Another variation on greenhouse plastic is with an IR (infra-red) coating.

• The IR plastic can reduce your heat loss by up to 20% over a regular double poly installation.
• Even though this plastic has a hazy look to it, the light transmission properties are actually a couple percentage points better.
• This plastic comes standard with an anti-condensate coating which means there will be less dripping in the greenhouse.

All of these features make IR plastic an attractive alternative for many people even though the cost is roughly 20% more than regular plastic. This plastic does not have an inside or outside.

The cell structure that the Infrared plastic is made from is significantly different from the regular plastic.

This gives the plastic a much softer texture and feels and contributes to it not being as strong as regular plastic. Now that our supplier has moved to 7.2mil thickness, it can be used as an outside layer and is stronger.

The slight restriction for people with shorter greenhouses is that the IR plastic only comes in 100′ and 150′ rolls.

You would either have a friend who can buy/use the extra or be prepared to “waste” some.

There are also not quite as many choices for available widths as with regular plastic.

Please call Norm to specifically inquire about more information regarding these special coatings.

you can see more information on our covering options page

Over the last year, our plastic supplier has been transitioning to a heavier and stronger plastic film as a structure covering. 6mil mil UV stabilized plastic has been around for a long time. This has now been changed to 7.2 mil. This is a stronger material which is expected to last longer as well.
With the extra weight (20% increase) there is an extra cost but with the extra projected life span, the cost per year should be about the same.
This applies to both the clear and the white.
The IR plastic (infrared) has also been upgraded to 7.2 mil. This is a heat-saving plastic with anti-drip properties. Since it is also now stronger, it is okay to use as an outside layer.