5 Layers Change Film Properties.

That is why a stretch hood film should be designed for a specific application rather than picked from a catalogue.

What Must Stretch Hood Film Withstand?

Four parameters a production manager should demand from a supplier. All four, because each one on its own explains why a given hood tears or holds.

High stretch without loss of holding force. The film must stretch in the applicator to 80-100% of its width and still generate clamping force after the arms release. These properties pull in opposite directions: the easier the film stretches, the harder it is to keep return force. mLLDPE in the core resolves this trade-off better than classic LLDPE, which is the real reason 5-layer constructions became standard in demanding applications.

Elastic memory. After stretching, the film must “want” to return. This decides whether the pallet reaches the recipient tight or sagging. In cheaper formulations elastic memory degrades within 24-48 hours of application. In a well-designed 5-layer film it lasts for weeks. For exports to Southern Europe or Scandinavia this matters.

Edge tear resistance. This is where most inexpensive films fail. Pallet edges, sharp corners and the wooden elements of a EUR pallet can all start a tear that then runs through the whole hood. A layered construction puts the tear-resistant layer exactly where it is needed.

Dimensional stability of the sleeve on the roll. You will not find this parameter in most specifications, yet it decides process repeatability. If the sleeve width varies by ±5 mm along the roll, each deviation becomes uneven stretching in step 3. The result: some pallets packed perfectly, some loose, some with a torn hood. Micro-stops on the line, lower OEE.

These four properties separate an engineered film from a commodity roll. They also explain why fewer manufacturers make stretch hood than classic stretch film: it takes a different extruder, raw material know-how and validation on the client’s line.

You can find the full range of Kablonex stretch hood films, their variants and technical parameters on the NEX-HOOD page.

Compatibility with Packaging Lines: Lachenmeier, Beumer, MSK, Bocedi

In Europe the stretch hood applicator market is dominated by four brands: Lachenmeier (Danish, part of Signode), Beumer (German, premium segment), MSK (German, strong in cement and chemicals) and Bocedi (Italian, popular in Southern Europe).

Each has its own arm geometry, stretch speed, sealing parameters and operating characteristics. A film that runs perfectly on a Lachenmeier machine can tear on an MSK machine in step 3. A formulation with excellent holding force on a Beumer machine can have too low a friction coefficient on a Bocedi machine in step 4.

That is why “we’ll buy stretch hood film from the cheapest supplier in Turkey” rarely works. The film has to match the parameters of the client’s line. In practice the supplier receives the applicator’s technical data, product characteristics (pallet geometry, weight, edge sharpness, transport conditions) and complaint history, then designs a matching formulation. Validation follows at the client’s site: usually 2-4 pallets under target conditions, with holding force measured over time.

At Kablonex we do this as standard: our 5-layer extrusion lines let us change the layer configuration for a specific application. Instead of an off-the-shelf roll from a wholesaler, you get NEX-HOOD film matched to your line and validated on it.

In my opinion the biggest myth in the market is that stretch hood can be bought off the shelf. It can, but then you pay more for film of suboptimal thickness and do not use what the technology offers.

When Does Stretch Hood Pay Off?

In our experience the threshold is 15-20 pallets per hour coming off the production line. Above it, stretch hood wins on three dimensions at once:

• Less film per pallet: one fitted layer instead of a multi-layer spiral.
• Higher packaging efficiency: a pallet secured in seconds instead of minutes.
• Higher load stability: the pallet travels as one unit, sealed on five sides.

Add lower labor costs (less handling at the packaging line), better OHS (no manual wrapping), fewer transport damage complaints and better protection against weather.

Stretch hood is not for everyone, though. Applicator CAPEX is 150-500 thousand EUR, depending on speed, integration and automation. For a company packaging 50 pallets a day it makes no sense. For a company packaging 300 pallets per shift, payback is measured in months, not years.

In short: stretch hood makes sense if you have more than 15-20 pallets/hour, relatively stable load geometry and at least one logistics factor that stretch wrap handles poorly (export, outdoor storage, long transport, a demanding recipient).

It makes no sense if volume is low, pallet geometry varies widely (e.g. a mixed assortment day to day) or applicator CAPEX is prohibitive. Then it is better to stay with stretch film and optimize the wrapper.

