Car & Vehicle Wrap Vinyl

Shop car wrap vinyl by brand and job

Color-change cast films from 3M, ORACAL, KPMF and Arlon, printable wrap films with their overlaminates, and the knifeless tape, squeegees and fluids that install them.


Buying guide

How to choose car wrap vinyl

Color change or printed. A color-change wrap uses a solid-color cast film straight off the roll. 3M 2080 is a 3.5 mil film with Comply air-release channels, a pressure-activated slideable adhesive and up to 8 years outdoor durability, in gloss, high gloss, satin, matte, matrix, shadow, brushed metallic and carbon fiber finishes. ORACAL 970RA is a 2 mil cast film with a 2 mil clearcoat and RapidAir liner in 97 matte, gloss and metallic colors plus shift and special effect colors; it conforms over rivets and corrugations and needs no overlaminate. KPMF K75000 Perfect Finish (3.3 mil), K75400 gloss metallic, K75000 iridescent and K89000 matte add air-release cast films rated 5 to 7 years, and Arlon Premium Color Change is a 3.0 to 3.3 mil cast film with FLITE Technology and a self-healing adhesive in gloss, satin and matte. For texture, ORACAL 975 is a 5 to 6 mil structure cast in 28 finishes including carbon fiber, brushed, honeycomb and crocodile. A printed wrap instead starts with a white printable wrap film and a matching overlaminate.

Cast or calendered. Cast films (3M 2080 and IJ180, ORACAL 970RA and ORAJET 3951, KPMF, Arlon SLX and DPF 6000) are the films for full wraps: they conform to compound curves, rivets and corrugations and carry the longest durability ratings. Calendered films such as PrismJET 230 Ultra (2.4 mil), ORAJET 3551RA (2.75 mil) and Arlon Fusion Wrap suit flat and simple-curve panels, partial wraps and shorter terms at a lower price.

Air release names. Every brand has its own name for the liner and adhesive that let trapped air out and let the film slide before it is pressed down: 3M Comply and ControlTac, ORACAL RapidAir and ProSlide, Arlon X-Scape and FLITE, KPMF air release. All of them are made for bubble-free installation.

Rolls. Color-change films come 60 in wide in 10, 25 and 50 yard rolls, so a panel or a full wrap can run without a seam; printable films run 30 to 60 in wide in 25 to 200 yard rolls.

Tools. Car wrap tools covers 3M knifeless tape, squeegees with felt buffers, the Master Ecoheat heat gun, WrapGlove, positioning magnets, application fluid and adhesive removers.

Car wrap vinyl questions, answered

What wrap shops ask us about vehicle wrap film

What is the difference between cast and calendered wrap vinyl?

Cast films such as 3M 2080 and IJ180, ORACAL 970RA and ORAJET 3951, KPMF K75000 and Arlon SLX are thin (2 to 3.5 mil) and conform to compound curves, rivets and corrugations, which is what a full vehicle wrap needs; they also carry the longest durability ratings. Calendered films such as PrismJET 230 Ultra, ORAJET 3551RA, Arlon Fusion Wrap and 3M IJ160 are made for flat and simply curved surfaces, partial wraps and shorter-term graphics.

Which vinyl wrap is best for a full color change?

3M 2080, ORACAL 970RA, KPMF K75000 and K75400, and Arlon Premium Color Change are the cast color-change films here. All four have air-release liners or adhesives for bubble-free installation; 2080 is rated up to 8 years outdoors, KPMF K75400 up to 7 years vertical, and 970RA needs no overlaminate. Pick by finish: 2080 has the widest range of finishes, 970RA the most colors at 97 plus shift effects, KPMF the iridescent and metallic matte options.

How much vinyl do I need to wrap a car?

It depends on the vehicle, so buy by roll length rather than by a rule of thumb. Color-change films come 60 in wide in 10 yard (ORACAL 970RA, 975), 25 yard (3M 2080, 970RA, 975, KPMF, Arlon) and 50 yard (3M 2080, 975) rolls; 3M notes that 60 in rolls allow seamless wrapping of most panels. Printable wrap films run 30 to 60 in wide in 25 to 200 yard rolls.

Does car wrap vinyl need an overlaminate?

Printed wraps do: laminate the printed film with a cast overlaminate such as 3M 8518 gloss, 8519 luster or 8520 matte (2 mil, fuel-vapor resistant, up to 8 years). Solid color-change films are different: ORACAL 970RA has a 2 mil clearcoat built in and does not require an overlaminate, and 3M 2080 and KPMF films are finished films applied as they come.

How long does a vinyl car wrap last?

Ratings on the films here: 3M 2080 up to 8 years outdoors; KPMF K75400 up to 7 years vertical and K89000 5 to 7 years; ORACAL 975 up to 5 years (3 years for metallic); 3M IJ3650 8 to 10 years; Arlon DPF 6000RP White up to 10 years unprinted. Short-term films are rated accordingly, for example 3M IJ46 transit wrap at up to one year. KPMF notes clean removal with heat or chemicals within 3 years.

Can wrap vinyl go over rivets and corrugations?

Cast films can. ORACAL 970RA conforms over curved surfaces, rivets and corrugations; 3M ControlTac with Comply and Comply V3 conform to compound curves, corrugations and rivets, and IJ180 stretches up to 130 percent; Arlon SLX+ conforms around rivets, complex curves and deep channels, and Omni Cast Wrap is made for rivets and corrugations. A 3 in rivet brush seals the film around each rivet.

What tools do I need to install a wrap?

A squeegee with a felt buffer or a WetEdge squeegee, 3M knifeless tape to cut without a blade, a heat gun such as the Master Ecoheat (500 and 1000°F), Xtreme Magz positioning magnets, an Orafol WrapGlove, Rapid Prep to clean wax and oil off the paint, and a Rapid Remover or Orange Peel adhesive remover for the old graphics. See the car wrap tools hub.

Car wrap vinyl is a cast film built to cover a vehicle in one piece: thin enough to conform over compound curves, rivets and corrugations, with an air-release liner or adhesive that lets trapped air out and lets the film slide before it is pressed down. A color-change wrap uses a solid-color film such as 3M 2080, ORACAL 970RA, KPMF K75000 or Arlon Premium Color Change; a printed wrap uses a white printable film such as ORAJET 3951RA or 3M IJ180 under a cast overlaminate.

SIGNWarehouse stocks 3M 2080 in gloss, high gloss, satin, matte, matrix, shadow, brushed metallic and carbon fiber finishes, ORACAL 970RA in 97 colors plus shift and special effect colors, ORACAL 975 structure cast in 28 textures, KPMF K75000, K75400 and K89000 series, Arlon color change, SLX, Omni and DPF films, and PrismJET and ORAJET printable wrap vinyl, on 60 in rolls of 10 to 50 yards for color change and 30 to 60 in rolls of 25 to 200 yards for printable film.

Finish the job from the car wrap tools collection: 3M knifeless tape, squeegees and felt buffers, WrapGlove, the Master Ecoheat heat gun, positioning magnets, Rapid Prep cleaner and adhesive removers.

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