01 HEAT-SHRINK EVIDENCE DECISION
Heat-shrink film free shrink vs shrink force: keep dimensions and load evidence separate
Free shrink describes an unrestrained dimensional response to heat. Shrink force, shrink tension and shrink stress describe load-related evidence under a defined restraint basis. A useful film enquiry keeps those outputs, the material scope and the temperature-response record separate before comparing a data sheet, sample report or commercial lot.
02 DECISION FRAME
A film can change dimension and exert load, but those are not the same result
ASTM D2732-14(2025) and ISO 11501:1995 address unrestrained shrink or dimensional change under their own technically different methods. ASTM D2838-18(2026) addresses shrink tension, shrink force and orientation release stress under defined restraint routes. ISO 14616:1997 addresses shrinkage stress and contraction stress only for heatshrinkable films of polyethylene, ethylene copolymers and their mixtures. Keep each method, material scope, restraint state, direction, specimen and output in its own evidence row.
- A shrink-film RFQ where a dimensional-shrink percentage is being treated as proof of package load
- A supplier comparison that reports free shrink, shrink force, shrink tension or stress on different method bases
- A sample-to-order plan that must connect laboratory evidence to the actual package geometry and thermal application route
- That free-shrink percentage predicts the force received by the packed product
- That ASTM and ISO results are equivalent, interchangeable or convertible because their titles sound similar
- ISO 14616 must not be applied to PET, PVC, POF or every material sold as heat-shrink film
03 COMPARISON MAP
Choose the evidence row before comparing a shrink-film offer
The rows below organize public method scope and buyer records only. They do not reproduce a licensed test procedure, create a default condition or establish a material capability.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to review every evidence column.
| Evidence row | Question it can address | Context to retain | Conclusion it cannot create alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application and package geometry | What must fit, tighten or remain protected when the identified film is heated on the intended route? | Packed product, bundle or sleeve geometry, vulnerable surfaces, appearance risks, equipment route and buyer-owned outcome | A material grade, shrink target, tunnel recipe or package approval |
| ASTM D2732 unrestrained linear shrinkage | How the identified film specimen changes dimension without restraint at the reported specimen temperature | Current edition, specimen and stage, MD/TD, thickness, conditioning, reported temperature, thermal history, output and unit | Restrained force, shrink stress, package load, line window or equivalence with ISO 11501 |
| ISO 11501 dimensional change on heating | How the identified film or sheet changes longitudinally and transversely on heating under the selected ISO method | Current edition, specimen, longitudinal/transverse map, thickness, condition, thermal history, result and unit | An ASTM D2732 result, restrained load, package fit or direct cross-method conversion |
| ASTM D2838 fully restrained force route | What maximum force-related evidence is reported when the identified specimen is restrained under the selected ASTM route | Current edition, selected procedure, specimen and thickness, MD/TD, restraint basis, temperature-response record, output type, unit and normalization | Free shrink, actual package load, a universal material property or an ISO-equivalent result |
| ASTM D2838 permitted-shrink-before-restraint route | What force-related evidence is reported after the specimen is permitted the selected shrink amount before restraint | Current edition, selected procedure, permitted-shrink basis, specimen, direction, temperature-response record, output, unit and normalization | An unrestrained dimensional result, every partly restrained application or automatic package performance |
| ISO 14616 PE-family stress evidence | Which shrinkage-stress or contraction-stress result is reported for an applicable PE, ethylene-copolymer or mixture film | Current edition, exact polymer and construction, method applicability, specimen, direction, thickness, conditions, output and unit | Applicability to PET, PVC, POF or another material, or equivalence with ASTM D2838 |
| Requirement, TDS, sample and lot evidence | Which record is a buyer requirement, supplier specification, typical value, sample result or commercial-lot result | Document role, owner, grade, revision, lot and roll, method, date, conditions, deviations and approval status | That a typical value or one sample approves every supplied lot |
| Representative line and package validation | Whether the selected construction and evidence basis work on the identified equipment and packed product | Film and roll identity, package geometry, equipment and thermal profile, observed fit and load risks, retained samples, criteria and disposition | A universal tunnel setting, damage-free claim, shelf-life result or LayerSource supply capability |
04 SELECTION SEQUENCE
Move from a broad comparison to an approvable decision.
Write dimensional and force questions separately
State whether the decision needs unrestrained MD/TD dimensional change, restrained or permitted-shrink-before-restraint force evidence, stress evidence for an applicable PE-family film, or more than one independent row.
Align specimen, method and output
Attach the exact construction, thickness, lot, roll, direction, condition, thermal history, current method and output unit to every requirement and result. Keep technically different methods in separate rows.
Close the decision on the representative package route
Carry the agreed evidence into a buyer-controlled sample, trial roll and commercial-order plan using the real package geometry, equipment route, acceptance owners and change triggers.
05 RFQ INPUTS
Heat-shrink film free-shrink and shrink-force RFQ checklist
Use exactly these eighteen fields to compare offers without inventing a property, method conversion, thermal setting or LayerSource capability.
