When your shipping operation starts to grow, manual pallet wrapping can quickly become a bottleneck. That's where stretch wrappers offer a smarter way to protect your loads, boost efficiency, and reduce material waste.

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Whether you're just getting started with automation or upgrading your current setup, this guide will help you understand your options, key features to look for, and how to find the right solution for your business.

Introduction to Stretch Wrappers

Stretch wrappers are machines designed to tightly secure pallet loads with stretch film, stabilizing goods for shipment and storage. They're used across industries to cut down on labor costs, improve load consistency, and minimize product damage in transit.

It's not just about wrapping faster it's about wrapping smarter. Ineffective stretch wrapping is a major driver of product damage during shipping. Stretch wrappers deliver consistent containment force that manual wrapping can't match, helping reduce film waste, prevent product shifting, and protect against warehouse and transit damage.

Types of Stretch Wrappers

Stretch wrapping systems vary widely from handheld tools for low-volume operations to fully automated machines that integrate with conveyor lines. Understanding the basic categories can help you find the best fit for your production needs.

The most common type of stretch wrapping machine is the turntable stretch wrapper. This style of wrapper has a turntable that rotates a product as the stretch film is wrapped around it. Available in manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic operation types.

Manual Stretch Wrapper

Manual stretch tools assist with hand-wrapping by holding the roll and applying tension. They’re an affordable step up from traditional hand wrapping but can still be time-consuming. Manual turntable tops are also available where the load turns, but the operator still has to do the wrapping.

• Best for: Small operations wrapping fewer than 10 pallets a day.
• Load types: Stable, lightweight loads that don’t require heavy containment force.
• Typical use: Startups, occasional shippers, companies testing new product lines.
• Space needs: Minimal with portable dispensers or at least 8’x8’ space for a manual turntable top. 
• Throughput: Operator-limited; slower and less consistent.

Popular models: Highlight Synergy .5, Encore Dispensers, Highlight Predator Turntable Top

Semi-Automatic Stretch Wrappers

Semi-automatic wrappers automate parts of the process like rotating the pallet, but operators still place and cut the film. They're a popular entry point for small to mid-size businesses.

• Best for: Growing operations needing better consistency without a huge capital investment.
• Load types: Most standard pallet loads under 5,000 lbs.
• Typical use: Warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturers shipping 10–50 pallets per day.
• Space needs: Requires floor space of at least 8'x8'.
• Throughput: 20–30 loads per hour depending on model and operator efficiency.

Popular models: Eagle B, Robopac Ecoplat, Cousins -SRT, Handle It 800, Lantech Q300, Fox FPS 300

Automatic Stretch Wrappers

Automatic wrappers do it all — attaching film, wrapping, cutting, and sealing — often with minimal or no operator involvement. Ideal for companies shipping high volumes daily.

• Best for: High-volume shippers where speed, labor savings, and consistency are critical.
• Load types: Heavy, light, unstable, or irregular loads.
• Typical use: Large manufacturers, 3PLs, national distribution hubs.
• Space needs: Requires integration with conveyors; larger footprint.
• Throughput: 30+ loads per hour with minimal operator input.

Popular models: Cousins LP-, Eagle F, Handle It AA-C, Fox FPS 400, Robopac LT

Robotic and Mobile Stretch Wrappers

Robotic stretch wrappers are mobile machines that drive around the pallet to apply film, offering flexible, space-saving wrapping for a wide range of load types.

• Best for: Facilities with limited space, multiple wrapping areas, or oversized loads that can’t be rotated or easily moved.
• Load types: Irregular, heavy, or unstable loads — including extra-wide pallets or products that are difficult to place on a turntable.
• Typical use: Warehouses, manufacturers, and distribution centers, especially those needing flexibility without permanent equipment placement.
• Space needs: Minimal — the machine travels around the load, so there’s no need for a fixed footprint or bolted-down equipment.
• Throughput: Typically 20 - 30 loads per hour, but varies based on operator speed and wrap settings.

Popular models: Robopac S7, Handle It , Cousins Traveler, Combi BeeWrap

Rotary Arm Stretch Wrappers

The wrapper’s arm rotates around a stationary pallet, perfect for heavy, unstable, or lightweight loads that shouldn't spin.

• Best for: Heavy, unstable, or lightweight loads that shouldn’t spin.
• Applications: Building materials (brick, roofing), fragile goods, lightweight cases.
• Considerations: More expensive than turntables but safer for unstable loads; faster cycle times.

Popular models: Robopac Masterplat HD XL, Cousins T FSR, Handle It , Lantech S300

Orbital, Ring, and Horizontal Stretch Wrappers

These specialized machines wrap loads horizontally which is ideal for long products like pipes, lumber, doors, and windows.

