A lumber tarp is the workhorse of flatbed hauling: a large, heavy vinyl tarp with long sides ("drops") that hang down over a tall load, and a flap at one end to close the back. Picking one comes down to three numbers: the width, which sets the drop; the length; and how many you need to cover the deck.
How the size works
Lumber tarps are named width by length, for example 24 x 27 ft. The width goes across the trailer: an 8 ft wide top over the load, plus a drop down each side. So a 24 ft wide tarp has 8 ft drops (8 + 8 + 8), and a 20 ft wide tarp has 6 ft drops (8 + 6 + 6). The length runs along the trailer. Most lumber tarps also have an end flap, the same height as the drop, to cover the back or front of the load.
Match the drop to the load
The drop should reach from the top of the load down to the deck, where it's strapped to the rub rail. Measure your tallest regular load:
- Up to about 4 ft: a steel tarp (4 ft drops) is lighter and easier to throw.
- About 6 ft: a lumber tarp with 6 ft drops, usually 20 ft wide.
- About 8 ft: 8 ft drops, 24 ft wide. This is the common choice for stacked lumber and building materials.
- Taller: 10 ft drops exist, but they're heavy and harder to handle.
A drop that's too short leaves the bottom of the load exposed. One that's far too long just adds weight you have to lift onto the load, and fabric that can flap.
How many to carry
A standard flatbed is 48 or 53 ft long. One 27 ft tarp covers about half of it, so drivers carry two lumber tarps and lap the front one over the back one. Sellers sell 24 x 27 ft lumber tarps in pairs for exactly this reason, and several state outright that two cover a 53 ft flatbed. That pair, 24 x 27 ft with 8 ft drops, is the most common lumber tarp setup we see.
Many drivers also carry a steel tarp and a smoke tarp, so they can cover a low load or the front of a load without wrestling a full lumber tarp. See our guide to smoke, coil and machinery tarps.
Weight
An 18 oz 24 x 27 ft lumber tarp weighs well over 100 lb; one seller lists theirs at about 135 lb. That's why lighter 14 oz and combination tarps exist, and why drivers care so much about how a tarp is folded. Throwing a tarp onto a load is also where most tarping injuries happen; our guide to tarping a flatbed safely covers that.
Our sizes
We carry 18 oz black vinyl lumber tarps from 20 x 18 ft with 6 ft drops up to 28 x 27 ft with 10 ft drops, and double-flap versions for loads that need both ends closed. If you need a size we don't list, ask us.
Sources
- Trucking Depot, 24' x 27' heavy duty lumber tarp, 18 oz
- Trucking Depot, 24' x 27' light duty lumber tarp, 14 oz (two per 53 ft flatbed)
- Carolina Tarps, 24' x 27' 8' drop lumber tarp (weight)
- The Truckers Report forum, "What size tarps should I carry with me?"
- Library of Congress, sawn lumber leaving the mill, Keno, Oregon, 1939
Written by the TrueTarps team. Questions about your job? Contact us or request a custom tarp.