Hay tarp specs and prices, four US vendors compared
All values read on 2026-08-20 from the vendors' own listings. We hold no stock and sell none of these: this is market reference, dated, and it will need re-reading.
1. The same size, two vendors, two fabrics
Only sizes published by at least two vendors are listed. A size carried by one vendor gives a price and nothing else; the same size at two vendors gives the gap, which is the part nobody publishes. Percentages are computed from the prices in the table, not typed in.
| Size | Thinner listing | Thicker listing | What the thicker one costs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 x 54 ft | 389.99 USD 12 mil · Tarp Supply | 311.36 USD 16 mil · TarpsPlus | 20.2% less | Spec sheet → |
| 20 x 48 ft | 460.89 USD 12 mil · Tarp Supply | 369.02 USD 16 mil · TarpsPlus | 19.9% less | Spec sheet → |
| 25 x 33 ft | 396.19 USD 12 mil · Tarp Supply | 317.13 USD 16 mil · TarpsPlus | 20.0% less | Spec sheet → |
| 25 x 54 ft | 648.19 USD 12 mil · Tarp Supply | 654.00 USD 17 mil · A1 Tarps, Performer | 0.9% more | Spec sheet → |
| 28 x 48 ft | 645.19 USD 12 mil · Tarp Supply | 516.63 USD 16 mil · TarpsPlus | 19.9% less | Spec sheet → |
| 33 x 48 ft | 760.32 USD 12 mil · Tarp Supply | 608.89 USD 16 mil · TarpsPlus | 19.9% less | Spec sheet → |
5 of 6 sizes: the thicker fabric is the cheaper listing. The exception is the pair that sits under five percent apart, where the thicker listing is a complete system rather than a bare cover. It is in the table because hiding it would flatter the finding, and its spec sheet says exactly what it includes.
Prices are shown as displayed on the day, and US tarp vendors display heavy discounting. Each source line below records the list price the discount was shown against, so a reader can judge whether a gap is a fabric decision or a promotion.
2. What each vendor publishes about its own line
Named without links: these are direct competitors, and the purpose here is to compare what they say. An empty cell is not an omission on our side. It is a value the listing does not publish, and that is itself the finding.
| What is published | Tarp Supply Super Duty Poly Hay Tarps | TarpsPlus Super Heavy Duty silver/black | Tarps Now Hay Tarps Premium | A1 Tarps Performer, made by Inland Tarp and Liner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 12 mil | 16 mil | 12 mil | 17 mil |
| Fabric weight | 7 to 8 oz per square yard | 8 oz per square yard | not published | 7.30 oz per square yard |
| Grommets | solid brass, about every 24 inches | aluminium, about every 18 inches | number 2 brass spur, every 36 inches | not published |
| Hem and fixing | heat sealed seams, rope reinforced hems, corner reinforcement | 1/4 inch rope encased in the hem, triangular corner reinforcement | polypropylene webbing in the hems, webbing handles around the perimeter | sleeved PVC pipes along the length, UV-stable rope, patented tie-down system |
| Warranty | not published | not published | 1 year | extended warranty on materials, workmanship and UV degradation, no duration published |
| Claimed service life | not published | not published | 3 to 5 years | not published |
| Origin | Made in the USA | not published | imported | US manufacturer, plants in Washington, Ohio and Texas |
| Lead time | made to order, 2 to 3 weeks | not published | not published | made to order, up to three weeks |
A second Inland system, Bull Flex, is published at 15 mil with a pocket for a user-supplied pipe and a 3 to 5 year service claim. It is on file but not in the table: no size it shares with another vendor was found in this pass, so it would compare nothing. Source: N2 · Inland Tarp and Liner listing, read 2026-08-20
3. The row that is empty everywhere
| Thickness | 12, 15, 16 and 17 mil, all sold as heavy duty or premium |
| Fabric weight | 7.30 oz, 7 to 8 oz and 8 oz per square yard, and one line publishes none |
| Material | coated woven polyethylene, high density |
| Grommet spacing | 18, 24 or 36 inches depending on the line |
| Claimed service life | 3 to 5 years, where it is claimed at all |
| Warranty | 1 year on one line, one extended warranty with no number attached, and none published on the other two lines |
| Grab tensile and tear strength | not published by any vendor · Not published by any hay tarp vendor read in this pass. A flatbed tarp has ASTM D751 values a buyer can demand; a hay tarp has none. It is asked for at contract and tested, never assumed. |
Source: N2 · published listings of Tarp Supply, TarpsPlus, Tarps Now and A1 Tarps, read 2026-08-20
Thickness and fabric weight do not track each other across vendors: 7.30 oz is sold at 17 mil and 7 to 8 oz at 12 mil. The two headline specs on a hay tarp listing tell different stories, and neither is verifiable before delivery.
