DuraLabel Polyolefin Shrink Tube Wire Labels

The DuraLabel Pro can print polyolefin shrink tubes up to one inch in diameter (unshrunk).

Shrink tubes are tube-shaped labels that, after printing, are slipped over the end of a wire or cable. The labels are then heated, causing them to shrink into a tight fit on the wire. Shrink tubes must be applied before a wire is terminated.

Shrink tubes provide a durable, long-lasting label for wires and cables. The table below shows the technical information for various shrink tube sizes.

Shrink Tube Specifications

What Do the Terms in the Table Mean?

Minimum Expanded ID: The minimum internal diameter of the tubing before it is shrunk.

Maximum Recovered ID: The maximum internal diameter of the tubing after it has been fully shrunk. A maximum value is specified to ensure that the tubing will have a tight fit on the wire being labeled.

Recovered: A recovered tube is one that has been shrunk.

Recovered Wall Thickness: This is the final thickness of the tubing wall after it has been shrunk (recovered). After recovery, the tubing wall thickness will slightly increase from its unshrunk value. The increase can not be exactly determined, so the wall thickness is specified with as a +/- value.

What Size of Shrink Tube Do I Need?

Use tubing that is 20% larger than the outer diameter of the wire or cable to be labeled.

DuraLabel shrink tube has a 3:1 shrink ratio. That means that a shrink tube with an original internal diameter of 3/4" will shrink about 67% to an internal diameter of 1/4". Thus if you have a wire with a diameter of .24 inches, a 3/4" shrink tube may not have a tight fit after being fully recovered. However, it will have a tight fit on a wire of 0.25 inches or larger in diameter.

Information and prices for DuraLabel shrink tubes are available online at DuraLabel Supply Information

Shrink tube supplies typically ship the same day we receive your order. You can have the wire labels you need tomorrow morning! Give us a call at 1-888-326-9244 for more information or to place an order.