Standard stretch film secures loads well, but it is not designed for long-term outdoor exposure or extreme cold. Sunlight degrades ordinary film over weeks, and cold makes it stiffer and less stretchy. For short-term or covered outdoor storage, standard film is fine if you wrap thoroughly. For prolonged direct sun or freezer conditions, you need film made for the purpose, or you need to protect the load another way.
Being straight about this matters, because the wrong expectation leads to failed loads. Here is what actually happens to film outdoors and in the cold, and how to handle each.
Sunlight Is the Real Enemy Outdoors
The main problem with outdoor storage is not rain, it is UV. Sunlight breaks down polyethylene over time. It weakens the film’s structure, so it loses stretch and cling and can turn brittle. A load wrapped in ordinary film and left in direct sun for weeks will see the film degrade, and a degraded wrap does not hold.
For short outdoor spells, a day or two, or a load that sits outside briefly before it moves, standard film copes fine. The degradation takes time. The problem is prolonged exposure: pallets stored outdoors in the open for weeks or months.
If you genuinely need to store loads outdoors long term in direct sun, you need UV-stabilised film, which is made with additives that resist sunlight for longer. That is a different product from standard stretch film. Do not assume ordinary film will hold up to months of sun, because it will not.
Rain and Moisture: Film Is Not a Waterproof Cover
Stretch film sheds some water and keeps light moisture off, but it is not a waterproof barrier. Wrapped normally, it has overlaps and gaps that let water track in, and it is not sealed at the top.
For outdoor or damp storage where the load must stay dry, do not rely on the wrap alone. Use a proper top cover or a fitted waterproof cover, and use the stretch film to secure the load and hold that cover in place. Angling a pass or two of film across the top corners helps shed water off the top, but treat that as helping, not sealing.
Cold and Freezer Storage: Film Gets Stiff
Cold changes how film behaves. As the temperature drops, stretch film becomes stiffer and less stretchy. In freezer conditions this is pronounced: film that stretches and clings well at room temperature can feel stiff, cling less, and stretch less far when it is very cold.
Two practical points follow. First, if you wrap loads that then go into cold or freezer storage, wrap them at normal temperature where the film performs properly, then move them in. Second, if you must apply film in a cold environment, expect it to handle differently, and consider film formulated for low temperatures if cold application is routine. Standard film still works in the cold, but it is less forgiving.
Bringing cold rolls up to normal working temperature before use also helps them stretch and cling as intended.
What Standard Film Does Well
None of this means standard stretch film is useless outside a warehouse. It handles a lot:
- Loads stored outdoors briefly before transport
- Loads under cover outdoors, out of direct sun
- Loads wrapped warm and then moved into cold storage
- Short transits that pass through outdoor or cold conditions
For these, our 23 Micron hand film, wrapped thoroughly, secures the load well. The extra material in 23 Micron over 17 Micron also gives a little more margin against the knocks and handling that outdoor and cold-chain loads often see, which is why it is the better choice of the two for these conditions.
Matching the Approach to the Situation
Work it out from how long and how exposed:
- Brief outdoor or cold exposure: standard film, wrapped thoroughly, 23 Micron for margin.
- Covered outdoor, out of direct sun: standard film is fine.
- Prolonged direct sun: you need UV-stabilised film, not standard film.
- Must stay dry outdoors: add a proper waterproof cover, use film to secure it.
- Freezer application: wrap warm and move in, or use film made for low temperatures.
The mistake to avoid is assuming ordinary film will survive months of sun or seal out water. It will not, and knowing that up front saves a failed load.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use normal stretch film outdoors?
For short spells or under cover, yes. For prolonged direct sun over weeks or months, no. Sunlight degrades standard film over time, so long-term outdoor storage in the open needs UV-stabilised film.
Is stretch film waterproof?
No. It sheds some water and keeps light moisture off, but the overlaps and open top let water track in. For loads that must stay dry, add a proper waterproof cover and use the film to hold it in place.
Does stretch film work in freezer storage?
It works, but cold makes it stiffer and less stretchy. Wrap loads at normal temperature and then move them into the cold, or use film formulated for low temperatures if you apply it in freezer conditions routinely.
Which thickness is better for outdoor or cold loads?
23 Micron, of our two. The extra material gives more margin against the handling these loads often see. But thickness does not solve UV degradation, so for prolonged sun you still need UV-stabilised film.
Why does my film go brittle outside?
Sunlight. UV breaks down polyethylene over time, weakening it and making it brittle. Standard film is not built to resist prolonged sun, so long outdoor exposure needs UV-stabilised film.
Conclusion
For the full breakdown of terminology, thickness, core type and colour in one place, see The Complete Guide to Stretch Wrap Film.
Standard stretch film is made for securing loads, not for surviving months of sun or sealing out water. For brief or covered outdoor storage and for loads wrapped warm before cold storage, standard film, ideally 23 Micron for margin, does the job. For prolonged direct sun you need UV-stabilised film, and for loads that must stay dry you need a proper waterproof cover with the film securing it. Match the approach to how long and how exposed the load will be, and you avoid the failed wraps that come from expecting ordinary film to do more than it can.