How Much Wrap Material Needed for an Entire Car
Vehicle wrapping has exploded over the last decade as vinyls become cheaper, easier to install, and in more exciting colors. Though the physical vinyl has come down in price, it can still be an expensive proposition to go and get your vehicle wrapped at a professional shop. A professional installation could cost you an additional $1000-$1500. You can check out our car wrap pricing guide for more info.
TLDR? Here are our size recommendations.
1. Small car - 45' x 60"
2. Medium car - 50' x 60"
3. Large car - 60' x 60"
4. Truck - 70' x 60"
In this article we review some basics of how much vinyl you need to wrap it yourself as well as the costs involved. Unless you do this regularly at your job, you likely won't be completely prepared with the materials needed so you should factor those costs into your budget.
Outline
- How much vinyl do I need to wrap a car?
- How much wrap do I need for my truck?
- How much does it cost to wrap a car yourself?
- How long does it take to wrap a car?
How much vinyl do I need to wrap a car?
The first thing you'll have to decide here is if you are going to wrap your entire vehicle or not. This may sound like a weird question, but many people add accents to their paint with partial wraps. This could include a matte piece on the hood/roof, some decals on the side, etc.
If you are wrapping the whole vehicle, you should use a general gauge of 3x length of the vehicle + 5'-15' for bumpers and some scrap.
Wrapping Small Cars
If your car falls into the small car bracket, you should be set with **45 or 50 feet x 60 inches vinyl**. The more experienced you are, the closer to 45 you can stick. If it's your first time, get extra. I ruined a few pieces on my first go.
Some examples of small cars:
- Audi A3 and A4
- BMW 3-series and 2-series
- C-class Mercedes
- Nissan Sentra
- Hyundai Elantra
- Mitsubishi Lancer
- Subaru Impreza
- VW Golf, Bug andJetta
Midsize vehicles
If your car falls into the midsize car bracket, you should be set with **50 or 60 feet x 60 inches vinyl**. The more experienced you are, the closer to 50 you can stick. Again, keep in mind your level of ability to determine whether you need to add additional scrap. Don't forget, it's cheaper to add 5ft to the roll than have to buy another one later.
Some examples of midsize cars:
- Hyundai Sonata
- Ford Fusion and Mustang (long)
- Toyota Camry
- Chevy Corvette and Camaro
- Honda Accord
- Nissan Maxima and Altima
- Audi A5 and A6
- Bmw 5-series
- VW Passat
- VW CC
Fullsize vehicles
If your car falls into the fullsize car bracket, you should be set with **60 or 70 feet x 60 inches vinyl**. The more experienced you are, the closer to 60 you can stick. Don't forget, it's cheaper to add 5ft to the roll than have to buy another one later. The larger the vehicle, the more variance there will be as well.
Some examples of full-size vehicles:
- Hummer H3
- Bmw 7-series
- Ford Taurus
- Chevy Impala
- Mercedes s-class
- 4Runner
- Toyota FJ Cruiser
- Audi A7 and A8
How much wrap do I need for my truck?
Trucks are slightly different beasts than cars when considering wrap amount. Obviously a pickup will have less need in the back than a 'truck' like an Escalade or Land Rover. You also may opt out of wrapping the roof of the larger cars and trucks because who's going to see it!
That being said, we recommend **70 or 75 feet x 60 inches vinyl** to wrap a truck. This should allow some scrap for the homegrown wrap and let you cover the whole vehicle.
Some examples of trucks:
- Ford F150 and F250
- Dodge Ram
- Cadillac Escalade
- Chevy Suburban
How much does it cost to wrap a car yourself?
The cost to wrap a car yourself is mostly just the cost of vinyl itself , which can be $3000-$5000 or more depending on your finish. That said, you will need equipment to do the job that you may need to purchase.
Tools you'll need to wrap the vehicle yourself:
- Grease and wax remover
- General cleaner
- 70% or 90% Isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
- Heat gun
- Infrared (IR) Thermometer
- Knife
- Cutting tape
- Gloves
- Towels and squeegee
Turtlewax provides some good cleaning and chemical products that you can use, which would add about $50 total to your project if you don't have them already.
An IR thermometer can cost you $15-$100 depending on your choice. This can be an important item to avoid overheating the wrap during install. In general, I would expect a wrap to include $50-$100 in additional supplies for someone not regularly performing this process.
How long does it take to wrap a car?
A professional can often complete a full wrap in 2-3 days, and allow the vinyl to set for 12 hours after. For a home-grown wrap, you should expect to take more than that and involve a friend. It's much easier to handle the wrap if you have someone there with an extra set of hands to smooth things out or hold the extra vinyl. A dedicated pair of novices could knock this out in 4-5 days. Don't forget to let the vinyl adhesive set for the necessary 12 hours before taking it out for a drive!
You can also read some of my other articles:
- How to Spot a Car Enthusiast
- Houston Car Wrap Shops
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How Much Wrap Material Needed for an Entire Car
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