A PETG shelf strip has one job: hold six to twelve hanging products on a shelf edge for the length of a promotion without tearing out of the clip.
A supermarket in Leeds ran a clip strip promotion on 200 shelf ends. Eleven percent of strips tore at the top slot in the first fortnight, all of them punched with a square slot set 4 mm from the edge.
PETG shelf strip gauge, slot and edge distance
- Light cards: 0.75 mm
- Six or more products: 1 to 1.5 mm
- Top slot: radiused, 8 mm minimum edge distance
- Hanger pitch: 50 mm, aligned to product height
The slot is the weakest point and the easiest thing to design properly. A radiused slot spreads the hanging load into the surrounding material; edge distance gives that surrounding material something to work with.
Hanger pitch, print and re-use
Hanger pitch decides whether a strip looks organised or crowded. At 50 mm with a 120 mm card the products overlap slightly and the strip reads as full; at 80 mm a single product missing leaves a visible gap.
Printing before punching is the fabrication rule. Ink punched through at the slot line cracks and flakes, and a strip that flakes looks like a returned item on the shelf edge.
For the gauge and tolerance question on thin PETG, see PETG thickness tolerance.
Send your hook pattern, product weights and card artwork to oversales@rpplexiglass.com for a strip quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What thickness PETG shelf strip?
0.75 mm for light hanging cards, 1 to 1.5 mm where the strip carries more than six products or is reused across several promotions. Below 0.6 mm the clip slot deforms on the first restock.
Why does a clip strip tear at the top slot?
The slot is punched square and sits too close to the edge. A radiused slot with 8 mm of material above it distributes the hanging load; a square slot 3 mm from the edge tears within a week.
Can a PETG shelf strip be printed?
Yes, reverse screen print or UV digital on the flat blank. Printing before punching keeps the graphics away from the slot area and avoids ink cracking at the punch line.