• Best for: Long, narrow products that can’t be stacked on a pallet.
• Applications: Lumber, piping, doors, windows, textiles.
• Considerations: Specialized use; not for standard pallet loads.

Popular models: Robopac Compacta, Signode Yellow Jacket, TAB Wrapper Tornado, Handle It FA-200

Stretch Hooder Machines

Instead of wrapping around a load, stretch hooders pull a stretchable hood over the pallet for a tight, waterproof seal.

• Best for: Companies needing UV or moisture protection without excess material use.
• Applications: Fertilizer, building products, outdoor storage items. Loads that require a strong protective film.
• Throughput: High-volume packing of 50+ loads per hour.
• Considerations: Highest upfront cost but offers the tightest seal and best weather protection.

Popular models: Signode Power Flex, Signode Multi Flex, MSK Wraptech, Handle It SH-Core

Choosing the Right Stretch Wrapper

Finding the right fit starts with knowing your production needs and future goals.

Main Factors to Consider

• Number of pallets wrapped per day
• Load weight, size, and stability
• Available floor space
• Desired level of automation
• Options and add-ons (cold packaging, scale, load sensor type, roping, etc)

Questions to Answer

When working with a supplier, you will most likely need to answer the following questions to determine which machine is best matched to handle your stretch wrapping needs.

• What type of products or loads are you wrapping?
• What is the length and width of your pallets?
• What is the diagonal length of your loads?
• What is the average height of your loads?
• What is the average weight of your loads? How much do your lightest and heaviest weigh?
• How many loads per hour and per day do you currently wrap?
• How are you wrapping your loads now and how many people does the process require?
• Do you need to be able to weigh your loads for quality or shipping reasons?
• Do your products overhang off the pallet, have partial layers, or have any other additional qualities that must be considered?

Not sure how to calculate your diagonal pallet size? Use our calculator below!

Industry-Specific and Advanced Solutions

Each industry faces its own unique shipping challenges — and stretch wrapping solutions can be tailored to match. Some machines are purpose-built for specific applications, like windows and doors, round products like tires, or food and beverage. Others can be customized with sensors, conveyors, and wrap settings to meet unique requirements. Read our article in Packaging World to see how we helped a Wisconsin beverage distributor source and install a custom automated pallet wrapping solution.

Stretch wrapping technology keeps evolving making packaging operations smarter and greener. Newer wrappers use energy-saving motors and optimize film usage, helping lower overall operating costs. Robotic arms are being added to fully automated wrappers to reduce the need for an operator. Many machines now come standard or offer an IoT-enabled option for remote monitoring, performance tracking, and predictive maintenance alerts.

Production Needs and Budget Considerations

Stretch wrappers range from a few thousand dollars to six figures depending on automation, film carriage type, and specialty features. A semi-automatic machine can often pay for itself within a year through film savings and labor reduction.

According to Robopac, if you’re wrapping 50 loads per day, changing from hand wrapping with 10% pre-stretch to using a machine with 250% pre-stretch can save $30,000 or more over five years in just film savings. That’s not even including the savings from labor and damage.

Consulting with Packaging Experts

Once you’ve figured out your machine specifications and budget, you’ll need to choose a supplier. Always look for a vendor that provides warranty information, sells quality equipment, and after-sales support such as installation, tech service, and wear parts.

At Rocket Industrial, we work side-by-side with businesses to match the right machine to their needs — whether you’re wrapping 10 pallets a day or scaling up to 500. Our service team records the machine’s serial number in our system to track the manufacturer's warranty, offers additional warranties, keeps parts on hand, and can help with installation or future service needs.

Cost Analysis and ROI of Stretch Wrappers

An investment in automation today can mean major savings down the line.

Hand Pallet Wrapping vs Machine Pallet Wrapping

Even if you're only wrapping 10 loads per day, a stretch wrapper can quickly pay for itself. Hand wrapping is not only time-consuming — it leads to inconsistent containment force, more film waste, and a higher risk of product damage.

Most machine stretch wrappers can pre-stretch film by up to 250%, compared to less than 40% with hand wrapping. That means using less material, achieving stronger and more consistent load containment, and reducing the chance of damaged shipments.

Watch a packaging engineer do a time comparison of hand wrapping vs. machine wrapping in our lab in the video below.

The company is the world’s best Horizontal Fully Automatic Pallet Stretch Wrapping Machine supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Cost Benefits

Film Savings: Machine-stretched film can reduce film usage by 30–50% compared to manual wrapping. Pre-stretch systems stretch the film 200–300%, getting 2–3 times more pallet wraps out of the same roll.

