BOPP Film Data Sheet: Properties and Specifications
This bopp film data sheet provides reference data for tape-grade biaxially oriented polypropylene backing before adhesive coating. It covers gauge, MD/TD tensile behavior, elongation, COF, wetting tension, haze, gloss, and thermal shrinkage, while separating film properties from finished-tape tests. Published values are screening references; representative coating trials should confirm the selected grade and process conditions.
Start With the Film, Not the Finished Tape
Tape-grade BOPP is the backing or substrate. Biaxial orientation creates different MD and TD behavior, while corona treatment prepares the coating surface. Gauge, tensile strength, elongation, COF, haze, gloss, wetting tension, and thermal shrinkage are film-level properties. Once adhesive is coated and the film is slit into finished rolls, use the finished packing tape tensile test to evaluate breaking force under tape-specific conditions.
Once pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied, the material becomes a different test object; converter-scale coated formats are covered separately under the BOPP tape jumbo roll range.
The Reference Window Before Coating
The values below are published tape-film references, not guaranteed limits. Project acceptance requires an agreed grade, method, and lot-specific result.
Item | Typical Value / Reference Range | Test Method or Condition | Notes |
Film thickness | 23 / 25 / 28 / 30 um; another series: 25-60 um | ISO 4593 / gauge method | Confirm grade/profile |
Thickness variation | Published: +/-3.0% and +/-2.5% | Cross-web profile | Check local bands |
Density | 0.90-0.91 g/cm3 | ASTM D1505 / equivalent | Yield reference |
Tensile strength | MD 160 MPa; TD 305 MPa | ASTM D882 | State direction |
Elongation at break | MD 150-170%; TD 50-65% | ASTM D882 | Read with tensile |
Coefficient of friction | 0.4 | ASTM D1894 | State COF type/surfaces |
Haze | 1.2% clear-film example | ASTM D1003 | Compare like grades |
Gloss | 94 | ASTM D2457 | State angle |
Wetting tension | 38-39 dyn/cm | ASTM D2578 | Re-check after storage |
Thermal shrinkage | MD 2.5-3.5%; TD 0.5-1.0% | ASTM D1204; same heat/time | Match test condition |
Do Not Compare Two Values Until These Conditions Match
A standard number alone does not make results comparable. Record direction, tested surface, conditioning, specimen setup, and relevant temperature or time.
Test Item | What It Checks | Suggested Method or Reference | Why It Matters | When To Request It |
Thickness profile | Gauge uniformity | ISO 4593 / profile method | Coating/roll build | New grade or coat variation |
Tensile / elongation | MD/TD response | ASTM D882 | Break/stretch behavior | Gauge/speed change or breaks |
COF | Surface friction | ASTM D1894 | Web transport/winding | Tracking, drag, unwind issues |
Wetting tension | Treated-face condition | ASTM D2578 | Coating readiness | Before coating / after storage |
Haze / gloss | Optical appearance | ASTM D1003 / D2457 | Clear-film comparison | Appearance-sensitive tape |
Thermal shrinkage | Heat dimensional change | ASTM D1204 | Curl/distortion risk | Heated coating/exposure |
Three Relationships That Explain Most Converting Problems
Gauge profile vs coating uniformity. Nominal thickness can hide cross-web bands that disturb coating, roll build, slitting, or line tension.
Surface treatment vs adhesive anchorage. Corona treatment and wetting tension describe surface condition, not adhesive anchorage by themselves; adhesive chemistry, coating condition, and storage history also matter.
MD/TD balance vs web behavior. Read MD/TD tensile with elongation because orientation balance affects acceleration, rewinding, cutting, and tension changes.
What the Film Data Cannot Predict
Peel, tack, holding power, shear, total tape thickness, residue, removal, and service-temperature behavior belong to the complete tape construction. Use the BOPP packing tape technical specifications for those controls instead of converting bare-film data into an adhesion claim.
When a hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive is used, the Hot Melt BOPP Tape Data Sheet should carry adhesive-specific tack, peel, shear, and exposure data.
A Coating Trial Should Answer Five Questions
Use representative film, the intended adhesive and coat weight, and realistic drying, web-tension, and converting settings. The trial should answer five questions:
- Did the adhesive wet the treated face evenly?
- Did the web remain stable without curl, wrinkles, or breaks?
- Did slitting reveal edge damage, gauge bands, or poor roll build?
- Did the coated sample remain clear and free of bubbles or distortion?
- After 24 h, 72 h, and, where relevant, 7 days, were edge lifting, adhesive trace, surface shadow, gloss change, or film tearing observed?
For carton-sealing trials, use the actual or representative board; the clear carton sealing tape range provides the finished-format context. When gauge or line settings change, review the site’s coating, slitting, and rewinding controls as process context for the trial.
Failure Clues Before Rejecting a Film Lot
Data Point | If Too Low | If Too High | Risk in Application | Check Before Full Use |
Film thickness / profile | Thin bands / lower margin | Heavy bands / stiffness | Breaks, uneven coat, poor roll build | Profile + trial run |
Wetting tension | Poor wetting risk | High value is not bond proof | Coating or anchorage variation | Treated face + coated sample |
Tensile / elongation | Early break | Excess stretch/stiffness imbalance | Web or cutting instability | MD/TD + line trial |
COF | Excess slip | Excess drag | Tracking/blocking/winding issues | COF on stated surfaces |
Thermal shrinkage | Low movement usually favorable | Greater movement | Curl, wrinkles, distortion | Matched heat/time test |
A Stored Roll Is Not Necessarily the Same Starting Surface
Keep film clean, dry, shaded, and protected from heat, moisture, compression, and packaging damage. Corona-treated surfaces can lose wetting tension during storage, so re-check the treated face when storage history is long or uncertain. Base project decisions on the tested grade and actual sample condition.
FAQ
How should I read a bopp film data sheet?
Check the property, unit, MD/TD direction or surface, method, and test condition. Keep film data separate from finished-tape adhesion results.
Why should COF identify the tested film surfaces?
COF is a surface interaction; identify the contacting faces and whether the value is static or kinetic.
Why must thermal shrinkage include temperature and time?
Shrinkage depends on exposure condition, so values from different temperatures or dwell times are not directly equivalent.
When should corona treatment be re-checked?
Re-check wetting tension after prolonged or uncertain storage, or when coating shows unexpected wetting or anchorage variation.