Quick answer: To work out how much pallet wrap to buy in bulk, count how many pallets you wrap in a normal week, find out how many pallets one roll does, and divide. A site wrapping 20 pallets a day, at 25 pallets a roll, uses about 4 rolls a week, or roughly 3 boxes of six a month. Buying a month or two at a time usually gets a better price per box without tying up too much cash or storage space. Keep the stock dry, off the floor and out of direct sun, and use the oldest rolls first.
Buying pallet wrap one box at a time is easy, but it usually costs more per roll and means you run out at the worst moment. Buying far too much ties up money and space. Here’s a simple way to work out the right amount.
Step 1: count your pallets
Write down how many pallets you wrap on a typical day, and how many days a week you despatch. If it varies a lot through the year, work out a quiet month and a busy month separately.
Step 2: find your pallets per roll
Take a new roll, and count how many pallets your team wraps before it runs out. Do this with two or three rolls to get a fair average. It varies a lot with the load and how it’s wrapped. Heavy or tall loads with extra turns use more film than light, even ones. The examples below use 25 pallets a roll. Our guide to how much stretch film you need per pallet explains how to measure it, and our pallet wrap calculator gives you an estimate for your pallet size.
Step 3: do the sums
| Pallets a day | Rolls a week (5 days, 25 pallets a roll) | Boxes of 6 a month (about) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 | 1 to 2 |
| 20 | 4 | 3 |
| 40 | 8 | 6 |
| 80 | 16 | 12 |
If your own pallets per roll figure is different, divide your weekly pallets by it instead of 25.
Step 4: decide how much stock to hold
Most businesses keep between two weeks’ and two months’ worth. Things to weigh up:
- Price. Larger orders usually cost less per box. Our trade pricing improves with volume.
- Space. A box of six rolls takes up little room, but 20 boxes need a dry spot off the floor.
- Cash. There’s no point tying up money in film you won’t use for months.
- Lead time. Our orders placed before 2pm on a working day go out the same day, with free delivery to mainland GB, usually in one to two working days. With a short lead time, you don’t need a huge safety stock.
- Seasonal peaks. If you’re busier before Christmas or at the end of a quarter, order extra ahead of it.
Step 5: store it properly
Stretch film keeps well if it’s stored right. Keep rolls in their boxes, standing on end, somewhere dry and not too cold, away from direct sunlight and heat. Use the oldest stock first, so nothing sits at the back for too long. Our guide on storing stretch film rolls covers this in more detail.
Check you’re getting full rolls
When you buy in bulk, a small shortfall on every roll adds up. Weigh a roll or two from each delivery. A 400mm x 250m roll of 23 micron film should weigh about 2.43kg including the core, and 17 micron about 1.87kg. Our guide on checking a roll’s real length and thickness shows how.
Mix of films
You may not need one film for everything. A practical mix is 17 micron for light, even pallets and 23 micron for heavy or awkward ones, with a box of black kept for loads that need hiding. Buying the right film for each load saves more than buying the cheapest film in bulk. Our guide on why the cheapest wrap isn’t always cheapest explains why.
Trade and repeat orders
If you order regularly, our trade and wholesale page explains how to get a trade price. You can also browse our pallet wrap rolls, which are sold in boxes of six 400mm x 250m rolls, with the real weight of each roll listed next to the price.
FAQs
How many pallets does a roll of pallet wrap do?
It depends on the load, the pallet size and how firmly it’s wrapped. The only accurate figure is your own, so count how many pallets a few rolls do.
Is it cheaper to buy pallet wrap in bulk?
Usually. Larger orders cost less per box, and you save the time of reordering often.
Does stretch film go off?
Not quickly, if it’s stored dry and out of sunlight and heat. Film stored in poor conditions can lose some of its cling and stretch, so use older stock first.
How much space does a box of pallet wrap take?
A box holds six 400mm rolls standing on end, so it takes up about the same floor space as a small carton. Stack boxes off the floor in a dry area.
Related guides: how much pallet wrap costs in the UK, where to buy pallet wrap in the UK, 17 vs 23 micron stretch film.