How do you finance shrink wrap, bagging and filling machines?
Plenty of co-packers and small manufacturers don’t buy a whole line at once. They add a wrapper, a bagger or a filler when an order calls for it. Here’s what those machines cost and how to get even the small ones financed.
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U.S. packaging machinery shipments came to $11.7 billion in 2025, according to PMMI’s 2026 State of the Industry report. A lot of that gets bought one machine at a time, though. Maybe a co-packer just landed a product that needs a different bag, or the crew at a small food maker can’t keep up with hand capping anymore.
This post is about those single machines. If you’re buying a line, with conveyors, integration and installation, see our guide to financing a full packaging line. Program details are on our packaging financing page.
Can you finance a shrink wrap machine?
Yes. Shrink wrap machine financing covers L-bar sealers, shrink tunnels and stretch wrappers, new or used. The catch is size, because a lot of shrink equipment costs less than our usual $15,000 minimum.
A few listed prices from U.S. sellers: Uline lists its Deluxe 18-by-18-inch L-bar sealer at $1,208 and a 220-volt shrink tunnel at $4,195. MyBinding lists a semi-automatic L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel combo at $9,975, and quotes its other combos on request. Any of those should go on an agreement with at least one other machine.
Stretch wrappers usually cost more. (Shrink film is heated tight around a product. Stretch film is pulled around a pallet. Many people call both “shrink wrap,” and we finance both.) Industrial Packaging, a Massachusetts packaging supplier, lists semi-automatic turntable wrappers at $7,200 to $37,000 base, automatic turntables from $49,000, and automatic straddle wrappers at $48,000 to $96,000. An automatic wrapper clears the minimum on its own. A basic semi-automatic one may not.
How does bagging machine financing work for VFFS and pouch machines?
Bagging machine financing works like any other packaging finance deal: you send the seller’s quote with a short application, it’s matched to a program, and you sign an equipment finance agreement or a lease. A bagger often costs enough to go on its own agreement. One example: a machinery broker lists a 2025 WeighPack VersaPak vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) bagger, with a compressor, at $39,000. Add a multihead scale or move up to a bigger system, and many sellers stop listing prices and quote each job instead. Pouch machines, whether horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) or premade-pouch fillers, are financed the same way.
A few things make a bagger deal go smoother:
- Put everything on the quote. The bagger plus whatever comes with it, like a scale, an auger, a compressor or extra forming tubes, so it all lands on one payment.
- Match the term to the machine. The term can’t outrun the bagger’s useful life, so a used one often gets a shorter term than a new one.
- Think about how long you’ll need it. If the bagger is for one customer’s program that might not renew, a fair market value lease you can hand back may fit better than owning it. Our lease vs. loan guide runs one machine through both.
Can you get filling machine financing for liquid and powder fillers?
Filling machine financing covers piston and overflow fillers for liquids, weigh fillers for powders and dry product, and the cappers and labelers that run after them. Prices start in the low thousands and go well into six figures.
Cleveland Equipment lists tabletop semi-automatic piston fillers at $3,609 to $7,255 and vibratory fillers for dry product at $7,950 to $16,350. Accutek, a filler manufacturer, wrote in 2023 that fully automatic machines start around $25,000 and can reach hundreds of thousands for big multi-head systems. An automatic inline spindle capper from Cleveland Equipment starts at $49,000. On the small end, a Primera AP362 label applicator is listed at about $1,988.
So a tabletop filler or a label applicator should go on the same agreement as something bigger, while an automatic filler or capper can go on its own.
Buying a used filler? Underwriting looks at who built it, how old the controls are, and whether parts and support are still available. If the manufacturer still services the machine, it can usually go on a longer term.
How much do shrink wrap, bagging and filling machines cost?
