Composite Strapping: Your Questions Answered

Published on September 17, 2021

Composite Strapping: Your Questions Answered

What Is Composite Strapping and How Strong Is It?

What if your crew has never trusted anything but steel? At Gateway, we have offered De Lama® Composite Strapping for years, a brand used across Europe for over 25 years to secure goods in heavy equipment, timber, and construction applications. It comes in various widths and strengths, and honestly, most of the hesitation we hear disappears once a crew has run one job with it.

Why Does System Breaking Strength Matter More Than Strap Strength Alone?

System breaking strength matters more than linear strap strength because a strap is only as strong as its weakest joint. Here is the thing most buyers get wrong: they check the tensile rating printed on the strap and stop there, when the real number that matters is strap and buckle tested together.

The ultimate strength of your composite strapping depends on system breaking strength, the combined strength of the strap and the closure joining it. Gateway offers heavy duty galvanised Wire Buckles and can advise on the appropriate system breaking strength for your specific load, since a mismatched buckle undoes the strength of even the best strap.

Are Buckles the Best Way to Close Composite Strapping?

Yes, for composite strapping specifically. Buckles allow re-tensioning that a crimped seal cannot, which is exactly what a shifting or settling load needs. Composite strapping is secured and tensioned with heavy duty galvanised buckles, and when a load shifts or settles during transport, the buckle can be retensioned to restore maximum tension. The buckles close simply, once the strap is tensioned with a tool, the buckle locks.

Composite vs Steel: Elasticity and Heat Behaviour

If we look at what happens when things go wrong, a load takes an unexpected knock, or the truck sits in Australian summer heat for a day, this is where composite and steel genuinely part ways, not just on paper strength but on how each one actually behaves.

But wait, does that stretch make the strap unreliable? No, the opposite. Because composite is made from polyester yarns in a polymer coating, it holds a high recovery rate when stretched, and that recovery is what keeps tension on the load rather than letting it work loose.

Is Composite Strapping a Sustainable Choice for Australian Operations?

Composite strapping supports sustainability goals in two ways: it can be reused multiple times if undamaged, and once damaged it can be recycled rather than sent to landfill. Under Australia’s National Packaging Targets, coordinated by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, the country is working toward 70 percent of plastic packaging being recycled or composted 👉 APCO. Tertiary packaging, the category covering strapping, pallets, and shrink wrap, sits squarely inside that target.

If we are honest, most sites throw damaged strap in general waste without a second thought. Later, when your business is reporting on packaging stewardship, a reusable and recyclable strap is a far easier line item to defend than one that is neither.

Where Composite Strapping Fits Into Your Setup

Now, none of this works without the right tools alongside it. A Composite Strapping Starter Kit bundles roll, buckles, and tensioner for teams ordering for the first time, while the Heavy-Duty Tensioner suits crews already running composite daily. For higher volume operations, Gateway’s strapping machines range automates tensioning and sealing entirely. Contact Gateway’s team for advice on matching strap, buckle, and tool to your load.

Key Takeaways

• System breaking strength, not strap tensile rating alone, determines true load capacity.
• Re-tensionable buckles let a load be tightened again after it shifts or settles.
• Composite strapping stretches and recovers rather than snapping like steel at overload.
• Heat softens composite slightly in extreme conditions but does not affect its function.
• Undamaged composite strapping can be reused, and damaged strap can be recycled.

Key Statistics

• 70% of plastic packaging, including tertiary strapping, is targeted for recycling or composting under Australia’s National Packaging Targets 👉 APCO
• 478 hot days of 35°C or above were recorded in Greater Sydney between 2000 and 2020, compared with 351 across the previous 120 years combined 👉 Weather and Climate Extremes

What do those two numbers say together? Australian sites are storing and transporting loads through more extreme heat than ever, and doing it under growing pressure to choose recyclable materials. Composite strapping answers both without asking your crew to compromise on strength.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which brand of composite strapping is best for Australian conditions?

De Lama® Composite Strapping, which Gateway Packaging supplies, has been used across Europe for over 25 years and suits heavy equipment and construction applications, with starter kits available in various widths and strengths.

Will composite strapping stretch and snap under load?

No. Composite strapping stretches elastically and holds a high recovery rate, which makes it far harder to snap than steel strapping, which fails suddenly once elongated past its capacity.

Will composite strapping melt or stretch out of shape in hot weather?

No. Composite strapping is heat and weather resistant. It may soften slightly in high temperatures, but this has no effect on how the strap performs or holds tension.

Can damaged composite strapping be recycled?

Yes. Undamaged composite strapping can be reused multiple times, and once it is damaged beyond reuse, it can be recycled rather than sent to landfill.

Do I need a specific buckle for composite strapping?

Yes. Composite strapping needs a matching heavy duty galvanised buckle rated to the same system breaking strength as the strap, since a mismatched buckle becomes the weak point in the whole system.

The Bottom Line

So where does that leave the questions your crew keeps asking? Composite strapping is not weaker than steel just because it stretches, and it is not less serious just because it can be reused. Later, when someone at the strap dispenser asks whether it will hold, the honest answer is that it was built to flex under pressure rather than fail under it.

This article provides general information and does not constitute engineering, safety, or compliance advice. Always confirm system breaking strength requirements with Gateway Packaging directly for your specific application.