Book covering film: width, plastic and metres
Updated: 23 October 2026
You have a pile of exercise books, or a paperback and a road atlas, and the rolls on amazon.co.uk look like the same clear sheet. Book covering film is that sheet: sticky back plastic for a cover you will keep, or the one wrap in this set that has no glue. The [Cover film comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/cover-film) holds the ten listings, the saved GBP prices and the review counts. This page is the order to read them in. Width first, then the plastic the listing actually names, then glue or a wrap, then how many metres you will cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No roll here was lab-tested.
You have a pile of exercise books, or a paperback and a road atlas, and the rolls on amazon.co.uk look like the same clear sheet.
You have a pile of exercise books, or a paperback and a road atlas, and the rolls on amazon.co.uk look like the same clear sheet. Book covering film is that sheet: sticky back plastic for a cover you will keep, or the one wrap in this set that has no glue. The Cover film comparison holds the ten listings, the saved GBP prices and the review counts. This page is the order to read them in. Width first, then the plastic the listing actually names, then glue or a wrap, then how many metres you will cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No roll here was lab-tested.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Plastic | Roll size | Adhesive | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  HERMA HERMA 7002 film | Polypropylene (PP) | 2 m × 40 cm | Self-adhesive | 9.0 | about £3.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  HERMA HERMA 7003 film | Polypropylene (PP) | 3 m × 40 cm | Self-adhesive | 8.9 | about £4.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  HERMA HERMA 7360 wrap | Polypropylene in the title and bullets; polyurethane on the material field | 2 m × 40 cm | Non-adhesive wrap | 8.2 | about £2.62 | View offer |
On this page
Match the width to the book
Width decides whether one piece can cross the book you are holding. About 30–33 cm suits many exercise books and paperbacks you cover face by face. Forty centimetres is HERMA’s household width on the 2 m and 3 m self-adhesive rolls. About 45–50 cm can span a large book while it is open.
Lay the book flat and measure from the outer edge of the back cover, across the spine, to the outer edge of the front. If that span is 36 cm, a 33 cm roll will not do it in one piece. A textbook that opens past about 45 cm needs the wider film, or you accept a join. A named roll for a short job or a long job is on best book covering film.
Read the plastic name
Only two self-adhesive listings here name polypropylene and add a PVC-free bullet: HERMA 7002 and HERMA 7003. HERMA’s pages quote about 60 µm. The amazon attributes for 7002 leave thickness blank, and that figure does not transfer to the other rolls.
G4GADGET, Hawksbill and Hydia say plastic, or sticky plastic. You can buy them for a book. You cannot say you bought polypropylene. Fantasnight and Hode name polyvinyl chloride and print 0.2 millimetres, and their listings also point at walls. UK REACH Annex XVII entry 51 limits four phthalates in plasticised articles. That does not make any untested roll here compliant or non-compliant. A PVC-free bullet is the seller’s wording, not a lab certificate. ESPO’s 50 micron polypropylene and KPC’s 80 micron sit beside the name. A two-review title that never prints a micron is not that specification.
Glue, wrap, then metres
Sticky film is the fast cover for an exercise book you are happy to commit to. The wrap is the roll when you do not want glue on the paper. This set has one wrap, HERMA 7360, at about £2.62 for 2 m by 40 cm. The fork itself is non adhesive book cover film.
Metres come after that choice. The adhesive 2 m roll is about £3.95, the 3 m roll is about £4.95, and the two 10 m titles are about £10.54 and about £11.99. Per square metre the long rolls land around £2.10–£2.40 and the short rolls around £4–£8, and only if you will use the length. One long title says 1.0 metre in the unit-count field while the title says 10 m. How many books a September pile needs sits with covering school exercise books.
What the words on the roll do not prove
Archive quality in the HERMA bullets does not mean the National Archives approves the film. Their leaflet treats unskilled DIY repairs and yellowing self-adhesive tapes as damage on books that matter. A rare or already taped book is a conservator’s job. Do not film a damp or mouldy book.
If the roll arrives matt when the page said gloss, or short when the title said 10 m, section 22 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the short-term right to reject, normally 30 days, when goods are not as described. On HERMA 7360 the title and the bullets say polypropylene and non-adhesive, and the material-type field says Plastic, Polyurethane. Keep both. The same habit applies when a title says 10 m and a unit-count field says 1.0 metre.
Common questions
What width do I need for an exercise book?
Many exercise books and face-by-face paperbacks sit around 30–33 cm. Measure the book closed, then measure it open if you want one sheet across both covers and the spine. A 33 cm roll that fits a small exercise book will not span a large textbook laid flat. If the open span is wider than the roll, you are covering each board on its own and the spine stays bare.
When is 40 cm enough, and when do I need about 50 cm?
Forty centimetres is HERMA’s household width and covers a modest open book with a little left to fold in. About 45–50 cm is the point where a large open textbook or a map needs the wider film in one piece. If you are only covering the front board of a paperback, the extra width is spare film you will trim, not a better cover.
Is a PVC-free bullet the same as a phthalate test?
No. A bullet that says PVC free is the seller’s wording. UK REACH limits four phthalates in plasticised articles, and this comparison did not test any roll. Do not call an untested film compliant or non-compliant. If you need a written answer on phthalates, ask the seller before you rely on the bullet.
Should I buy 2–3 m or 10 m?
Buy 2–3 m when the pile is a few books. Buy 10 m only if you will use the length, and only after you have read the unit-count line. In this set the long rolls are about £2.10–£2.40 a square metre, against about £4–£8 for the short rolls. Metres you never cut erase that saving, so a short gridded roll is the cheaper cover for a small pile.
Is archive quality a conservator’s approval?
No. Those words sit in the HERMA bullets. The National Archives describe DIY tape and unskilled repairs as damage on books that matter. Use the film on everyday exercise books, maps and paperbacks you are content to commit to. For a rare or already repaired book, ask a conservator rather than treating the bullet as clearance.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22.10.2026.
- HERMA self-adhesive film 7003 (retrieved October 2026)
- HERMA UK book cover film 7360 (retrieved October 2026)
- National Archives: Caring for your Books (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved October 2026)
- REACH Annex XVII entry 51 (retrieved October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved October 2026)
- ESPO book covering roll (retrieved October 2026)
- KPC 80 micron self-adhesive film (retrieved October 2026)