Labor Reductions: Manual wrapping can take 2–5 minutes per pallet, while a semi-automatic wrapper can cut that to under one minute. Freeing up workers from wrapping allows for reallocation to higher-value tasks.

Damage Reduction: Poorly wrapped pallets are a leading cause of load damage and claims. Studies show proper stretch wrapping could prevent up to 50% of transport damage. Reducing in-transit damage not only cuts direct product loss but also protects brand reputation and reduces claims processing costs.

Payback Period

On average, we see businesses achieve payback on a semi-automatic stretch wrapper within 9 to 18 months, and automatic stretch wrappers within 12 to 24 months. Of course, actual payback timelines vary based on factors like daily pallet volume, labor rates, film usage, and the level of automation.

Looking at demo or used equipment, reviewing leasing options, and taking advantage of payment terms or Section 179 tax deductions can help speed up return on investment even further.

Stretch wrappers: the definitive guide to choose the right model for your company

Posted at 29 June in Insights, Insights

Stretch wrap machines wrap loads and products vertically or horizontally by means of a roll of stretch film that protects and stabilises them.

Vertical stretch wrappers cover packages placed on pallets, while horizontal stretch wrappers also cover products such as boards, pipes, and sheets. We will talk more about this distinction later in this text (and in particular about automatic wrappers).

In both cases, the number of stretch film spins depends on the type of wrapper.

A Pieri automatic turntable stretch wrapper, for example, is a machine suitable for companies that have little warehouse space. By default, it provides six complete spins of final wrapping both at the top and at the bottom on the pallet end points, followed by a film tensioning phase.

The wrapping process takes place by means of a motorised carriage that brings the palletised load closer to the machine, followed by the descent of a hydraulic arm locking it. This triggers the table rotation, which can reach 30 p/h.

The spiral pitch (wrapping factor) is adjusted automatically and measured by the ratio between the speed of the carriage going upwards and the travel speed of the wrapper.

Why buy an automatic stretch wrapper?

The companies that can obtain advantages from the purchase of stretch wrappers are those companies with a warehouse or those operating in the warehouse inventory management.

Without further ado, the purchase of a packaging machine is a good choice for:

1. reducing the use of stretch film (an automatic wrapper is able to stretch a polyethylene film by 400% its original length compared to the 10/20% if the operation is carried out manually by an operator);
2. reducing warehouse labor costs (instead of having an employee wrap the pallet 20 times, an automatic wrapper, such as those sold at Pieri, is able to do so also 50 times in a 1/10 of the time, allowing you to employ your machine operator, your mechanical maintainer, your electrical maintainer, or your manufacturer’s technician in other tasks);
3. reducing training costs and accidents (it may seem a simple operation, but wrapping a pallet manually requires staff training, which an automatic wrapper needs not);
4. reducing warehouse space (an already wrapped pallet can be immediately sent for storage, freeing warehouse space);
5. improving inventory control (wrapping pallets with well-applied stretch film allows you to place stickers on them with a scannable code useful for inventory control operations);
6. eliminating the risk of film tearing and damage to the packaged material (a pallet that is wrapped and sent for storage does not run the risk of being torn during the most common warehouse activities, such as clashes between forklifts);
7. standardising the wrapping process (automating the wrapping process allows you to standardise the output of the operation, keeping the same final result also from the point of view of the look)
8. reducing the number of returns (thanks to the use of wrapping machines, the packaging will be protected more effectively, drastically decreasing the number of returns due to accidental breakages during the transportation of the product).

Things to consider before buying a wrapper

The purchase of a wrapping machine should be well thought out, because its purchase price varies between € 5.000 and € 30.000.

In case you wish to call a salesperson to ask for advice, we suggest that you gather the following information:

1. how many pallets do you pack per hour? how many per shift or per day?
2. do you think you need a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic wrapper? The decision depends on your answer to these questions. To give you a reference, an automatic wrapper wraps 10 pallets per hour, source Wikipedia;
3. what are the dimensions of your pallets (width x length x height)?
4. what is the weight of your pallets?
5. do you need a vertical or horizontal packaging?
6. do you work with stable or unstable goods?
7. do you have any special requirements you want the packaging to have? For example, tape thickness, wrapping density, etc.?

The most common types of wrapper

There are many types of wrapping machines that use special films (usually, polyethylene is used).

The first possible distinction is between manual wrappers, semi-automatic wrappers – those present at airports for wrapping travelers’ suitcases – and automatic wrappers.

Please forgive us if we focus only on the latter, as we at Pieri are experts in automatic packaging machines.

