Fabric Knowledge
How a Roll Survives the Container
Eight layers between the fabric and the container floor, from a 76 mm core to hollow end caps. What each layer does, and what actually damages a roll in transit.
A roll of coated fabric leaves the plant flat and arrives with two soft spots where something heavy rested on it, or with a crushed end where a forklift made contact. Both are packaging failures, and both are invisible on the invoice.
Packaging is the question buyers ask most often and get the vaguest answers to. "Strong export packing" is not an answer. The useful version names the layers, the dimensions, the loads each layer is meant to take, and what happens at the two ends of the roll, because the ends are where most damage starts.
This article sets out our own roll build in full: eight layers from the core outwards, with dimensions and weights, and the reason for each one. It also covers the four ways a roll is actually damaged between the winder and the customer's bench, and why a container fills by volume rather than by weight.
Key takeaways
- A roll has four failure modes in transit: compression, axial movement, abrasion, and moisture. Each layer of the pack targets one of them.
- The core is the most important part of the pack. A rigid inner tube holds the roll cylindrical; a foam layer between tube and fabric removes the hard-core impression that becomes a permanent pressure mark.
- The two tubes do different jobs. The inner tube holds shape; the outer tube (240 mm bore, 5 mm wall) takes stacking load that would otherwise reach the fabric.
- The ends are the weak point. Hollow end caps do three things: act as a handling grip, protect the end face, and stop the roll sliding inside the tube and rubbing its own surface.
- Loads are calculated by volume, not weight. A 20-foot container takes roughly 22,000 m² and a 40-foot roughly 35,000 m², which at 544 g/m² is only about 12.0 and 19.0 tonnes — well inside the weight limit.
What this article is based on
One primary source: our packing specification (
Packing Details, Orenda), which defines the roll build layer by layer, including dimensions, component weights and the stated purpose of each step. It is an internal production document, not a published standard.It is worth being clear about what that means. The document tells you how we build a roll and why. It does not prove that a roll will survive any particular journey. That depends on the container, the stowage, the route and the handling at the destination — variables no supplier controls. Where this article reasons about a failure mode rather than quoting the document, it says so.
What actually damages a roll
Four mechanisms account for almost all transit damage to rolled fabric. They are worth naming separately because each needs a different countermeasure, and a pack that is good against one can be useless against another.
Failure mode | What happens, and the countermeasure |
|---|---|
Compression | The roll is loaded on its side or under other cargo; the innermost layers deform. Rigid core, foam interface, outer tube |
Axial movement | The roll slides inside its tube or against a neighbour; the face abrades. End caps that locate the roll, machine tightening |
Abrasion | Fabric rubs against packaging or itself as the container flexes. Stretch film, outer sheeting, tight winding |
Moisture | Condensation inside the container; damp packaging transfers to the fabric. Sealed film and outer sheeting, double layer |
The compression row is the one that produces the complaint most often described as "the fabric has flat spots". A flat spot is not a coating defect. It is the fabric taking a permanent set where a point load sat on it for weeks, usually because the load path went through the roll rather than around it.
The build, layer by layer
From the core outwards:
Layer | Specification and purpose |
|---|---|
1. Inner paper tube | 76 mm bore, 6 mm wall; ~2.9 kg at 2.5 m, ~3.7 kg at 3.1 m. Rigid support; keeps the roll cylindrical; fixes the start of the wind so it cannot slip |
2. EPE foam layer | Wrapped over the inner tube before winding. Removes the hard-core impression; lowers the bend radius of the first layers; isolates and cushions |
3. Defect marking | Red mark at each defect during production. Locates defects so downstream cutting can avoid them; makes the grade auditable |
4. Machine tightening | Roll tightened after winding. Removes internal gaps; gives even tension through the roll; prevents collapse and rub |
5. Stretch film | Full wrap. Dust and moisture barrier; holds the roll from loosening; surface protection |
6. Outer plastic sheeting | Second full wrap. Second moisture barrier; protects the film and the fabric; keeps the pack together; carries the label |
7. Outer paper tube | 240 mm bore, 5 mm wall; ~9 kg at 3.2 m, ~7.6 kg at 2.6 m. Takes stacking and impact load; protects edges; stops the roll moving in transit |
8. Hollow end caps | ~0.2 kg each. Handling grip; end-face protection; axial location |
Two details in that table are easy to miss and matter more than they look.
Layer 2 is a foam tube, not a foam sheet. It goes on before the fabric, so the first turn of fabric never touches paper. The specification's stated purpose is to prevent permanent pressure marks on the innermost layer — which is exactly where compression damage concentrates, because the innermost layer has the smallest radius and the highest pressure per unit area.
Layer 4 is a process step, not a component. Machine tightening removes the air gaps that let a roll shift internally. A loosely wound roll can look perfect at the plant and arrive with surface rub marks, because the layers moved against each other. Tightening is what makes the rest of the pack work.
Why the core decides whether the roll arrives flat
Think about where the load goes. A roll standing on its end transmits load through the tube. A roll lying on its side transmits load through the outer wrap and, if the pack deflects, into the fabric. The core's job is to make the second case behave like the first: if the tube is rigid, the roll keeps its circular section and the load path stays in the packaging.
That is why the specification uses two tubes rather than one thicker one. The inner tube (6 mm wall) defines the geometry of the wound roll. The outer tube (5 mm wall, 240 mm bore) defines the geometry of the package. Between them is the fabric, protected on both sides. A single tube would have to do both jobs, and it would be either too heavy or too soft.