Anywhere from about $1,200 for a tabletop L-bar sealer to six figures for a large automatic filler, based on what U.S. sellers and manufacturers publish. Here’s how the common machines stack up against our usual $15,000 minimum:
| Machine | Listed asking price | Financed on its own? |
|---|---|---|
| Tabletop L-bar sealer, 18 x 18 in. | About $1,208 | No, pair it with other equipment |
| Shrink tunnel, 220V | $4,195 | No, pair it with other equipment |
| Semi-automatic L-bar sealer and tunnel combo | $9,975 (one listed model) | No, add another machine |
| Semi-automatic turntable stretch wrapper | $7,200 to $37,000 base | Depends on the model |
| Automatic stretch wrapper | Turntable from $49,000; straddle $48,000 to $96,000 | Yes |
| VFFS bagger (one 2025 listing, with compressor) | $39,000 | Yes |
| Tabletop semi-automatic piston filler | $3,609 to $7,255 | No, pair it with other equipment |
| Vibratory filler, dry product | $7,950 to $16,350 | Usually paired |
| Fully automatic liquid filler | From about $25,000 (2023 manufacturer estimate) | Yes |
| Automatic inline spindle capper | From $49,000 base | Yes |
| Label applicator (Primera AP362) | About $1,988 | No, pair it with other equipment |
Listed asking prices from U.S. equipment sellers and one broker listing, checked October 2026, plus one manufacturer’s 2023 cost estimate for automatic liquid fillers (Accutek). These are listed asking prices, not appraisals or offers, and base prices rise with options. Sources are at the end of this post.
Used prices are harder to pin down. They swing with age, controls and condition, and many used dealers quote larger machines instead of listing a price. A used machine also changes the financing: expect 10% to 15% down from a dealer, 15% to 25% on a private-party sale, and a rate roughly one to three points above the same machine bought new.
What’s the monthly payment on a packaging machine, and will it pay for itself?
At an assumed 9%, every $10,000 financed over 60 months runs about $208 a month. Here’s what that looks like on machines from the table:
| Example | Price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| L-bar and tunnel combo ($9,975), tabletop piston filler ($7,255) and label applicator ($1,988) on one agreement | $19,218 | About $611 over 36 months, or $399 over 60 |
| Fully automatic liquid filler | $25,000 | About $795 over 36 months, or $519 over 60 |
| VFFS bagger | $39,000 | About $971 over 48 months, or $810 over 60 |
| Automatic turntable stretch wrapper | $49,000 | About $1,219 over 48 months, or $1,017 over 60 |
| Automatic filler and spindle capper together | $74,000 | About $1,536 over 60 months, or $1,191 over 84 |
Example payments at an assumed 9%, computed on the full prices shown in the table above with payments in arrears. Your rate and terms depend on your credit, time in business and the equipment. Illustrative, not an offer.
Will it pay for itself? Compare the payment with the labor it saves. The national median wage for hand packers and packagers is $17.44 an hour (O*NET, 2025 BLS data), and that’s before payroll taxes and benefits. A year of payments on the $39,000 bagger comes to about $9,715. That’s the same as about 557 hours of hand-packing wages, or roughly 11 hours a week.
Or look at it per hour. Run the $25,000 automatic filler one 40-hour shift a week and its $519 payment over 60 months works out to about $3 for every hour it runs.
Machines still need operators, though, and the median wage for packaging and filling machine operators is $20.78 an hour. So count the hand-packing hours the machine saves, subtract the operator time it adds, and add any orders you can now take that you’d have turned down. If that beats the payment, the machine is paying for itself.
Should you finance a packaging machine or pay cash?
Finance it if your cash can earn more somewhere else in the business than the financing costs. If it can’t, paying cash costs less. Our breakdown of paying cash vs. financing walks through the math.
For a co-packer, cash usually has a job already, like buying film and containers for a new customer’s first run and covering payroll while you wait for that customer to pay.
My own take? I’d pay cash for a $1,200 L-bar sealer and not think twice. On a $49,000 automatic wrapper or a $74,000 filler and capper, I’d keep the cash and make the payment.
