Steel-to-Polyester Conversion Accelerating Across Heavy Industry
Large steel, lumber, and brick manufacturers are converting strapping specifications from steel to polyester at an accelerating pace, driven by worker injury liability concerns that steel strap's sharp edges and high recoil tension create during manual application and cutting. Polyester strap now matches steel's tensile strength for most unitization applications while carrying meaningfully lower injury risk and no recycling cost at the receiving dock, a combination that has made conversion an easy safety and cost case simultaneously rather than a trade-off buyers previously had to weigh. Several large shippers have mandated conversion across their supplier base following injury incidents. For a connected opportunity, MMA values the moving supplies market at USD 8.5 billion in 2025.
Market Impact: Cuts recordable injuries roughly 30%








