The best construction films, compared.
Top pick: Zhiyu666 2 m x 3 m clear sheet – The only kept listing that states 0.3 mm, at about £8.99, with the United Kingdom thickness dispute left on the card. Score 7.0. Best value: ZHXGO 6-sheet painter cover – About £7.85 with three tape rolls, for a decorating day only. No thickness is stated. Updated 22.10.2026.
You buy it to keep paint and dust off a room, to cover rubble for a few days, or to resist moisture from the ground under a floor. Decorating, a short outdoor cover, and a ground-bearing floor membrane are different products, even when they are all plastic. Check the thickness in micrometres, the area left once the edges turn up a wall, and the fixing: tape, nothing, or eyelets. A title that only says heavy duty does not state a gauge. In merchant usage, 500 gauge is about 125 micrometres, 1000 gauge about 250 micrometres, and 1200 gauge is 300 micrometres. Approved Document example for polyethylene under a ground-supported concrete floor is at least 300 micrometres, with sealed joints, on a bed that will not puncture the sheet. How gauge maps to the job is in the [construction film buying guide](/hub/diy-supplies/construction-film/sub/construction-film-buying-guide). Quality is the thickness in micrometres, the area you actually get, and whether the sheet is a loose film, an eyeleted cover, or a membrane with a declared standard. Do not treat them as the same sheet because they are all plastic. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use their own guidance.
You buy it to keep paint and dust off a room, to cover rubble for a few days, or to resist moisture from the ground under a floor.
18 products checked · 56 hrs invested · +17,200 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you covering?
The Zhiyu666 sheet on amazon.co.uk is one clear polyethylene piece listed at 2 m by 3 m and 0.3 mm, priced at £8.99, with 3.9 from 11 reviews. That printed thickness is the only figure in this set that matches the 0.3 mm example Approved Document C gives for polyethylene under a ground-supported floor, which is why it is the top pick on the listing text. United Kingdom reviews still say it felt thinner than the extra-thick title, and this comparison has not measured the film. One buyer added eyelets and the sheet ripped when it was pulled tight as a trailer cover. The box is a single sheet, with no tape and no eyelets, and 6 m² shrinks once you turn the edges up a wall. It does not cite BS EN 13967 or a BBA certificate. Use it as a small clear cover with a thickness line you can read, not as a specified damp-proof membrane.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small clear cover where you want a printed 0.3 mm figure and you will not pull the sheet tight through new holes.
Less suitable: A specified floor membrane, a whole-room decorating cover, or a sheet you tension in the wind.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing state a thickness?
Yes. The bullets say 0.3 mm, and the dimensions line is 200 x 300 x 0.03 cm. United Kingdom reviews still say it felt thinner than the extra-thick title. This comparison has not measured it.
Is tape or are eyelets in the box?
No. The included item is one polythene sheet. One reviewer added eyelets and the sheet ripped when pulled tight as a trailer cover.
What jobs does the listing name?
Greenhouse cover, garden cover, building rubble, and paint protection. It does not cite a damp-proof standard or a fire class.
SuQurtom lists one clear polyethylene sheet at 3 m by 4 m for £13.99, with 3.9 from 11 reviews and no thickness in the file. United Kingdom reviewers called it thin for a heavy-duty title, one asked for a thickness figure, and one doubled the sheet. A buyer who fixed it as a roof on a wooden greenhouse said the weather destroyed it after about four months. Another used it as a dust sheet and said it was holding up. The bullets say water-resistant and UV-resistant, without a standard or a life in years, and the box has no tape or eyelets. At 12 m² it covers more than the 2 m by 3 m sheet, at a higher price, with less information about thickness. Treat the heavy-duty wording as a title, not a gauge.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A short indoor dust cover where 12 m² of clear film is enough and you do not need a printed gauge.
Less suitable: A season-long greenhouse skin, or any job that needs a stated micrometre figure.
Specifications
Common questions
What thickness does the listing give?
None. A United Kingdom reviewer asked for a thickness figure. Others said it felt thin for a heavy-duty title, and one doubled it up.
Is it sold as waterproof?
The bullets say water-resistant, UV-resistant, and reusable if you wipe and fold it. They do not name a standard or a UV life in years.
Did UK reviewers use it outdoors?
One buyer fixed it as a roof on a wooden greenhouse. They said the weather destroyed it after about four months. Another used it as a dust sheet and said it was holding up.