If you’re buying near year end, look at Section 179. A machine bought on an equipment finance agreement or a $1 buyout lease is deducted the same as a cash purchase if it’s placed in service by December 31. The 2026 limit is $2,560,000, phasing out above $4,090,000 of purchases (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32). The machine has to be delivered, installed and ready to run by then, so ask the seller about delivery first. Have your tax advisor confirm the deduction.
Can you put several packaging machines on one financing approval?
Yes. Several machines bought at the same time can go on one application and one agreement, with one monthly payment. That’s how the small machines get financed. A $9,975 L-bar and tunnel combo won’t meet our usual minimum by itself, but add a $7,200 semi-automatic stretch wrapper and you’re at $17,175, or about $427 a month over 48 months at an assumed 9%.
Some pairings that make sense:
- End of line: an L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel, plus a stretch wrapper for the pallets.
- Fill and finish: a filler with the capper and labeler that run after it.
- A new bagged product: a bagger plus a checkweigher to weigh the bags coming off it.
What do you need to send to finance a packaging machine?
For most single machines, just the seller’s quote and a short application. On qualifying files up to $500,000, there’s usually no need to dig up tax returns or financial statements, and the application starts with a soft credit inquiry that doesn’t affect your score.
- The quote. Make, model, price and everything included. On a used machine, add the year and any service records.
- Who’s selling it. Dealer, auction or private seller. A private sale adds a lien search, an inspection or appraisal on larger items, and payment straight to the seller.
First responses usually come back within 1 to 2 business hours, and funding can follow 24 to 48 hours after the documents are signed. Credit and time-in-business guidelines are on our packaging equipment financing page.
Frequently asked questions
Can you finance just one packaging machine?
Yes. We finance single machines as well as full lines. Our usual minimum is about $15,000, so a VFFS bagger, an automatic stretch wrapper or an automatic filler can usually go on its own agreement, while smaller machines like L-bar sealers, tabletop fillers and label applicators go on one agreement with other equipment.
Can a new co-packer finance a packaging machine?
Yes, but a business under a year old is underwritten as a startup. That typically means 700+ personal credit, experience in the industry, and working capital left after the purchase. Many programs for established businesses start around a 600 FICO, and two or more years in business opens the broadest programs and best pricing.
How long can you finance a shrink wrap, bagging or filling machine?
Equipment finance agreements run 24 to 84 months and leases 24 to 60 months. The term can’t run past the machine’s remaining useful life, so used machines are often written on shorter terms than new ones.
Can you finance a stretch wrapper on its own?
Usually, if it’s automatic. Automatic stretch wrappers are listed from about $48,000, well above our usual $15,000 minimum. Semi-automatic turntable wrappers are listed from about $7,200, so a basic one may need to go on one agreement with other equipment, like an L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel.
Do you need tax returns to finance a packaging machine?
Usually not. Application-only decisions, with no tax returns or financial statements, are available up to $500,000 on qualifying files. Above that, expect a full financial package. The application starts with a soft credit inquiry that doesn’t affect your score.
Does Section 179 apply to a financed packaging machine?
Usually, yes. New and used machines both qualify, and a machine bought on an equipment finance agreement or a $1 buyout lease is deducted the same as a cash purchase if it’s placed in service, meaning delivered, installed and ready to run, by December 31. The 2026 limit is $2,560,000, phasing out above $4,090,000 of purchases. On a fair market value lease, you deduct the payments as rent instead. Confirm with your tax advisor.
How fast can a packaging machine be funded?
Most applications get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours, and clean application-only files can be approved in as little as 30 minutes. Funding can follow in as little as 24 to 48 hours once the documents are signed.
Price your machine.
Set the price, term, down payment and structure in the Quote Builder and see an estimated payment, with no credit pull. When the numbers work, one short application matches you with a dedicated funding professional who manages the deal through funding.
This article is general information about financing packaging machines. It is not tax, legal, or accounting advice, or a commitment to finance. Prices shown are listed asking prices, not appraisals or offers. Tax and accounting treatment depends on your contract and your business; confirm with your CPA. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.