Key Takeaways
Flow wrap and shrink wrap both wrap products in film, but they do different jobs. A flow wrapper forms a continuous tube of film around each product, seals it along its length and at both ends, and cuts it into a sealed pillow pack at high speed, with no heat tunnel; it suits individual retail products such as biscuits, chocolate bars, bakery items and soap. A shrink wrapper encloses a product or a group of products in film and passes it through a heat tunnel so the film shrinks tight; it suits multipacks, cartons, bottles and anything that needs tamper evidence or protection in transport. Choose flow wrap for single items at speed, and shrink wrap for bundling and secondary packaging.
If your products need individual, high-speed retail packs, start with the flow wrap packaging machine.
The difference is how the film is closed around the product. A flow wrapper takes film from a roll, forms it into a tube around each product as it moves along, seals it along its length and at both ends with crimp jaws, and cuts it into a finished pillow pack, all in one continuous motion and without a heat tunnel. A shrink wrapper encloses the product, or a group of products, in shrink film, seals it, and then passes it through a heat tunnel so the film contracts tightly around it. Flow wrap makes a sealed primary pack; shrink wrap makes a fitted, tamper-evident wrap that is usually secondary packaging.
The table compares the two feature by feature.
| Feature | Flow wrap | Shrink wrap |
|---|---|---|
| How it wraps | Film formed into a tube around each product, sealed along the length and at both ends | Product enclosed in film, sealed, then shrunk tight in a heat tunnel |
| Heat tunnel | Not needed | Needed |
| Finished pack | Sealed pillow pack | Tight, fitted film around the product or group |
| Typical use | Primary retail packs of single items | Multipacks, cartons, bottles and transport packs |
| Speed | High-speed, continuous | Up to 25 packs/min on our range |
| Branding | Printed film carries the full pack design | Clear film shows the product; printed film optional |
| Automation | Continuous, automatic | Manual, semi-automatic or automatic |
| Upfront investment | Higher | Lower for entry-level machines |
Flow wrap is used for individual products that need a sealed, printable retail pack at speed: bakery products, biscuits and cookies, chocolate and confectionery bars, snack bars, soap, cosmetics, medical devices, stationery and small hardware items. The printed film carries the whole pack design, and with suitable films the sealed pack helps protect food from contamination. See the flow wrap packaging machine. Flow wrappers and HFFS pouch machines are compared in flow wrap machines vs horizontal form fill seal.
Shrink wrap is used where products need grouping, tamper evidence or protection in transport: beverage multipacks, bottles and cans, cartons, pharmaceutical cartons, printed products, promotional bundles, household goods and industrial products. Single items and small multipacks run on an L-bar sealer, and bottle and carton bundles on a sleeve sealer. Multipacks are covered in how multipacks and promotional packs are shrink wrapped.
Flow wrap is faster for single items. A flow wrapper runs continuously and wraps individual products at high speed, depending on the product and machine configuration. Shrink wrap machines in our range are rated at up to 25 packs a minute, but each pack is often a multipack of several products, so the two are built for different jobs rather than competing on the same one.
Yes, and many do. A flow wrapper makes the individual retail pack, such as a wrapped biscuit or chocolate bar, and a shrink wrapper then groups those packs into multipacks or transport bundles. Choosing between them comes down to whether you are making the primary pack or the secondary pack.
Choose flow wrap for individual products that need a sealed, printed retail pack at speed, and shrink wrap for multipacks, bundles, tamper evidence and transport protection. Send us your product and pack, and we will recommend the machine. See the flow wrap packaging machine, compare the four shrink wrap machines on the shrink wrap machines page, or read how to choose a shrink wrap machine.
They are related but not the same machine. A flow wrapper forms a pillow pack around each product; horizontal form fill seal (HFFS) machines usually form, fill and seal pouches. The difference is explained in flow wrap machines vs horizontal form fill seal.
No. A flow wrapper seals the film with heated crimp jaws as the product moves through, so there is no shrink tunnel. Shrink wrapping always needs heat to shrink the film, usually from a tunnel.
Shrink wrap usually costs less upfront, particularly for bundling and transport packaging. A flow wrapper is a larger investment but pays back on high-volume lines of individual retail packs.
Send us your product and the pack you want, and we will recommend the flow wrap or shrink wrap machine that suits it, with installation by our own technicians, a one-year warranty, CE marking on request and spares held in Johannesburg. You can also send samples for a trial at our Johannesburg showroom.
