Tarp and Plastic Sheeting Specifications

Emergency shelter kits will often include one or two tarps. All tarps should be 4x6m.

Procurement location:  If specifications below or similar can be met, local procurement is possible. Regional level procurement will be more common, as many local markets will not be able to provide adequate quality.

Shipping and cost details:

Item Packaging Weight Dimensions Volume Cost
Tarp, 4 x 6m Bales of five, wrapped/banded 27 kg/bale 60 x 45 x 31 cm 0.58 cubic meter $13 per tarp

Specification:

Weight 200g/m2 +/- 5% (ISO3801. Add 10% for reinforcement. (Lighter versions that meet the material performance specifications below might also be considered)
Woven Fabric HDPE, Black color. (Black color provides privacy and reduces heating under the sheeting due to the sun).
Lamination Material LDPE White color on at least one side. (White color reflects heat better in hot climates).
Sealed Edges w/ Eyelets One strong aluminum eyelet every 1.00m +/- 5% on edges. Sealed on all sides (2 sides heat sealed and two sides doubled stitched), with nylon or HDPE rope in hem.
Reinforcement Bands 6 gray bands of 7.5cm width made from black woven HDPE laminated on both sides.
Tensile Strength – Outside of reinforcement bands Minimum 500N(ISO 1421 or Minimum 600N (BS 2576 50mm grab test. US equivalent test ASTM D751)
Tensile Strength – Inside of reinforcement bands Minimum 700N (ISO 1421)
Tear Strength – Outside of reinforcement bands Minimum 100N (under ISO 1421 (or BS 4303 wing tear)
Bursting Strength Not necessarily specified. (200N/cm2 (BS 4768)
Welding Maximum 1 weld along middle. Maximum 80% of the original tarpaulin strength in the weft. (This means that sheets/rolls are made from two panels).
UV Resistance Maximum 5% loss on the original tarpaulin tensile strength (ISO             1421) after a minimum of 1500 hours UV under ASTM G53/94 (UVB 313nm peak)
Temperature Resistance -20 to 80®C where defined. (This is not necessary to define as HDPE/LDPE perform well within this temperature range).
Fire Resistance Ideally treated with fire retardant (CPAI 84-1995 section 6 >200®C).

Tarps should be branded with appropriate CRS/Caritas branding logo.

Important: To facilitate offloading where forklift facilities exist, it is useful to request that the shipment be palletized.