At one time, steel strapping tool was the only choice for heavy duty applications. Now polyester (plastic)banding is another option. Advances in polyester technology have resulted in banding materials that---compared to steel banding machine---have some advantages, but also some drawbacks. Polyester is often promoted as more environmentallyfriendly because some percentage usually comes from recycled materials. However, steel banding often contains recycled material as well.
   Advances in application equipment have made polyester more reliable, more consistent and more user friendly for some applications. Given all this, there are still good reasons to choose steel banding.
teel banding comes in rolls that are about a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch wide and about an eighth of an inch thick. It comes in regular duty and high tensile grades. The primary advantage is that steel banding is relatively stable – it stretches very little after it’s applied to a load. It is also tolerant of  sharp-edged loads like flat sheets of steel.

Steel strapping tool is used to bear heavy loads and withstand rough handling. This is a significant advantage in applications where the load is stable (not prone to settling) and will be transferred multiple times before it reaches its destination. High tensile steel banding, has the additional advantage of being carbon reinforced. High tensile steel is suggested for situations where the load is subject to a jolt and/or additional break strength is required. Steel strapping machine (even when smoothed and de-burred) is a safety hazard for inexperienced users. Carelessly cutting a tightened steel band will cause it to lash and inflict deep gashes---the face is especially at risk. Because steel banding coils average 100 pounds each, it’s difficult for some users to load them into a dispenser without incurring injuries. By comparison, the average polyester coil weighs about 50 pounds. Steel strapping tool can also scratch and tear the load---which means it’s not a good idea to use it for loads with exposed paint or other vulnerable surfaces.
   The brand steel strapping  can also rust and stain the load. Although steel banding machine doesn’t stretch once applied, this can be adownside. If the load settles as a result of transportation or storage, the banding perimeter remains the same while the load perimeter becomes smaller. The result is that the banding is no longer holding the load tightly. It’s not uncommon to see steel-banded pallets sitting in warehouses with the banding hanging loosely from the load. Steel banding is also more expensive than polyester banding and the cost fluctuates because it’s dependent on the price of the base metal-–making it difficult to budget. With all these downsides, you might wonder why steel bandingis still so popular. The answer is that right now, there is nothing that can hold a heavy load over a long distance quite as well.