—
kg / hour
Glue per label
—g / label
Adhesive consumption
—
kg / shift
—
tonnes / year
Adhesive cost
$—per year
Three-process comparison — cost per 1,000 bottles
| Cost element | OPP hot melt | Self-adhesive | Shrink sleeve |
|---|
Material + adhesive + energy + liner disposal, at your line speed and electricity price. Machine depreciation and labor are plant-specific — add them to the totals as a constant per process.
Assumptions in this calculation
Methodology — formulas and constants
F3 — From glue stripes to annual cost
glued area A = label height × (leading stripe + trailing stripe) [mm²] grams per label g = A × film thickness × density 0.97 g/cm³ consumption (kg/h) = g × line speed (BPH) × labels per bottle ÷ 1,000 annual cost ($) = kg/h × hours per shift × shifts per day × days per year × price per kgWorked example (the page defaults): label height 100 mm, stripes 8 + 12 mm, film 0.2 mm → A = 2,000 mm² → g ≈ 0.39 g/label. At 12,000 BPH that is 4.7 kg/h, ≈ 22.4 t/year on a 2-shift × 300-day schedule, ≈ $78k at $3.5/kg — about $1.36 per 1,000 bottles. Typical measured consumption is 0.2–0.5 g per label; if yours is outside that band, check the film thickness first — it is the lever most often set wrong.
F4 — Three processes, one denominator
OPP material $/1,000 = label length × height × µm × 0.905 g/cm³ × film $/kg self-adhesive $/1,000 = label stock price + liner disposal (no adhesive, no glue system) sleeve material $/1,000 = 2 × lay-flat width × sleeve height × µm × 1.35 g/cm³ × film $/kg energy $/1,000 = power (kW) × 1,000 ÷ BPH × electricity price (hot melt ≈ 6 kW glue system · self-adhesive ≈ 2 kW labeler · sleeve ≈ 30 kW tunnel + applicator)The lay-flat width comes from the same geometry as theSize Checker: W = π × D ÷ 2 × 1.06. A neat identity hides in the OPP math: because 1 g/label equals 1 kg per 1,000 labels, “grams per label × $/kg” is directly “dollars per 1,000 bottles”.
Constants used
| Constant | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hot melt density | 0.97 g/cm³ | EVA-based labeling grades |
| Glue film thickness | 0.2–0.5 mm | Applicator-wheel applied film; calibrate by weigh-back |
| OPP film density / typical gauge | 0.905 g/cm³ · 38 µm | Roll-fed wrap-around film |
| Sleeve film density / typical gauge | 1.35 g/cm³ · 50 µm | PETG midpoint; PVC ≈ 1.35, OPS ≈ 1.05 |
| EVA hot melt price | $2.5–5/kg | Grade- and volume-dependent; metallocene higher |
| Pre-shrink margin on sleeve width | 6% | Within the usual 5–8% |
Sizing the machine for this line speed? Use theCapacity Calculator. Process fit for your bottle (taper, sleeve shrink) is in the Size Checker, and the machines are in the hot melt andself-adhesive series pages.
Costs are indicative engineering estimates from published constants and your inputs — not a quotation. Calibrate film thickness with a weigh-back test (glue a known label count, weigh the roll before/after) and confirm material prices with your suppliers. We validate glue consumption on your bottles and labels during machine acceptance testing.
Frequently asked questions
How much hot melt glue does one wrap-around label use?
Typically 0.2–0.5 g. Roll-fed hot melt labeling applies adhesive only as two narrow stripes — a leading-edge pick-up stripe and a trailing-edge seam stripe — not as a full coat. This calculator estimates grams per label from geometry: glued area = label height × (leading + trailing stripe width), multiplied by glue film thickness (0.2–0.5 mm) and adhesive density (≈ 0.97 g/cm³).
Why is OPP hot melt usually the cheapest process per 1,000 bottles?
Material mass. An OPP wrap-around label is ~38 µm polypropylene film (under 1 g for a typical water-bottle label) plus a few tenths of a gram of glue. A self-adhesive label carries face stock plus a silicone-coated liner that is thrown away, and the label stock alone typically costs several times the OPP film. A shrink sleeve uses heavier 45–50 µm film at roughly twice the area, plus the shrink tunnel’s energy. The comparison table above makes each row explicit.
Which hot melt adhesive price should I enter?
EVA-based labeling hot melts typically trade around $2.5–5/kg depending on grade and volume; metallocene (PO) grades cost more per kg but run cleaner (less charring, less nozzle maintenance) and often reduce total cost-in-use. Run the calculator at both prices — the delta is visible immediately in the annual figure.
How can I reduce glue consumption on an existing line?
Four levers, in order of typical impact: thinner glue film (check the applicator wheel gap and temperature — over-application is common), narrower seam stripes within the overlap you actually need, correct glue temperature (too hot = thinner film but stringing; too cold = thicker pickup), and stable web tension so the seam lands on the glue stripe every time. Each is visible in the film-thickness and stripe-width inputs above.
Does the sleeve column include shrink-tunnel energy?
Yes. The tunnel is the energy hotspot of the three processes: a steam or hot-air tunnel draws 25–40 kW versus ~6 kW for a hot melt glue system and ~2 kW for a self-adhesive labeler. Energy per 1,000 bottles = power (kW) × 1,000 ÷ line speed (BPH) × your electricity price, all editable.