---
title: ETFE Film VS Polyethylene for a greenhouse
description: Dr. Jan was asked what was his opinion of a ETFE greenhouse versus a SolaWrap greenhouse made from  polyethylene that looks like bubble wrap due to the bubbles in the film.  Here is what he had to say when contrasting the two films.
---

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# ETFE or SoiaWrap Greenhouse Plastic for a Greenhouse

**What is your opinion of ETFE as a greenhouse film? What is difference between ETFE and SolaWrap?** 

 

- In our opinion, ETFE is a great material, but we don't like it much for greenhouses. There is no film like the bubble film made of ETFE, so if you decide to go with ETFE, you will have a clear film, but loose all the other benefits of the bubble film (unique and easy installation, insulation without electricity/fans that keep the inflation, light diffusion, strength of the system etc.. ETFE is also expensive, but how do you build your structure and cover it? Can you exchange strips when damaged or do you have to recover the whole house then? With SolaWrap, single strips can be switched out easily and more or less under any condition even without being on the roof (in most cases). with our film you can build insulated side walls that can be rolled up. same goes for front and back end.

 

Another point is reuse/recycling. ETFE can’t be recycled. SolaWrap greenhouse plastic can (because its purely polyethylene). 

 

**Strength**: Its difficult to compare a single layer material (ETFE or any other film) with our SolaWrap. because testing both under standard tests in a lab doesn’t make much sense because of our multi layer bubble structure. Also no other film I know in the market uses our unique locking mechanism. That adds a lot to the overall strength, longevity and durability of the system. We did testings close to real application/setups on a testing box.

The film strips were attached on top and were we could evacuate the space beneath with a high powered fan. By measuring pressure drop and elongation we could compare the film strength and integrity of a typical structural element on a greenhouse roof.

 

![ETFE or SolaWrap Greenhouse Plastic for a Greenhouse](https://www.globalplasticsheeting.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ETFE%20or%20SolaWrap%20Greenhouse%20Plastic%20for%20a%20Greenhouse.jpg?width=373&name=ETFE%20or%20SolaWrap%20Greenhouse%20Plastic%20for%20a%20Greenhouse.jpg)

 

The testing results were really interesting: For new, mint condition film we determined a load limit >200kg/sqm (>40lbs/sqft)

 

for a 25 year old film, taken off of a greenhouse in Germany (at roughly 110kly/year) we still achieved that same result! We could not really break that film.

So even after that long time span, the material was going strong.

 

By: Dr. Jan Eubeler

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