How to fit tarpaulin clips
Updated: 17 October 2026
You have a cover, a hem, and a short cord in the pack, and the listing only says to clamp and tighten. How to fit tarpaulin clips is the sequence those bullets skip: where the jaw sits, how far apart the points go, when to stop turning, and when the sheet should come down instead. This is not a ranking of the eleven amazon.co.uk packs. Prices stay on the [tarpaulin clips comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/tarpaulin-clips). Whether you needed a clip or a bungee in the first place stays on [tarpaulin clips vs bungee cords](/hub/diy-supplies/tarpaulin-clips/sub/tarpaulin-clips-vs-bungee-cords).
You have a cover, a hem, and a short cord in the pack, and the listing only says to clamp and tighten.
You have a cover, a hem, and a short cord in the pack, and the listing only says to clamp and tighten. How to fit tarpaulin clips is the sequence those bullets skip: where the jaw sits, how far apart the points go, when to stop turning, and when the sheet should come down instead. This is not a ranking of the eleven amazon.co.uk packs. Prices stay on the tarpaulin clips comparison. Whether you needed a clip or a bungee in the first place stays on tarpaulin clips vs bungee cords.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Jaw | Tether | Stop turning when | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  QH7 QH7 12 tarp clamps | Not stated | 0.47 inch tail hole | The cloth is held | 9.2 | about £8.09 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Langaelex Langaelex clip, bungee and carabiner kit | Not stated | 15 cm ball bungee | The cloth is held | 8.5 | about £9.99 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  Langaelex Langaelex 12 tarp clips | About 10 mm | None in the pack | The cloth is held | 8.5 | about £6.99 | View offer |
On this page
Open the jaw, clamp the hem, stop when it holds
Open the thumb screw until the mouth will take the hem, not the flat sheet. Listings that state an opening say about 10 mm on the Langaelex 12-pack and about 1 cm on VirtuGro. QH’s sequence is to grip the edge, set the screw, then add a rope through the 0.47 inch tail hole. The Langaelex 12-pack calls the rotating nut tool-free. Stop when the cloth is held. UK reviews on QH and both Langaelex listings describe threads that shear if you keep turning. If the jaws still gape, that clip does not fit this hem. Choosing a jaw is on the tarpaulin clips buying guide.
Fix the whole edge, not the corners
A cover tied at two corners and left free along the sides will flap. Tarpaulins Direct says a half-fixed sheet can tear, damage property and injure someone, and it says to use the whole edge. Tarpaulins UK’s rule of thumb, for sheets over 6 m, is no more than 1 m between clips. That is a retailer note, not a British Standard, and it is not a spacing law for a small furniture cover. On a short gazebo side, one clip at each end leaves a belly of loose cloth. Each point still needs its own tether. More clips do not repair a jaw that does not close.
Use a tether that reaches the anchor
The cord in a typical kit is a loop for a rail, a pole or a frame beside the hem. The Langaelex kit and Pozaqutar state 15 cm. VirtuGro’s package line says 25 cm. Yuechenggui states cords up to 30 cm. QH and the Langaelex 12-pack include no cord, so you supply a rope of the length the anchor needs. A 15 cm ball will loop a gazebo leg that touches the sheet. It will not reach a ground peg a stride away. Thirty centimetres is still a short loop. If the only anchor is distant, use cord by the metre. A rope over the top of a large sheet limits lift. It does not replace the edge.
If a gale is forecast, take the sheet down
Tarpaflex says it may be necessary to take a sheet down if gale-force winds are due. The Met Office says to secure or store loose items, and not to repair damage during the storm. Adding another clip to a cover that is already drumming is that repair. Do not sheet a scaffold unless it is designed for the wind load. That is the Health and Safety Executive’s limit. Do not use these clips as the restraint for a cover that must stay on at road speed. On a caravan, a screw-jaw can add a tie on a loose skirt, and it does not enter the awning rail. That limit is on caravan awning tarp clips.
Common questions
How do you fit a screw-jaw tarpaulin clip?
Open the thumb screw, offer the jaw to the hem, and tighten only until the cloth is held. Then pass a rope or a bungee through the tail if the pack did not include one. QH states a 0.47 inch hole for the tether you supply. The Langaelex 12-pack calls its nut tool-free and states about 10 mm. If the listing prints no opening, test the folded hem before you commit the whole edge.
Do you clamp the flat sheet or the hem?
Clamp the hem at the thickness you will fold into the jaw. A flat panel in the product photo is not that stack of cloth. Listings that state a figure in this sample say about 10 mm or about 1 cm. If the jaws do not meet, that clip does not fit this hem, and another of the same clip will not close the mouth.
How far apart should the clips be?
Tarpaulins UK’s rule of thumb is no more than 1 m between clips on sheets over 6 m. It is not a British Standard. Use the whole edge, not the corners only. Tarpaulins Direct warns that a half-fixed sheet can flap, tear and injure.
How tight is tight enough before the thread shears?
Tight enough is when the hem stays in the jaw and the sheet is no longer free at that point. Reviews on QH and both Langaelex listings describe screws and bodies that fail if you keep turning. One extra half-turn after the teeth have met is how a knob snaps.
What if the jaws do not meet?
The clip will not hold that hem. UK reviews on the Langaelex 12-pack and the Langaelex kit describe jaws that do not close. Adding more of the same clip does not close a mouth that is already at the end of its screw. Measure the folded hem against a stated opening where you have one, about 10 mm or about 1 cm in this sample, or choose a different clip.
Should you take the sheet down if a gale is forecast?
Yes. Tarpaflex says a sheet may need to come down if a gale is forecast. The Met Office says to secure or store loose items and not to repair damage while the storm is on. Another clip, fitted in the wind to a flapping edge, is that repair. Shock cord can be kinder than rigid rope in ordinary gusts. Take the sheet down while you can still handle it.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk prices, stars, and review counts are the listing lines captured on 15 October 2026.
- Tarpaulins UK, how to tie down a tarpaulin (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Tarpaulins Direct, tarp clips and accessories (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Tarpaflex, tarpaulin usage advice (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Faithfull, tarpaulin clips set of 4 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Holdon MIDI clip-on eyelets (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Met Office, stay safe in a storm (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE, scaffolding information (retrieved 15 October 2026)