Catering packaging: table roll, cling film and bags
Catering and restaurants consume four items: disposable table roll, food stretch wrap, freezer bags and nylon bags. Selection guide and factory-direct supply.
By Alireza Ahmadi, Production line specialist
Catering and restaurants typically consume four films: a disposable tablecloth roll in 50 or 60 cm widths for tables and events, 10-micron food stretch wrap for covering trays and containers, 30-micron freezer bags for storing ingredients, and nylon (LDPE) bags for packing and carrying orders. Each is a separate product and none replaces another.
Buy these four separately, because each one is made for a different job. The disposable tablecloth is polyethylene supplied as a roll with a perforation line, so you set the length of every cloth at your own table; it comes plain or with a custom print of up to 10 colours. Food stretch wrap is a clear 10-micron film in 30 and 40 cm widths that clings to the rim of a container, and it is not the same as 23-micron pallet stretch, which is not supplied for food contact. Freezer bags are 30 microns, in four stocked sizes from 18×25 to 30×40 cm, on rolls or in packs, and they stay soft in freezer cold where an ordinary nylon bag turns brittle. Nylon bags are made from LDPE 2420 granules at 60 to 80 microns and cut to any size. Food stretch wrap and freezer bags are made from food-contact-safe material; state any other food use when you order.
What films do caterers and restaurants use?
| Item | Where it is used | Published specification |
|---|---|---|
| Disposable tablecloth (roll) | Event tables, service, tray covering | Polyethylene, 50 or 60 cm wide, perforation line, plain or printed up to 10 colours |
| Food stretch wrap | Covering trays, containers, dough and prepared food | 10 microns, 30 or 40 cm wide, 500 m and 1000 m rolls |
| Freezer bags | Storing ingredients, portioning | 30 microns, 18×25, 20×30, 20×35 and 30×40 cm, on rolls or in packs |
| Nylon (LDPE) bags | Packing and carrying orders | LDPE 2420, 60 to 80 microns, any size, plain or handled |
Each product page carries the full specification and how to order: disposable tablecloth, food stretch wrap, freezer bags and nylon bags.
Is a tablecloth roll better than pre-cut sheets?
For catering, a roll with a perforation line is almost always the economical choice: a table for two and a table for twenty come off the same roll, each cloth is torn off to length on site, waste stays low and the roll takes less storage space. Pre-cut sheets only make sense when every table is the same size and speed of laying matters more than a little waste. Choose the width from your widest common table plus the drop on both sides; two widths are made, 50 and 60 cm.
Where the tablecloth is part of how a hall or restaurant presents its tables, a logo or pattern is printed on the same roll in up to 10 colours. One plate is made per colour and paid for once, and a printed sample is approved before the bulk run; the order path and minimum run are on the printing page.
How does food stretch wrap differ from pallet stretch, and which width fits?
Both are called "stretch" in the trade and they are separate products. Food stretch wrap is a clear 10-micron film that clings to the smooth surface of a container and keeps air and odours away from food. Pallet stretch is 23 microns, made to restrain a load on a pallet, and is not supplied for food contact. Say "food stretch" when you order, not just "stretch". How stretch differs from shrink film, which contracts with heat, is covered in shrink vs stretch.
- 30 cm for everyday dishes and containers, 40 cm for trays and baskets; the width must exceed your largest common container so the film comes down over the rim and clings to it.
- 1000 m rolls for restaurants and caterers covering many trays a day, 500 m rolls for lighter use.
- Food stretch wrap is not custom-printed.
What freezer bags suit a catering kitchen?
Navid freezer bags are 30 microns, in four stocked sizes, 18×25, 20×30, 20×35 and 30×40 cm, on rolls or in packs. The difference from an ordinary nylon bag is the raw material: an ordinary bag goes brittle in freezer cold and cracks on impact, and that does not show on the day you buy it but when the pack comes out of the freezer. Pick the size from your usual portion, and allow for meat and chicken with bone edges pressing on the film harder than chopped vegetables. They are sold by the kilo, and the number of bags per kilo changes with the size.
How should nylon bags for packing orders be chosen?
Nylon bags are extruded from LDPE 2420 granules on Navid's own line, 60 to 80 microns thick, from rolls 3 to 120 cm wide, in any length you order; plain or handled, clear or coloured. To order, give three things: the bag's width and length, or a sample of the bag you use now; the heaviest order that goes inside, so a thickness can be proposed; and plain or handled. More thickness than the load needs makes each bag heavier and gives fewer bags per kilo; less than it needs shows up as a tear on the first heavy load.
What does film for direct food contact require?
Film that touches food directly has to be made from raw material permitted for food contact, and a word on a website does not prove that; the grade of the raw material and a test report do. What Navid publishes: food stretch wrap and freezer bags are made from food-contact-safe material, and nylon bags from LDPE 2420 granules. No food-contact certificate or test report is published on this site. So for any order that touches food directly, state the use at the start of your enquiry so the raw material is chosen for it, and if your product file needs a document, ask for that too and you will be told what exists for that film. The decision is made before production and cannot be corrected after it.
How do I order a caterer's monthly supply?
- 1List the items with monthly quantities: tablecloth rolls, and kilos of food stretch wrap, freezer bags and nylon bags.
- 2Give the key specification of each: tablecloth width, stretch roll width and length, freezer bag size, nylon bag dimensions and thickness.
- 3For a printed tablecloth or bag, send the vector artwork and the colour count.
- 4State the food use of each item so its raw material is chosen for it.
- 5Name the destination for delivery.
Send your monthly list, the specification of each item and its food use, and we will quote that list with delivery terms.
Request a catering quoteDo you sell the tablecloth on the roll or pre-cut?
On the roll, with a perforation line, in two widths, 50 and 60 cm. Each cloth is torn off to the length your table needs.
What is the difference between food stretch and pallet stretch?
Food stretch is a clear 10-micron film for covering containers and trays; pallet stretch is 23 microns, restrains loads on a pallet and is not supplied for food contact. They are separate products.
Is your film suitable for food contact?
Food stretch wrap and freezer bags are made from food-contact-safe material. State the food use when you order so the raw material is chosen for it, and ask for a document if you need one; no food-contact certificate is published on this site.
What sizes do the freezer bags come in?
Four stocked sizes, 18×25, 20×30, 20×35 and 30×40 cm, at 30 microns, on rolls or in packs. They are sold by the kilo and the number of bags per kilo depends on the size.
