Tarpaulin: Uses, Types and Materials

Tarpaulin is not just a cover for trucks or containers; its uses and types support many kinds of business, from agriculture to construction and beyond. Under Indonesia’s Road Traffic and Transportation Law (Law No. 22 of 2009), every vehicle carrying materials, including cement, must be covered with a tarpaulin.

Besides helping to comply with that regulation, tarpaulin can also protect machinery transported by sea, for example on ships. A tarpaulin is defined as a large sheet of strong, flexible and waterproof material.

Tarpaulin Materials

Tarpaulin is usually made from fabric such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or from plastic such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have eyelets at the corners and along the edges for reinforcement, which serve as tie points for ropes to make fixing to trucks or pickups easier.

Read Also: Tarpaulin Prices

Types of Tarpaulin

Cotton Tarpaulin

Cotton or fabric tarpaulin uses canvas or polyester rather than a polymer sheet, coated with urethane to make it water resistant. Because this type is made of 100% natural cotton canvas, it will naturally shrink or stretch, depending on how much exposure it gets. Canvas tarpaulin is not very resistant to stretching and tearing.

HDPE Tarpaulin

HDPE tarpaulin, also called geomembrane tarpaulin, is very commonly used by fish and shrimp farmers in Indonesia. It is generally made from HDPE geomembrane with a thickness of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, and is chosen for its good resistance to weather, sunlight and soil chemicals.

PVC Tarpaulin

This type of tarpaulin is made from PVC. It has three layers: a thin fabric sheet laminated between 2 sheets of PVC (polyvinyl chloride). It is water resistant thanks to polyester, PVC and other materials. PVC tarpaulin is waterproof, windproof and heat resistant, making it suitable for covering cargo on trucks.