Flatbed tarp sourcing for fleets
You will not get the fabric weight wrong.
The 16 oz sold as heavy duty, the 6 ft drop where the load needed 8, the grommets that pull out mid-winter: every one of these failures is a specification that was never written down. We write the spec first, you approve it, and delivery is checked against it line by line.
First personal reply within 2 business days, with clarifying questions or next steps.
Start where it hurts
| Your situation | Where to start | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A tarp failed, the next order must not | Build the written spec → | The spec checker turns your load into the measurable values to demand in writing. |
| You need the right size for your trailer | Size your tarp → | The calculator works from your trailer and load, and only ever names published formats. |
| You buy ahead for a fleet | Request a documented quote → | Three steps, no commitment. The spec is confirmed in writing before any number. |
| You need a replacement tarp today | Not us, honestly | We hold no stock. Same-day replacement comes from a US retail shelf; we serve planned orders. |
Two tools that do the work a bad quote skips
Spec checker
Answer three questions about your loads. Get the specification to demand in writing: fabric weight, tensile and adhesion values, seams, hardware and drop, as a block you can paste into any request for quote, ours or anyone else's.
Build your spec →Tarp size calculator
Enter your trailer and load dimensions. Get the flat size and drop the job needs, and which published formats match. When no published format fits, it says so instead of guessing.
Size your tarp →The range, by load
| Family | What it covers | Published formats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber Tarps | Packaged lumber, plywood and tall palletized loads. | 20x27 ft, 18 oz, 6 ft drop flap · 20x28 ftpublished US formats, Aug 2026 | See the family → |
| Steel Tarps | Steel plate, beams, pipe and other low flat loads. | 16x27 ft, 4 ft droppublished US formats, Aug 2026 | See the family → |
| Coil Tarps | Steel coils, shaped to the eye and the curve. | 6x6x6 ftpublished US formats, Aug 2026 | See the family → |
Formats above are published by US vendors, read on 2026-08-16. Factories cut custom dimensions to order against a written dimension sheet.
The trap has been documented for ten years
Practitioner threads from 2013 to 2025 repeat the same account: quality is a lottery even from known names. Sparse grommets. D-rings that tear out. Panel welds that fail. And the one that costs the most, the weight trap: Fabric under 16 oz lets water through; 18 oz takes the abrasion. The buyer finds out at the customer's dock, not at purchase. The difference is invisible on delivery day; only a written value and a scale can see it.
The fix is not a better brand. It is a written specification with measurable values, and a reception that checks them. The published 18 oz reference values make that possible: they are numbers a scale and a pull test can verify.
Published 18 oz reference values
| Fabric weight | 18 oz per square yard |
| Grab tensile | 450 x 425 lbs (ASTM D751) |
| Tear strength | 90 x 80 lbs |
| Coating adhesion | 10 lbs/in |
| Puncture resistance | 185 lbs |
| Cold crack | -40 F |
Source: published spec sheets of US fabric vendors, read 2026-08-16. These are the values our spec checker puts in writing.
The supply calendar is real, and it favors fleets that plan
Factory lead time
Declared production time for custom finished tarps: 3 to 4 weeks, before freight. A factory claim, verified only at quote, and stated as such.
Factory MOQ
Declared entry MOQ: about 50 pieces declared by two factories; 100 by a third. Below MOQ, a factory order does not exist; we say so instead of dressing it up.
Duty, read at the source
Finished synthetic-fibre tarps: HTS 6306.12.00 at 8.8% MFN, read directly on the USITC tariff. Classification and duty stack still get validated by a licensed customs broker before any quote.
No duty-free side door
De minimis is suspended for all countries since 2025-08-29: no parcel under 800 USD enters duty-free (executive order 14324 of 2025-07-30; statutory end codified for 2027-07-01). The average effective US duty rate is 6.6% estimated for 2026, the highest since 1969 (Tax Foundation). Planning ahead is not caution, it is arithmetic.
A calendar, not a countdown: nothing here expires at midnight. It just takes the weeks it takes.
Who you are dealing with
What we refuse, in writing
- No load securement equipment of any kind: straps, chains, binders, hooks. Their ratings certify life safety we cannot verify. A tarp covers a load; what holds the load is a different trade and we name it as out of scope.
- No order below the factory MOQ dressed up as available.
- No certification we do not hold. No stock we do not have: phase 1 sells nothing.
First personal reply within 2 business days, with clarifying questions or next steps.