Open the RFQ brief builder ↗- 01
Packed product, bundle or sleeve geometry, packaging format and intended shrink-film job
- 02
Deformation, compression, wrinkling, loose-pack, label, appearance and other buyer-controlled failure risks
- 03
Manufacturer, exact grade, polymer family, mono- or multilayer construction and controlled document revision
- 04
Nominal thickness plus the applicable thickness method, sampling and reporting basis
- 05
Sample, batch, lot, roll and plain, printed, coated, laminated or otherwise converted specimen stage
- 06
MD/TD, Side A/Side B, slit lane, winding and machine-unwind orientation map
- 07
Buyer equipment and heating-medium route, operating profile and representative line context without a page-supplied setting
- 08
Selected unrestrained-shrink or dimensional-change method and current edition
- 09
Unrestrained specimen condition, reported temperature basis, exposure record and thermal history required by the method owner
- 10
MD and TD dimensional-change output, original unit, individual results and approved summary basis
- 11
Selected shrink-force, shrink-tension or shrink-stress method, current edition and documented material applicability
- 12
Selected restraint or permitted-shrink-before-restraint route and its report identifier without copying a method procedure
- 13
Force, tension, stress or orientation-release output, original unit and thickness or other normalization basis
- 14
Temperature-to-result relationship, peak or curve evidence role and original report reference without a preset condition
- 15
Specimen age, storage, conditioning, printing, coating, lamination and other conversion history
- 16
Buyer requirement, supplier specification, TDS, sample report, lot COA and independent report kept in separate evidence roles
- 17
Buyer comparator, tolerance, rounding or uncertainty treatment, retest, concession and lot-disposition owner
- 18
Sample, trial roll, first commercial order, repeat-order and material, process or document change-control gates
06 EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
Current standards organize separate evidence; they do not create a shrink-film claim
ASTM D2732-14(2025) is active and its public scope covers unrestrained linear thermal shrinkage of plastic film and sheeting at given specimen temperatures. ASTM states that D2732 and ISO 11501 address the same subject matter but differ in technical content. ISO 11501:1995 is published, was reviewed and confirmed in 2025, and remains current for longitudinal and transverse dimensional change on heating. ASTM D2838-18(2026) is active and its public scope covers shrink tension, shrink force and orientation release stress, with separate fully restrained and permitted-shrink-before-restraint routes; ASTM lists no known ISO equivalent. ISO 14616:1997 is published, was reviewed and confirmed in 2022, and remains current only for heatshrinkable films of polyethylene, ethylene copolymers and their mixtures. It must not be expanded to PET, PVC, POF or every heat-shrink film and must not be presented as equivalent to ASTM D2838. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 applies from 12 August 2026 but does not define these test methods; packaging sustainability and Design for Recycling remain a separate decision. This page reproduces no paid apparatus description, specimen dimension, conditioning step, heating medium, temperature, time, restraint setting, calculation, formula, threshold or acceptance value. It establishes no LayerSource heat-shrink film, PE, PET, PVC, POF, manufacturing, converting, tunnel, testing, laboratory, equipment, certification, compliance, material, performance, package-protection or supply capability or result. The buyer, supplier, converter, laboratory and technical owner must approve the current licensed method, applicability, conditions, criteria and disposition.
07 BUYER QUESTIONS
Resolve the assumptions that make quotes diverge.
01Is free-shrink percentage the same as shrink force?+
No. Free shrink is an unrestrained dimensional-change result. Shrink force, shrink tension and shrink stress are load-related outputs under a defined restraint basis. Keep each in a separate method-bound row.
02Are ASTM D2732 and ISO 11501 equivalent?+
No. ASTM says they address the same subject matter but differ in technical content. Do not merge, convert or directly compare their results without a controlled technical basis approved by the responsible parties.
03Is ISO 14616 equivalent to ASTM D2838?+
No. ASTM D2838 lists no known ISO equivalent. ISO 14616 has its own PE-family material scope and terminology, so the selected method, applicability and output must remain explicit.
04Can ISO 14616 be used as evidence for PET, PVC or POF film?+
Its published title limits the standard to heatshrinkable films of polyethylene, ethylene copolymers and their mixtures. Applicability to a different material must not be assumed from a similar shrink-film application.
05Does ASTM D2838 shrink tension replace a film tensile test?+
No. Heat-triggered shrink-force or stress evidence and tensile properties under ASTM D882 or ISO 527-3 answer different questions and retain separate specimens, methods, conditions and outputs.
06Can a TDS or one sample report release every commercial roll?+
No. Keep requirements, specifications, typical values, sample reports and lot results in separate evidence roles, then define trial, first-order, repeat-order and change-control gates.
07Does a shrink test prove package protection or EU compliance?+
No. The identified package needs its own representative validation, while applicable legal and Design for Recycling questions require separate current evidence and responsible review.