ZHXGO's painter pack is £7.85 and includes six clear 4 m by 5 m sheets plus three rolls of painter's tape, with 3.8 from six amazon.co.uk reviews. No micrometre thickness is printed. The pack weighs 770 g including the tape, which is light against a claimed coverage of up to 120 m². One United Kingdom review said the film was too frail and paint still reached the carpet. Another said the tape lifted cleanly, while a further comment said the film stuck to shoes rather than to the tape. The listing also disagrees with itself, printing nine packs in one place and six sheets plus three rolls in another. It is the best value here only when you are covering furniture for a decorating day and you expect a thin film you may throw away. It is the wrong box if the job needs a stated gauge.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Covering furniture while you paint, when tape in the box matters more than a micrometre figure.
Less suitable: Floors you will walk on, a rubble cover, or any job that needs a stated gauge.
Specifications
Common questions
Is painter's tape in the box?
Yes. The listing includes six transparent sheets and three rolls of painter's tape. One buyer said the tape lifted cleanly. Another said the film stuck to their shoes and not to the tape.
How thick is each sheet?
The listing does not state a thickness. It does say each sheet is 4 m x 5 m and that the film is reusable if it is undamaged.
Can it protect furniture while you paint?
The listing says it is for painting, renovation, and moving, and that it protects furniture and floors. One United Kingdom review said the film was too frail and paint still reached the carpet.
VOGANLL's eyeleted cover is listed at 2.5 m by 5 m and 0.12 mm, priced at £17.24, with 3.7 from 303 reviews. The title says PVC and the material line says polyethylene, and a bullet says 0.12 mm PE, so the page does not settle what the film is. Eyelets sit on about a 1 m grid, which lets you tie the sheet, and they are also the points that tear if you haul a 0.12 mm film tight. The three United Kingdom comments in the file are short and positive: a strong finish, a sheet larger than expected, and stitched holes used on a shed shelf. Most other review text in the file is from outside the United Kingdom, so it is not treated here as British opinion. The seller says vacuum packing can leave creases. At 0.12 mm this is a light tied cover, well short of a 0.3 mm floor-membrane example, and the 90% light and 73% condensation lines are untested seller claims.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A tied garden or shed cover when you want eyelets and a printed 0.12 mm figure, and you will not pull the sheet drum-tight.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs one clear material name, or a sheet at the 300 micrometre example for a floor.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this PVC or polyethylene?
The title says PVC. The material line says polyethylene, and a bullet says 0.12 mm PE. The listing does not resolve that conflict.
What size and thickness are stated?
This variant is 2.5 m x 5 m and 0.12 mm, with eyelets. The seller says vacuum packing can leave creases.
What do the United Kingdom reviews in the file say?
Three short United Kingdom comments mention a strong finish, a larger-than-expected sheet, and stitched holes used on a shed shelf. Most other review text in the file is from outside the UK.
Skdqiee lists a cover at about 10 m by 3 m, written as 32.8 ft by 9.8 ft, for £13.21, with a stated weight of 1.83 kg. The captured amazon.co.uk listing has no customer-review line, so the score on this page stays at 0. Neither thickness nor material appears in the technical block. The title says clear and one bullet says white plastic film, which the file does not resolve. The listing says you can cut the sheet and that it is dustproof and waterproof, and it does not include tape. About 30 m² is the largest area in this comparison, which helps only if the film that arrives suits a job you can check by eye. With no stars and no micrometres, you are buying a size claim rather than a reviewed sheet.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A large loose cover when you will inspect the film on arrival and you do not need reviews or a gauge.
Less suitable: Any job that depends on a star rating, a stated thickness, or a single stated colour.
Specifications
Common questions
What size is stated?
32.8 ft by 9.8 ft, about 10 m by 3 m. The listing says you can cut it. It does not include tape.
How thick is it, and what is it made of?
Neither thickness nor material is in the technical block. The title says clear and one bullet says white plastic film.
Are there United Kingdom reviews?
The captured listing has no customer-review line and no review text.
Shelf prices and stars are the amazon.co.uk figures already stored for these five listings, with a shelf date of 20 October 2026. Scores use that star line, then a cut for a missing thickness, a thin United Kingdom sample, a listing conflict, or no review line. This is not a laboratory test and not Building Regulations approval. The highest numeric score is not the top pick. Best value is a different listing, and only for decorating.
Stated thickness
30%A printed micrometre figure scores higher than a heavy-duty title with no gauge. The 0.3 mm class matches the Approved Document C floor example. A missing figure, or 0.12 mm, is a cut.