4. What the covering is worth, from published research
The prices above are only half a decision. The other half is what a cover saves, and that one is not a vendor claim: it is extension research, published with its method.
| Storage method | 0 to 9 months | 12 to 18 months |
|---|---|---|
| On the ground, covered | 5 to 10% | 10 to 15% |
| On the ground, exposed | 5 to 20% | 20 to 35% and more |
| Elevated on pallets or tires, covered | 2 to 4% | 5 to 10% |
| Elevated, exposed | 3 to 15% | 12 to 35% |
| Under an open building | 2 to 5% | 3 to 10% |
| Enclosed barn | over 2% | 2 to 5% |
Dry matter loss for large round bales. Source: N1 · Mississippi State University Extension, publication P2540 (POD-04-23), table 2
Storing on the ground rather than in a barn costs 1,200 to 1,600 USD a year more for a 30 head herd over 180 days in harvested hay, or 3,120 to 4,095 USD in purchased hay. And the same publication carries the warning that costs people a stack: do not put the plastic underneath the bales: water could pool inside the cover.
Method, and what this page cannot tell you
- Read-only pass on 2026-08-20. No vendor was contacted, no sample was measured, nothing here was tested by us.
- Prices are as displayed that day, discounts included, with the list price recorded in each source line. Re-read them before quoting anything against them.
- Only sizes published by two or more vendors are compared. Single-vendor sizes are on file and excluded on purpose.
- Thickness in mil and fabric weight in ounces per square yard are two different measurements. Neither is a substitute for the other, and no vendor publishes a conversion.
- The 25 x 54 ft pair is not fabric against fabric: the thicker listing includes pipes, rope and a tension system. Its spec sheet says so.
- No search volume, no market share, no sales figures. This page compares what is published, and nothing else.
Questions this page answers
Does a thicker hay tarp cost more?
Not in the published US market. On 5 sizes carried by two vendors on 2026-08-20, the thicker fabric was the cheaper listing every time, by about twenty percent. Thickness cannot be used as a shortcut for quality or for price.
What thicknesses are hay tarps actually sold in?
Twelve, fifteen, sixteen and seventeen mil, all sold under words like heavy duty, super heavy duty or premium. The words do not map to the numbers: one vendor calls twelve mil premium while another sells sixteen mil for less.
How far apart should hay tarp grommets be?
No vendor read in this pass publishes a reason for its spacing. What they publish is the spacing itself: eighteen inches, twenty-four inches and thirty-six inches across three lines. That is a factor of two on the spec that carries the wind load, with no published justification anywhere.
What tensile strength does a hay tarp have?
None of the four vendors publishes one. A flatbed truck tarp is sold against ASTM D751 grab tensile and tear values a buyer can quote back; a hay tarp is not. The value has to be asked for at contract and tested, and anyone who states one without a test method is guessing.
What these numbers mean when you buy: hay tarps, specified where they actually fail. Why the fixing decides: where hay tarps fail. What covering is worth on your own numbers: what covering hay is worth.
First personal reply within 2 business days, with clarifying questions or next steps.