Film calculators descriptions and links

There are many types of films used in the decorative surfacing industry and even more applications. Films common to this industry are:

• Vinyl (rigid or semi-rigid), polypropylene & OPP (Oriented Polypropylene), acrylic and more.

Thickness of the films can range from under 2 mils / 50 µm to over 25 mils / 635 µm depending on the application and the manufacturing process. Here are a few of the ways to manufacture film:

• Calendered - the film goes through a series of heated rollers achieve the correct thickness and finish.
• Extruded - forced or pushed through a thin slot to achieve the correct thickness.
• Oriented - The film is stretched length wise and width wise to achieve greater dimensional stability.
• Single or Multiple ply (sandwiched films - the layers can vary in thickness and chemistry depending on the desired physical properties)

Films can be solid or printed with various designs. The designs can be printed on the top surface or reverse printed (the back) or be printed between the two layers of a sandwiched film. Physical embossing and topcoats can be applied for extra durability and aesthetic enhancement.

Substrates range from composite panels (particleboard & MDF), gypsum, fiber backing, ABS & PVC rigid panel or metal depending on the application. Depending on the film type it can be thermal formed (membrane pressed), roll laminated or profile wrapped continuously using a variety of adhesives.

Common uses of film are flooring, kitchen cabinets doors and interiors, bathroom vanities, shower wall liners, store fixtures, wall systems & paneling, shelving, closet systems, RTA, home office furniture, picture frames, wrapped moldings and reflective markings.

Film is generally sold by length (linear meter or linear yard) or area (square feet or square meters). The following calculators were created to make these conversions easy and flexible, allowing mixed entries between metric and imperial values. Click on the blue title bar to navigate to the desired calculator.