Fully automatic rotating ring wrapping machine – AVR 400 XP

The AVR 400 XP is the ideal solution for high productivity applications. The AVR 400 XP is one of the highest performing automatic machines with unparalleled flexibility. The cycle start and end can occur at any height of the pallet, making the machine suitable for…

Fully automatic rotating ring wrapping machine – AVR 400 TWIN-S

The AVR 400 TWIN-S is the ideal solution for high productivity applications. The AVR 400 TWIN-S is a rotating ring machine equipped with an AVS 240 reel holder carriage and an additional secondary carriage. It includes an Ecomatrix model threading and cutting clamp group. This…

Fully automatic rotating ring wrapping machine – AVR 400 TWIN

The AVR 400 TWIN is the ideal solution for high productivity applications. The AVR 400 TWIN is a rotating ring machine with two AVS 240 pre-stretch reel holders, perfect for high productivity applications. This model features two pallet finishing units that tuck the film tail…

Automatic and semiautomatic wrapping machine – SILVER ONE

SILVER ONE is a Pieri’s automatic and semiautomatic arm machine. The automatic version is a new machine that can perfectly fit in a fully automatic wrapping production line. In the semiau­tomatic configuration, it is a stand-alone system, and it represents the perfect solu­tion for pallets…

Fully automatic rotating ring wrapping machine – AVR 400 FLEXA

AVR 400 FLEXA is the ideal solution for high output applications. It is the top ring wrapping model by Pieri in the range, thanks to its outstanding features and unbeatable flexibility. Its many benefits include: Flexibility: with 15 different wrapping programmes, it adapts easily to…

Fully automatic turntable wrapping machine – EASY ROUND

EASY ROUND is a fully automatic turntable wrapping machine for stretch wrapping palletised loads. The pallet is wrapped as the turntable rotates, thanks to a system with a toothed thrust bearing and a gear motor controlled by an inverter. EASY ROUND is a plug-and-play machine…

Fully automatic twin rotating arm wrapping machine – SILVER TWIN

SILVER TWIN, the twin rotating arm wrapping machine by Pieri, is the ideal solution for customers who demand the best from their machines: high speed and productivity. SILVER TWIN is a high-efficiency machine whose design features make it exceptionally solid and reliable. It has a…

Fully automatic rotating arm wrapping machine with built-in corner protection device – UNICA CAD

UNICA CAD, thanks to the automatic device integrated into the machine frame, allows for additional load protection by applying cardboard corner protectors to the edges of the product to be wrapped. UNICA is the line of automatic rotary arm machines for packaging palletized loads with…

Fully automatic rotating arm wrapping machine – UNICA

UNICA / UNICA XP / UNICA XF is the line of automatic rotary arm machines for packaging palletized loads with stretch film: the latest addition to the PIERI family. The machine boasts 5 innovative patents that offer customers numerous new technologies and applications. Thanks to…

The automatic wrappers are machines that do not require the intervention of an operator – they wrap the palletised load with a frequency of even a dozen pallets per hour.

A further distinction exists between horizontal automatic wrappers and vertical automatic wrappers.

The automatic vertical wrappers are useful for coating height-developed palletised products, products with reduced thickness or circumference; products that require an end to end wrapping.

The automatic horizontal wrappers, on the other hand, are used to wrap rectangular or square-shaped palletised products along their entire length.

Automatic vertical wrappers include:

• • • rotating arm wrapping machines, with this type of packaging machine, the load is immobile, because it is the rotating arm that turns around it, unwrapping the stretch film over its entire surface,
      

• • rotating ring wrapping machines, even with this type of packaging machine, the load is immobile in the wrapping area but it is a rotating ring that wraps it over its entire surface.
    

• • rotating turntable wrapping machines even with this type of wrapping machine, the pallet, once blocked on the motorised pre-stretch carriage, is wrapped as the turntable rotates, thanks to a system with a toothed thrust bearing and a gear motor controlled by an inverter.
    

Summary of what to consider when choosing a stretch wrapper

Now that you have clearer ideas about the type of packaging machine you need, we want to list you some features that you need to consider for your next wrapping machine:

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Rotary Arm Fully Automatic Pallet Wrapping Machine.

1. the whole operation of a packaging machine depends on the heat tunnel, which makes the plastic film shrink. This heating function is often defective in used stretch wrappers, so check it before purchasing the machine;
2. the machine should use the least possible amount of film to stabilise the palletised load;
3. the stretch wrapper should ensure a solid and resistant wrapping;
4. the stretch wrapper should offer the possibility to adjust the tension of the film on the palletised load;
5. the machine should ensure an easy replacement of the polyethylene roll and of the thrust bearing lubrication;
6. the after-sales service. Even if these machines are not likely to break frequently, it is important that the company selling you the wrapper acts promptly to reduce the machine downtime.