Heavy-wall heat shrink tubing

Thick-wall heat shrink tubing has a post-shrink wall thickness ranging from 1.8 to 4.5 millimeters. This makes the wall of thick-wall tubing often several times thicker than that of thin-wall tubing. The thick wall provides excellent protection for cables — as outlined below.

Heat shrink tubing offers five types of protection for cables:

• Thermal protection – some types are self-extinguishing or flame-retardant
• Electrical protection – insulation of the cable
• Chemical protection – some types can withstand acids, salts, chlorides, and other chemicals
• Environmental protection – some types resist environmental influences such as corrosion and UV radiation
• Mechanical protection – the tubing adds an extra layer around the cable, protecting it from abrasion, impact, dents, and wear

Mechanical protection is particularly important in thick-wall heat shrink tubing. The thicker wall provides better resistance to wear than thin-wall tubing. However, this comes at the expense of flexibility — the cable becomes less flexible when using thick-wall tubing.

Our thick-wall heat shrink tubing is available in four shrink ratios:

• 2.5:1
• 3:1
• 4:1
• 6:1

The shrink ratio indicates how much the tubing shrinks in diameter after heating, relative to its original diameter. For example, tubing with a pre-shrink diameter of 6 mm and a shrink ratio of 3:1 will have a post-shrink diameter of 2 mm. With a 6:1 ratio, the post-shrink diameter would be 1 mm.

Thick-wall heat shrink tubing is primarily used to protect cables in environments where external factors could cause damage. If a cable is likely to experience abrasion, thick-wall tubing can be the ideal solution to prevent damage. 

Curious about which type of (thick-wall) heat shrink tubing is best for your application? Our advisors are happy to help — contact them directly!