Using Edge Protectors with Stretch Wrap: Order of Work

Published 26 October 2026 · By Ranjeet Kumar, Proprietor, Solution Enterprises

Short answer: stand the four vertical boards on the pallet corners before the first revolution, hold them until the film has made a turn or two, then wrap from the pallet upwards so the film runs over the boards. Finish with a rope of film just below the pallet’s top deck boards and tuck the tail. The film holds the boards; the boards spread the film’s squeeze so the corner cartons do not crush.

Why boards and film work together

Stretch film holds a load by squeezing it. Lantech, a stretch-wrapper maker, calls this containment force and describes it as the product of how tightly the film is applied and how many revolutions go on. That squeeze is not even around a rectangular load. The film is straight across each face and bends sharply at each corner, so the corners take the most pressure — and the corner cartons are the ones that bow, dent or tear.

A rigid angle on each corner changes that. The film now presses on the board, and the board passes the load into both faces of the carton along its whole height. The stack also stands straighter, because each corner column is now tied to a stiff spine. How that adds to stacking strength is covered in pallet stacking strength and edge protectors.

Order of work

1. Build the load square. Cartons in columns, no overhang past the pallet edge, top layer flat.
2. Stand the boards. One on each vertical corner, bottom end resting on the pallet deck, legs flat against both faces.
3. Hold them until the film catches. By hand, a helper, or a self-adhesive board. Patent literature on wrapping notes that boards need holding only until the film has wrapped partly around them; after that they stay put.
4. Start the film around the pallet. PAHO’s guideline asks for the wrap to start around the pallet and continue up the load, capturing the pallet with the bottom layer.
5. Wrap up and over the boards. Keep the film over the boards on every revolution, with overlap between bands so no gap opens at a corner.
6. Finish with a cable. Lantech recommends rolling the film into a tight rope and placing it just below the top deck boards, where it locks the load down and stays clear of the forks.
7. Deal with the tail. Wipe it down, clamp or seal it. A loose tail can snag on equipment and pull the wrap open.

Settings that matter

• Wrap force. Boards let you run the film tighter without crushing corners, but they are not a licence to over-tighten. Check the faces between corners for bowing.
• Revolutions. More turns add containment. Buyers sometimes set a minimum; PAHO, for instance, recommends five revolutions with film of at least 60 gauge.
• Check at three heights. Lantech suggests measuring containment at the top, middle and bottom of the load, because a machine can wrap one zone well and another poorly.
• Board width. A wider leg spreads film pressure over more of each face. Narrow legs on soft cartons can still dent.

Film alone, or film and strap?

PAHO’s guideline makes a useful distinction: stretch wrap stabilises a load, while strapping secures it to the pallet, and the two should be used together for its shipments. When straps go on as well, the same vertical boards protect against strap pressure, and short pieces go under the straps on the top edges. The counts are in how many edge protectors per pallet. For heavy or export loads, PET strap is the common choice; see PET strap vs PP strap.

Faults we see most often

• Boards slipping before the first turn. They end up angled across a face. A self-adhesive strip solves this on lines without a helper.
• Boards shorter than the load. The top layer is then bare at the corners, which is where the film pulls hardest.
• Boards taller than the load. Film bridges from the board tip to the top layer and tears there.
• Legs not flat against the faces. A board that sits at an angle, perhaps because a carton bulges, puts the film on its edge instead of its face. Square the corner cartons before standing the board.
• Extra film to make up for no boards. More revolutions add cost and still crush the corners.

More of these are collected in common edge protector mistakes. We make the boards, not the film: our L-shape edge protector is the usual choice for wrapped pallets, and you can request a quote with your load height and leg size.

Common questions

Does the film go over or under the boards?

Over. The film is what holds the boards to the load. Boards placed over finished film can slide off.

Do machine-wrapped pallets still need boards?

A machine applies film more evenly than hand wrapping, but the corners still take the most pressure. Many automatic lines place boards for that reason.

Can I reuse boards from an incoming pallet?

Only if they are straight, dry and not crushed at the ends. A board that has bent once will not hold a corner square again.

Sources

• Lantech, Quick Guide to Stretch Wrapping — containment force, the film cable below the deck boards, and film tails.
• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Standard Guidelines for Palletizing Non-Perishable Shipments.
• US Patent 9,394,069, Corner protector placement system and method, Brenton LLC, 2016.
• Kite Packaging, Corner and Edge Protection — board edge protectors spreading strap and wrap pressure.

General practice. Follow your wrapper maker’s settings and your customer’s packing specification, and confirm any change on a trial load.