The arithmetic is worth doing once. A 3.2 m roll with a 240 mm outer tube occupies about 0.145 m³ of envelope. If that roll is 50 m of 3.2 m fabric, it holds 160 m². At 544 g/m² the fabric weighs about 87 kg, and the packaging adds roughly 12 kg. So the pack is around 12% of the gross weight — which is why the outer tube can be 5 mm and still be enough, as long as the load is spread along its length rather than applied at one point.
The ends are where damage starts
Every roll has two vulnerable faces: the end faces, where the fabric edge is exposed and unsupported. Three things go wrong there.
Impact. A forklift tine or the edge of another roll dents the end. The dent propagates inwards as a crease across the width — the pressure crease described in our article on bands and creases.
Sliding. If the roll can move axially inside the tube, it will, every time the container brakes or the sea state changes. The fabric then rubs against the inside of the tube and produces a ring of abrasion near one end.
Handling damage. A bare roll is hard to lift, so it gets dragged. A hollow end cap gives the handler somewhere to hook or grip, which reduces dragging more effectively than any instruction on the packing list.
Our end caps address all three: the hollow centre is a grip, the cap face protects the fabric edge, and the cap limits axial travel. The component weighs about 200 g. It is the cheapest layer in the pack and it prevents the most visible class of damage.
What the label carries, and why it matters for a claim
Layer 7 carries the label. In our process the label records the roll's information for traceability, distinguishes batch and specification to prevent mixed shipments, and lets the next process step identify the roll without unwrapping it.
For a buyer, the label is the difference between a claim that can be processed and one that cannot. A roll that cannot be traced to a batch, a coating run and an inspection record cannot be investigated; it can only be replaced. If a delivery arrives with a damaged roll, the first thing to photograph is the label, not the damage.
It is also worth checking that the label survives the journey. A label applied under the outer plastic sheeting that is unreadable on arrival is a traceability failure even if the fabric is perfect.
Loading: volume fills the container before weight does
Coated fibreglass is dense compared with most textiles, but a container of it is still volume-limited, not weight-limited.
Container | Approximate load, and calculated fabric weight |
|---|---|
20 ft | ~22,000 m²; ~12.0 t at 544 g/m² |
40 ft | ~35,000 m²; ~19.0 t at 544 g/m² |
A 20-foot container has a payload of roughly 28 tonnes, so 11.7 tonnes of fabric leaves a lot of headroom. The constraint is the 240 mm envelope of each roll and how efficiently cylinders stack. That has two consequences for a buyer.
First, the width and roll-length mix changes the load, not just the tonnage. A container filled with narrow rolls carries less area per cubic metre than one filled with wide rolls, because more of the volume is tube. If a quote is per square metre and the mix changes, the freight per square metre changes with it.
Second, the loading figure is an estimate, not a capacity. We quote it as approximately, and it assumes a normal mix. A project that specifies one unusual roll length will not hit it.
Our take
Packaging is the cheapest part of the order and the part that decides whether the customer's first impression is a flat roll or a claim. The eight layers in our specification cost a small fraction of the fabric value, and four of them exist solely to stop the two failure modes that produce visible complaints: compression marks and end damage.
The part buyers should ask about is not the number of layers but the two dimensions: the core bore and the outer tube bore. Those two numbers tell you whether the pack is designed around a load path or around a habit. A 76 mm core inside a 240 mm tube means the fabric sits in a defined annulus with foam on the inside and board on the outside. That is a design, and it can be checked on arrival with a tape measure.
Three things to check on the next delivery
- Measure the core and the outer tube. 76 mm bore inside, 240 mm outside. If the outer tube is missing, the roll is relying on the fabric to carry stacking load.
- Photograph the label before opening anything. Traceability starts with the label, and a claim without a batch reference cannot be investigated.
- Look at the end faces first. End damage is visible without unwinding, and it predicts where the creases will be.
Sources
- [S1] Orenda packing specification, Packing Details — eight-layer roll build, tube dimensions and weights, EPE layer, defect marking, machine tightening, stretch film, outer sheeting, end caps, loading estimates. Internal document, 2026.
No third-party data is used in this article.
What we do not claim
- We do not claim that a packed roll is immune to transit damage. Stowage, route and handling at destination are outside our control.
- The loading figures are approximate and assume a normal width and roll-length mix. They are not a guaranteed capacity.
- We do not state a warranty term, a replacement policy or a freight term in this article.
- Calculated weights use 544 g/m², the published figure for both the 3% and 5% series.
- We do not name or compare any other manufacturer's packaging.
Data notes
Figure | Value · source · type |
|---|---|
Inner tube | 76 mm bore, 6 mm wall — [S1], stated |
Inner tube weight | ~2.9 kg at 2.5 m; ~3.7 kg at 3.1 m — [S1], stated |
Outer tube | 240 mm bore, 5 mm wall — [S1], stated |
Outer tube weight | ~9 kg at 3.2 m; ~7.6 kg at 2.6 m — [S1], stated |
End cap | ~0.2 kg each — [S1], stated |
Roll width | 2.0–3.2 m — [S1], stated |
Roll length | 30–50 m — [S1], stated |
20 ft load | ~22,000 m² — [S1], stated estimate |
40 ft load | ~35,000 m² — [S1], stated estimate |
Weight at 20 ft | ~12.0 t — calculated, 22,000 × 0.544 kg |
Weight at 40 ft | ~19.0 t — calculated, 35,000 × 0.544 kg |
Volume per 3.2 m roll | ~0.145 m³ — calculated, π × 0.12² × 3.2 |
Packaging share of gross weight | ~12% — calculated, (87 + 12) kg example |
