How Many Rolls Of Scaffold Shrink Wrap Do I Need?

To work out how many rolls of shrink wrap sheeting you will need to shrink wrap a scaffolding you need to follow four steps;

1. Calculate the area of your scaffolding that is to be shrink wrapped
2. Calculate the area for the roll size of shrink wrap you are using
3. Divide the area of scaffolding by the area of your roll of shrink wrap
4. Add an extra 15% for overlaps / joins between sheets and offcuts that cannot be re-used.

Step 1 – Calculate The Area Of The Scaffolding That Is To Be Sheeted

To work out the area of the scaffolding that you want to shrink wrap, multiply the height by the width of each ‘face’ of the scaffolding that is to be sheeted. If a temporary roof is needed then don’t forget to add the area for that also.

Consider that the shrinkwrap sheeting may not be needed to come down to ground level –  for example it is quite common for the sheeting to be terminated at the first boarded lift – so the area of sheeting may be less than the total area of scaffolding.

Once you have calculated the area of scaffolding that requires sheeting you are ready to move on to step 2.

Step 2 – Calculate the Size (Area) For a Roll of Shrink Wrap Sheeting

The most common size of shrink wrap sheeting used for outdoor scaffolding encapsulation is a 7m wide x 15m long roll. (This size can cover a large area but is still convenient weight to move around a construction site).

However, a 12m wide x 25m long roll can be useful for smaller roofs where it is possible to cover the entire roof with a single sheet.

For internal projects such as factory partitions and screens where wind loadings are not an issue it is possible to use rolls of film that are up to 16m wide x 50m long.

• 7m x 15m = 105 square metres
• 12m x 25m = 300 square metres
• 16m x 50m = 800 square metres

Step 3 – Divide the Area of Scaffolding by the Area of Your Shrink Wrap Roll

For example, a scaffolding facade which is 12m high x 30m long requires shrink wrapping. The sheeting to be used is supplied on a 7m x 15m roll. Scaffolding area divided by the area of 1 roll of sheeting is 360 / 105 = 3.42 rolls of 7m wide shrink wrap required.

Step 4 – Allow Extra for Sheeting Overlaps and Off Cuts

Once you have divided the area of scaffolding by the area of the shrink wrap roll you want to use, you will have the quantity of rolls required. However, before you place your order, you will need to make an allowance for some extra sheeting.

This is for areas where sheets overlap and ‘offcuts’ that cannot be used elsewhere on the job. Rhino’s experience with installing shrink wrap means we always allow an extra 15% for this.

Continuing with our previous example, multiplying 3.42 (number of rolls calculated in step 3) x 1.15 = 3.933 or 4 rolls of shrink wrap needed.

Another way of looking at this is to use the ‘rule of thumb’ that a 7m x 15m roll (the most common size for scaffold shrink wrapping) does gives you 90 square metres per roll, and not the 105 square metres that is actually on a roll!

Summary

Once you have calculated the area of the scaffolding that is to be sheeted, divided by the area of an individual shrink wrap roll size that is best suited to your job and allowed for any wastage due to overlaps and offcuts you will have an accurate calculation for the number of rolls you will need for your next scaffold shrink wrap project.

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As always, if you need help, contact any member of the friendly Rhino Shrink Wrap team and we will be happy to help.