What's the difference between a flat tarpaulin, a screen and a shaped cover?

Contents:

Introduction

Flat tarps and screens

• Typical uses for tarps
• Typical uses for screens

Shaped covers

• Typical uses for shaped covers

Summary of differences

Introduction

The Kuvr.co Custom Covers product range falls into two main categories:

• Flat tarps and screens
• Shaped covers

So, what exactly is the difference between a flat tarp (short for tarpaulin) or screen and a shaped cover. In this article, we set out to answer exactly this.

Flat tarps and screens

Flat tarps and screens are, as the name would imply, 2-dimensional in shape with their size primarily based on two key measurements: length x width (think rectangles, circles, triangles, etc). Our tarps and screens are all made from PVC fabrics, known as Fuji 600™, Flexi Clear 30™ and Ultra Clear 50™. We discuss these fabric options in more detail in our tarps and screens customisation guide. The distinction between tarps and screens is simply to indicate their intended application:

• Screens are generally designed for hanging vertically like curtains and have a huge variety of domestic and commercial applications which we detail in the table below. They may be customised with zips and/or velcro to create doorways and tie-backs which enable doorway sections to be rolled up and held in place. Screens may also have inset windows or be made entirely from transparent fabric. The type and spacing of fixings can also be customised. Read more about screen customisation options.
• Tarps are typically used for more general purpose coverage and are usually laid over objects to provide protection from the elements. Like screens, they have a wide variety of domestic and commercial coverage applications as detailed below. Generally speaking, owing to their general purpose nature, tarps are usually more straightforward in design. However, they may be customised in the same way as screens, with zips and/or velcro and tie backs, and the type and spacing of fixings. Read more about tarp customisation options.

Within these top level categories, there are many application specific subcategories for flat taps and screens and, in reality, many of these applications overlap between each other (for example, a tarp could equally be referred to as a screen if hung vertically).

We’ve listed some common applications in the tables below. Note that these lists are far from comprehensive and are provided here simply as a guide to give you a better idea of the diverse range of applications for our products.

Typical uses for tarps

Typical uses for screens

Shaped covers

Shaped outdoor covers are 3-dimensional in shape. Their size is primarily based on three key measurements: length x width x height (think cubes, cylinders, cones, etc). Our shaped outdoor covers can be made from three distinct types of fabrics, known as PolyGuard™ (polyester), NylonSafe™ (nylon) and PVCArmour™ (PVC). Each of these fabrics has specific qualities that make them suitable for a variety of different commercial and domestic applications. We discuss these fabric options further in our shaped covers customisation guide.

In the table below, we've listed some typical domestic and commercial applications for our shaped covers. You will notice there is some overlap between the applications of shaped covers and flat tarps. The distinction here is that, while flat tarps are general purpose and may provide coverage for a wide variety of objects, a shaped cover is usually designed very specifically to fit a particular product, such as a piece of patio furniture or a particular industrial machine.

Note that these lists are far from comprehensive and are provided here simply as a guide to give you a better idea of the diverse range of applications for our products.

Typical uses for shaped covers

Summary of differences