Tarpaulins – Standard Duty

A good tarpaulin is one of those things you only appreciate when it rains and you haven’t got one. These standard duty tarpaulins are 80gsm, laminated woven polyethylene sheets, supplied in blue, built for the everyday covering jobs that come up on site, on the farm and around the house. They are not fancy. They are just reliable, and at this price you can keep a few in the van without anyone asking questions.

The construction is straightforward and sensible. A woven polyethylene core gives the sheet its tear resistance, with a laminated coating on both faces to keep water out. The hem is heat sealed and reinforced with poly rope, which stops the edges from fraying and gives the eyelets something solid to bite into. The metal eyelets are rust resistant, so they won’t weep orange streaks down whatever you’ve covered after a few wet weeks. UV resistance means the sheet won’t turn brittle and crack the first time the sun makes an appearance, though like any poly sheet it will age faster if left stretched out in direct sunlight all summer.

Where Standard Duty Tarpaulins Get Used

On building sites these tarpaulins cover timber, bagged materials, aggregates, blocks and plant. Stack a pallet of sand, throw a sheet over it, lash it down, and you have saved yourself from a pile of wet, lumpy, useless sand on Monday morning. They also make decent temporary roof covers, scaffold weather protection and dust sheets for jobs where you just need a bit of cover rather than a full sheeting system.

Farms get plenty of use out of them too. Grain, feed, hay, machinery and woodpiles all benefit from a waterproof layer when the barn is full or the weather turns. At home they cover boats, trailers, garden furniture, barbecues and swimming pools over winter. Leisure users will find them handy as groundsheets, windbreaks, picnic mats or seating shelters.

Choosing The Right Size

The range runs from 1.2m x 1.8m, which suits a small pile of logs or a lawnmower, right up to 12m x 20m for covering large stockpiles, roofs or entire loads. Remember that the stated size is the cut size, and you lose some coverage once you’ve pulled the sheet tight and tied it off. A good rule is to go one size up from what you think you need. It is much easier to fold excess under than to discover a sheet is 200mm short of the corner.

Standard Duty Versus Heavy Duty

Standard duty at 80gsm is perfect for general covering, short to medium term use and anything that needs protecting from rain rather than abuse. If you are covering sharp-edged loads, working in exposed locations with serious wind, or need a sheet to last several seasons outdoors, a heavier gsm is worth considering. For most day to day covering jobs, though, this weight does the business and costs a fraction of the heavier stuff.

Blue is the standard colour. White and green versions are available on request, so get in touch if you need a specific colour for a particular job, such as a green sheet to blend into a field or a white sheet for light reflection.