On a silage bale the net is not the outer layer, the film is, and that changes what the net has to do at the other end of the process. When the bale is opened the operator is dealing with film and net together, and if the two come away separately the job takes longer and leaves pieces of net in the pit. This net is specified to release with the film as a single unit, which is a small property that shows up as time saved on every bale opened. The rest of the specification is conventional: 100 per cent new HDPE with UV stabiliser, warp knitted at 8.33 or 10 gsm with 35 to 55 N tension.
Netting a silage bale is only half the job; the bale then gets wrapped in film, and at feeding time somebody has to get both layers off. How those two layers come apart is decided by the net, and it is one of the few places where a small specification detail translates directly into minutes on a feeding day.
The net is designed so that it comes away together with the stretch film as a single unit when the bale is opened. That matters because the alternative is the operator pulling the film back, then picking the net off separately, then clearing the strips that came off in pieces. None of that is difficult, but it is repeated on every bale, and on a farm opening several bales a day it is the kind of task that ends up being done in a hurry and leaving net in the pit. Releasing as one unit is also what keeps the forage clean, which is the same requirement from the feed side.
The net is used on silage bales where it sits under film, and on hay and straw bales where it is the outer layer. In the first case the release behaviour matters most; in the second the UV stability does, because a hay bale may sit in a stack through a summer. Widths from 1 m to 1.7 m and roll lengths from 2000 m to 3000 m cover the round baler sizes used in North America, Japan and Europe. More on how netting fits into a bale handling setup is covered under bale net wrap, alongside the shade net and planting bag ranges that go to the same farms.
| Material | 100% new HDPE with UV stabiliser, warp knitted |
| Net weight | 8.33 g/m2 or 10 g/m2 |
| Net width | 1 m, 1.22 m, 1.23 m, 1.62 m, 1.7 m, or to your requirement |
| Roll length | 2000 m, 2134 m, 2500 m, 3000 m, or to your requirement |
| Tension | 35 to 55 N across the two weights |
| Removal | Comes away with the film as one unit at feedout |
| Packing | Rolls on cardboard tubes, 16 or 12 rolls per pallet |
| MOQ | 2 tons |
The yarn is HDPE with a UV stabiliser added, which decides whether a netted hay bale survives a summer stack. Without it the mesh goes brittle at the folds first, and the fold lines are where the net is under the most strain, so the failure starts at the edge of the bale and works in. Tension across the range runs from 35 to 55 N depending on weight: the lighter 8.33 gsm net suits bales that are going straight into film, and the 10 gsm net is the one for bales stored outdoors or stacked high.
Widths run from 1 m to 1.7 m and roll lengths from 2000 m to 3000 m, with the narrower Japanese sizes and the 3600 m European rolls made to order. Rolls are packed on cardboard tubes, 16 or 12 to a pallet, and a 20 ft container takes around 190 to 210 rolls against 490 to 510 in a 40 ft high cube; capacity is 400 tons a month and delivery is about 15 days from deposit, on T/T or L/C. Tell us whether the bales go into film or stay as the outer layer, the width and the annual volume, and we will confirm the weight. Buyers tracking what is going into silage and hay operations can follow trade coverage such as HortiDaily and FreshPlaza for what growers are installing.
Does the net come off with the film?
It is specified to release as a single unit with the stretch film, which saves time at feedout and keeps net out of the pit. Tell us how the bales are stored and opened.
Will it last a season in the sun?
The yarn carries a UV stabiliser, which is what stops the mesh going brittle at the folds on bales left outdoors. Tell us the storage period and we will advise on the weight.
Which weight for a bale going into film?
The lighter 8.33 gsm net is specified for bales wrapped in film immediately; the 10 gsm net is for bales that stay outdoors or are stacked high. Tell us the crop and the storage.
Tell us whether the bales go into film or stay as the outer layer, the width and the annual volume, and we will confirm the specification, the sample and the packing that suit your order.
Mark Wu, Co-founder & Technical Director, Sichuan Zhifang Net Industry. 15 years manufacturing agricultural nettings for growers in 32 countries.
