Not every farm runs a large round baler. Smallholders, horse yards and compact round balers work with narrower rolls, and the roll has to match the machine the same way a full size roll does. Narrow widths of 20 to 30 inches cover a mini or small bale face in one pass, while the 1 m to 1.7 m rolls remain the standard for full size balers. Colour is the other variable: a natural white mesh is the default, and black, green or other colours are chosen where stock has to be told apart or a retail presentation matters. The HDPE knit and the UV resistance are the same across the range.
Small bales are the part of the market that is easiest to get wrong, because the machine is smaller and the margin on a narrow roll is thinner. The mesh is the same HDPE knit as a full size roll; what changes is the width and, in some orders, the colour. Both are worth deciding deliberately rather than inheriting whatever was on the shelf last season.
A mini round baler and a small square baler both take a narrower roll than a full size machine, which is why 20 inch and 30 inch widths exist in the same mesh family as the 1 m to 1.7 m rolls. The width has to cover the bale face in one pass; if it is too narrow the bale is only partly wrapped and the ends are exposed, and if it is too wide the roll will not seat in the holder. Small bale haylage wrapper machines follow the same rule, and the roll is usually chosen to match the wrapper rather than the baler when the two are separate. Farms running the bale net wrap range alongside the shade net and planting bag ranges choose the width the same way, from the machine rather than from a price list.
Colour changes nothing about the strength of the mesh or its UV resistance, because both are set by the yarn and the knit rather than by the pigment. What colour does change is handling: a black mesh disappears against dark ground and against wrapped bales, a green mesh blends with grass, and a natural white roll shows up against both. Where several batches or grades of hay are stored together, a colour code on the net is a simple way to tell them apart at a glance without opening a bale. For retail presentation, a coloured roll is also easier to merchandise than a plain one. The choice stays a handling and marketing decision rather than a technical one.
| Material | HDPE, knitted mesh |
| Net Width | 20 inch, 30 inch, 1 m, 1.22 m, 1.23 m, 1.62 m, 1.7 m or by requirement |
| Roll Length | 2000 m, 2134 m, 2500 m, 3000 m or by requirement |
| Colour | Natural white as standard; black, green and other colours on request |
| UV Treatment | UV resistant yarn, colour does not affect the level |
| Packing | Rolls on cardboard tubes, palletised for export |
Narrow rolls are mostly used on dry hay and on small square bales, where the bale is light and the wrap only has to hold shape. Silage in small bales is less common but does happen on smallholdings, and there the roll is chosen slightly heavier because the bale is wet and dense. Where the bale is wrapped in film as well, the net goes on first and the film over it, so the net roll is selected for the baler and the film roll for the wrapper. In all of these cases the order of decisions is the same: width first, then roll length, then colour if a colour is wanted at all. Delivery runs about 15 days after deposit with T/T and L/C accepted.
Rolls ship on cardboard tubes and palletise for export, giving 190 to 210 rolls in a 20 ft container and 490 to 510 in a 40 HQ. Minimum order is 2000 kg, which for narrow rolls is worth converting to bale count before ordering, since a small baler uses less net per bale and a pallet therefore covers more bales than on a full size machine. Trade coverage of how growers handle small bales and haylage, such as HortiDaily and FreshPlaza, is worth following if you are specifying for small bales.
Do you supply narrow rolls for small balers?
Yes. Rolls of 20 inch and 30 inch are made in the same HDPE knit as the full size widths, for mini round balers, small square balers and small bale wrapping machines. Tell us the machine and the bale size and we will confirm the width.
Does a coloured net last as long as a white one?
Yes. UV resistance comes from the yarn rather than the pigment, so a black or green roll is specified to the same UV level as a natural white roll. Colour is a handling and presentation choice.
What metal should the baler spindle take?
The roll core is a standard cardboard tube sized to the spindle. If the machine calls for a different core, tell us the spindle diameter and we will match it.
Tell us the baler or wrapper model, the bale size and whether you want a colour, and we will confirm the roll width, the core, the roll length 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.
