There Are So Many Types of Tarpaulins! Have You Chosen the Right One?

Covering goods with a tarpaulin is a required skill for truck drivers, but choosing the right one requires some homework. How to select a tarpaulin, what materials are available, and what are their characteristics? Let's learn together with Xinshengyang Tarpaulin Factory today.

3 Key Points to Focus on When Choosing a Tarpaulin

01 Waterproofness
This is a major concern for drivers, as for flatbed and cargo trucks, it's this very tarpaulin that provides rain protection. The waterproof performance directly affects cargo safety—once rainwater seeps into the cargo area and wets the goods, it can lead to economic losses.

02 Light-Blocking Property
When transporting fruits and vegetables in the hot summer, if the tarpaulin has poor sun protection and cannot block sunlight, the produce can easily spoil or dry out over time.

03 Wear and Tear Resistance
When securing a tarpaulin, it needs to be stretched tight and tied to the hooks on the cargo bed, meaning the fabric must withstand significant tension. Moreover, road conditions during transport can be highly complex and unpredictable. With tarps constantly exposed outdoors and enduring harsh weather and rough conditions, their abrasion and tear resistance must be strong enough.

Overview of Tarpaulin Types and Features

PVC Tarpaulin: High Strength, Durable
Common PVC tarps are woven from high-strength polyester yarn. Polyester offers excellent corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, and high strength, known for its good durability. The outer layer is coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), forming a waterproof barrier that effectively prevents rainwater penetration, achieving near leak-proof performance.

PE Tarpaulin: Waterproof and Lightweight
If you want decent waterproofing while also prioritizing light weight, PE tarpaulin is an excellent choice. Typically made from striped fabric, its raw material is high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It consists of a PE woven base coated with PE film on both sides. Its key features are being very lightweight and more affordable, while still offering basic waterproofing.

Laminated Tarpaulin: Lightweight, Durable, and Waterproof
Many drivers now use laminated tarps. Their advantage is meeting lightweight demands while being more durable and waterproof than standard tarps. This type features an internal anti-wear coating and is designed as a single continuous sheet that can fully cover the cargo area.

Knife-Scraped Cloth: Excellent Abrasion Resistance
Knife-scraped cloth is also growing in popularity. This synthetic material is composed of three layers: the top and bottom layers are typically PVC, while the middle layer uses a light-guiding fiber mesh. These three are compressed together through a specific process to form the final fabric.

As the name suggests, knife-scraped cloth offers strong abrasion resistance, high tensile strength, good elasticity, strong flexibility, and resistance to corrosion, along with reliable waterproofing. Its surface is very smooth and pleasant to the touch, providing excellent protective coverage for transport vehicles and outdoor goods.

Three-Proof Fabric: Fireproof, Waterproof, and Mold-Resistant
Three-proof fabric is made by coating flame-retardant fibers with PVC, PTFE, flame-retardant silicone, or other fire-resistant materials. It is further enhanced with chemical additives such as anti-mold agents, anti-aging agents, and anti-static agents, then heat-sealed at high temperature to achieve fireproof, waterproof, and mold-resistant properties.