Amazon stars and sample
30%Stars are scaled from the stored amazon.co.uk line. A thin United Kingdom sample, or no review line, is a cut. A large sample that is not United Kingdom-only is not scored again as British opinion.
Listing conflicts and review notes
25%A title that disagrees with the material line, a sheet that ripped when tensioned, or paint that reached the carpet, is a deduction. Seller light and condensation lines are not treated as tests.
Value for the stated job
15%Best value is the lowest price with tape in the box, for a decorating day only. It is a different listing from the top pick. A missing gauge keeps that award off any floor job.
Buy the job before the heavy-duty title. Construction film on amazon.co.uk may be a decorating dust sheet, a short outdoor cover, or a specified damp-proof membrane, and they are not the same sheet. Check micrometres, the area left after laps, and whether the box has tape, nothing, or eyelets. None of the sheets in this set cites BS EN 13967.
Construction film in UK shops is polyethylene sheeting, also sold as builders' polythene, a plastic dust sheet, or, when it is thick enough and specified, a damp-proof membrane. People buy it to keep paint and dust off a room, to cover rubble for a few days, or to resist moisture from the ground under a floor. Quality is the thickness in micrometres, the area you actually get, and whether the sheet is a loose film, an eyeleted cover, or a membrane with a declared standard.
A heavy-duty title does not state a gauge. In merchant usage, 500 gauge is about 125 micrometres and 1200 gauge is 300 micrometres. If the listing prints neither, you cannot check the sheet against the job.
Decorating film is a thin sheet you throw away. A floor membrane you can defend is a named sheet to BS EN 13967, often with a BBA certificate, continuous with the wall damp-proof course. The £8 to £17 band in this set is not that product.
Eyelets let you tie a cover, and they tear if you haul a thin film tight in the wind. Approved Document C expects the sheet on a bed that will not puncture it, with sealed joints. Sharp hardcore is the opposite of that bed.
The first check is the job, because a dust sheet, a short outdoor cover and a ground-bearing floor membrane are different products. Then read micrometres. In current UK merchant usage, 500 gauge is about 125 micrometres, 1000 gauge about 250 micrometres, and 1200 gauge is 300 micrometres. Approved Document C's example for polyethylene under a ground-supported concrete floor in England is at least 300 micrometres, with sealed joints, on a bed that will not puncture the sheet.
Tape in the box suits a decorating day. Nothing in the box means you supply the fixing. Eyelets turn a sheet into a cover and become tear points on a thin film in wind. Check the area after you turn the edges up a wall: 6 m² is a small cover, and a claimed 120 m² at 770 g including tape is a very thin film. Then read the United Kingdom notes against the title.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are covering furniture while you paint, and you want tape in the box. The ZHXGO painter pack is best value at about £7.85: six 4 m x 5 m sheets and three tape rolls, with 3.8 from 6 reviews. No thickness is stated. One United Kingdom review said the film shredded and paint reached the carpet.
You want a small clear cover with a micrometre figure you can read. The Zhiyu666 sheet is the top pick at about £8.99: 2 m x 3 m, listing thickness 0.3 mm, and 3.9 from 11 reviews. United Kingdom reviews say it felt thinner than the extra-thick title. It is not a certified damp-proof membrane.
You want eyelets so you can tie the sheet, and you will not pull it drum-tight. The VOGANLL cover is about £17.24, stated 2.5 m x 5 m and 0.12 mm, with 3.7 from 303 reviews. The title says PVC and the specification says polyethylene. Most review text in the file is not from the United Kingdom.
The top pick is the Zhiyu666 2 m x 3 m clear sheet at about £8.99. It scores 7.0. The listing states 0.3 mm, the only kept thickness in that class, with 3.9 from 11 reviews. United Kingdom reviews say it felt thinner than the extra-thick title, and one sheet ripped when tensioned as a trailer cover. Best value is the ZHXGO painter pack at about £7.85: six 4 m x 5 m sheets and three tape rolls, 3.8 from 6 reviews, with no thickness stated. The VOGANLL eyeleted cover scores 7.4, higher than the top pick, and takes no badge: the title says PVC, the specification says polyethylene, and 0.12 mm is a light tied cover.
Zhiyu666 2 m x 3 m clear sheet
The only kept listing that states 0.3 mm, at about £8.99, with the United Kingdom thickness dispute left on the card. Score 7.0.
ZHXGO 6-sheet painter cover
About £7.85 with three tape rolls, for a decorating day only. No thickness is stated.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices captured 20 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures already stored for this set. This is not a laboratory test.
