A pallet strapping edge protector is a kraft paper angle board fitted under the band so the strap presses on paper instead of on the carton corner. That is the whole job, and it is worth being precise about why it fails without one: a 19 mm PET strap pulled to 400 kg of tension contacts the carton along a line roughly 2 mm wide, which puts the load on a strip of board small enough to crush before the pallet reaches the dock.

The failure mode, in numbers

Three things happen in sequence when a strap is tensioned on an unprotected corner. The carton flute collapses under the contact line. The strap then beds into the collapsed flute, losing tension. On a two-day sea leg the load settles, the strap goes slack, and the pallet arrives with banding hanging loose and a crushed corner that a receiver will photograph and claim against.

An angle board changes the contact geometry. A 50 mm leg spreads the same tension across 25 times the contact width, and the paper does not collapse the way a flute does. The strap keeps its tension because it is no longer cutting its own seat.

Matching the board to the strap, not to the carton

• PP strapping, hand tensioned: 2.5-3 mm wall is enough. PP stretches, so the strap itself absorbs some of the settling.
• PET strapping, machine tensioned: 3.5-4 mm. PET holds tension far better than PP, which means the corner carries more load for longer.
• Steel banding: 4.5-5 mm, and a leg of at least 50 mm. Steel does not stretch, so every bit of settling transfers to the corner.

Leg length matters as much as wall thickness on a pallet. The board should run from 20 mm below the top carton to 20-50 mm above the pallet deck, so the strap crosses paper for its whole vertical run rather than sitting half on paper and half on bare board.

Two straps or four: what changes

A two-strap pallet puts the entire vertical load path through two corners. Those corners need the thicker wall, and they need the boards to be cut to the full height of the load. A four-strap pallet distributes the same tension across four contact points, so a lighter wall is usually adequate — but the boards must be positioned so each strap lands on a board, not between two of them, which is the most common specification error we see on a packing line.

What it costs per pallet

The material cost of edge protection is small compared with the cost of one rejected pallet. At a 1,200 mm load height, two boards per corner and four corners consume roughly 9.6 metres of profile per pallet. Buyers normally compare that against the claim rate, not against the unit price, which is why the specification tends to stay in place once a claim has been paid.

Applying it without slowing the line

The board is fitted by hand before the strap is run: slide it over the corner, hold it with the strap as the tensioner pulls, and the friction of the folded profile keeps it in place. Nothing is glued and nothing is taped. On a line running 60 pallets an hour, that is a two-second operation per corner, which is why paper is preferred over wrapped foam systems that need a dispenser.

Questions buyers ask

Can one board protect two straps? Yes, if the leg is long enough to cover both contact points with paper above and below each. On a 1,200 mm load with straps at 300 mm and 900 mm, one full-height board per corner covers both.

Does the board need to be wider than the strap? The strap should sit at least 10 mm inside the board edge on each side. A 19 mm strap on a 50 mm leg leaves 15 mm either side, which is comfortable.

What happens if the pallet is stretch wrapped afterwards? Nothing — the film goes over the board and the board stays where the strap put it. Film alone will not hold an angle board in place on a corner, which is why strapping is the normal fixing method.

Is paper strong enough for a one-tonne pallet? At 4-5 mm wall with a 50 mm leg, yes, for cartons and panel bundles. Above that, the limiting factor is usually the carton, not the board.

What is the minimum order? 3,000 metres, which is roughly 1,250 full-height boards at a 1,200 mm cut.

Send the strap type, the load height and the number of straps per pallet, and we return a specification and a price per pallet. Email mona@hengnicepacking.com.