What this looks like in practice: in our wood pellet manufacturer case, one HQ hood replaced double packaging and cut film use by over 60% per pallet.

ESG, PCR and Printing: What Stretch Hood Can Do Beyond Pallet Stabilization

Stretch hood also opens a path to PCR and ESG targets without modifying the packaging line, which for many companies is the most practical way to prepare for PPWR.

In practice, the 5-layer construction allows up to 35% PCR (post-consumer recycled content) in the core of the hood, while the skin layers keep the mechanical parameters. The applicator works the same way with recycled content. The packaging line needs no changes. And the PPWR report shows a real reduction in virgin plastic.

A specific example: a crate manufacturer for the German market was packaging pallets with an exceptionally thin 50 µm standard stretch hood. German retailers began to require PCR content in transport packaging, and most PCR formulations on the market lose mechanical properties at this thickness. We implemented NEX-HOOD PCR 50 µm in a dedicated “PCR HQ” formulation with 35% recycled content, enhanced parameters for high-stretch applications and retained transparency. Validation ran on the client’s line before the first delivery. No change in thickness, no applicator modification, and a stronger position in negotiations with retailers.

The second dimension is printing. Stretch hood can be printed directly in up to 6 colors using flexo. NEX-HOOD NHD offers printing from our partner print shop in 1800 mm width, with the option to combine printing with PCR dosing. For the business this means the pallet stops being an anonymous block of film and becomes a brand carrier in the logistics chain: visible in the warehouse, in distribution and at the end customer. No attached labels, no banding.

A domestic fertilizer producer exporting to Europe had the red in its logo fading on pallets after several weeks of outdoor storage at distributors. We implemented NEX-HOOD NHD 70 µm in white opaque, with UV-resistant inks and a UV stabilizer in the film itself, and downgauged from 90 µm to 70 µm. The result: no more complaints about print fading, 22% less film per pallet and consistent brand visibility throughout the logistics cycle. Implemented without line modification.

Stretch wrap cannot do any of this. It does not recover in a way that keeps print legible on the pallet sides, it has no layered construction to carry 35% PCR without losing parameters, and it does not cover the top of the pallet, so UV still gets through.

3-Step Checklist: Does Stretch Hood Make Sense for You?

Before you talk to applicator or film suppliers, do three things, in this order.

Step 1: Check your volume. How many pallets leave your line per hour on a typical production day? If a single line exceeds 15-20 pallets/hour, go to step 2. If not, postpone the topic and optimize your wrapper: with low volume, a stretch hood applicator pays off in years, not months.

Step 2: Check geometry and logistics. Do your pallets have consistent or similar dimensions (tolerance ±10-15%)? Does the load go for export, get stored outdoors, face UV, rain or multiple transshipments? If both answers are “yes”, stretch hood will likely pay off. If pallet geometry varies widely (different assortments, different heights) or everything stays in the warehouse and travels 50 km to the recipient, stretch film remains competitive.

Step 3: Check your cost map. Put four numbers in a spreadsheet: film cost per pallet, packaging labor cost, cost of transport damage complaints over the last 12 months and energy cost of the wrapper. Add them up and compare with the cost of stretch hood (film + applicator CAPEX amortization + energy + labor). If stretch hood wins by more than 15%, you have a business case for management. If the difference is below 5%, stay with stretch film and revisit in 2 years, when applicator CAPEX drops or volume grows.

Three steps. A week of analyst work. A decision for years.

Is your wrapper consuming more labor, energy and film than your volume justifies? Are transport damage complaints eating into export margins? Do German retailers require PCR and you cannot change the line?

Our NEX-HOOD stretch hood films run on all four dominant applicator brands in Europe (Lachenmeier, Beumer, MSK, Bocedi), in 50 to 150 µm, with up to 35% PCR and printing in up to 6 colors. The 5-layer mLLDPE construction lets us design film properties for your application. 55 years of experience, ISO 9001, BRCGS Packaging Materials, EcoVadis.

What to expect: typically 30-50% less film per pallet, a shorter packaging cycle, fewer damage complaints and a PPWR/ESG path without investing in a new line.

Send us your specification via the contact form. A technologist will reply within 24 hours with a TCO calculation for your volume.