Binding tapes: the colourful world of taping

Lots of colours and handy helpers can be found in the world of strapping. You will find a wide range of products on the market: polypropylene strapping tapes in various colours, strong polyester tapes, flexible textile tapes, extremely durable steel tapes, strapping kits, tensioners, unwinders, strapping machines…

If you want to seal your shipments quickly and securely before transport or long-term storage, strapping is the optimal solution. With product banding, you can ideally seal your shipments and save consumables: e.g. compared to stretch film. Almost everything can be banded. A stack of delicate printing products, pallets of solid bricks, bulky goods such as firewood, small packages or high-volume stacks of cardboard. The basic principle is always the same: wrap the tie-downs around the load, tighten and close. This secures a wide variety of goods during transport and storage.

In order to get the best possible result, you must (besides the choice of colour…) also take into account other important factors. What product do you want to band? How heavy is the load, or how much mechanical force will be exerted on the strapping? Does the strapping have to withstand extreme weather conditions? Do you prefer machine or manual strapping?

To help you make your choice in terms of material variety, we have summarised the advantages and recommended uses of strapping tape. The materials are sorted in ascending order of strength from average to maximum tensile strength.

PP Ties

• Ideal for closing, reinforcing and bundling bales and securing light loads of pallets. As a box closer, it increases the security of package contents.
• Lightweight, flexible polypropylene tape for any product shape.
• Strength up to 245 kg.
• Suitable for manual, automatic and semi-automatic strapping.
• Ideal closure types: self-closing plastic clips, metal closure clips, welding.
• High tension ranges.

Conclusion. Especially companies with high production (and the need for box wrapping) can take advantage of the high potential of this binding tape due to the possibility of machine sealing of spaces. This means that they are able to offer the flexibility of a strapping machine. They are ideal for lower and short-term loads.

Polyester strapping tapes

• Ideal for strapping heavy loads and pallets.
• Optimal for long-term storage due to low tension ratio (only minimal loosening at higher temperatures).
• High strength up to 534 kg.
• Suitable closure types: metal closure clips, welding.
• UV-resistant, conditionally acid and alkali resistant, corrosion and paint resistant.
• Environmentally friendly: made of at least 80% recycled material.

Conclusion: the “stronger brother” of polypropylene ties. Polyester tapes are more tensile resistant than PP tapes, they do not stretch or deform. Ideal for long-term product closure.

Textile ties

• Ideal for fixing and tying pipes, metal parts and taping structures and machines.
• High tensile strength up to 730 kg.
• Particularly gentle on the surface of taped objects.
• UV resistant, conditionally acid and alkali resistant, corrosion and weather resistant.
• Low tension.
• Suitable for manual strapping, closed with a wire closure clip – re-tensionable.

Conclusion. It is recommended for strapping disparate products (it will not damage surfaces, but at the same time has high tensile strength). Another advantage over steel: textile tape is not subject to corrosion and is easy and safe to handle.

Steel tapes

• Ideal for strapping very heavy, pointed and rounded products.
• Extremely durable, strength up to 775 kg.
• Minimal tension sessions.
• For manual strapping. Suitable types of steel strapping closures include closure clips, which are specifically designed for strapping with these types of strapping. They are equivalent to seals in quality of closure.

Conclusion: steel tapes can withstand the highest loads, also in the long term, without the risk of negative stretching of the material. Rajapack offers steel strapping with bevelled edges, which significantly reduces the risk of injury during strapping. A possible disadvantage of this tape: the risk of corrosion.

Tip: If you want to protect your cargo against possible punctures caused by strapping during strapping, we recommend using edge protection profiles: these are usually made of cardboard or corrugated cardboard. Already formed cardboard profiles protect the edges of the load from damage caused by the pressure of the strapping.