How many different types of polytunnel covers are available?
The main cover choices
Most growers start by asking how many types of polytunnel covers are available. In practical terms, you are choosing from a small group: standard clear polythene, thermal or anti-drip, diffused, reinforced covers, netting, shade materials, and specialist crop protection sheets.
That sounds simple enough. On a windy Lancashire site, for example, we would be far pickier about strength than we would be in a sheltered area growing a quick salad crop.
Clear polythene is where most commercial polytunnels tend to start; growers know it, fitting teams understand it, and the price is easy to compare. For salads, soft fruit, young plants and general veg, it gives plenty of light without making the first bill feel ridiculous. For many farms, it gives the best balance between crop performance and upfront spend.
For commercial polytunnels, thermal polythene is recommended after dark. For early crops, a small lift in night temperature can be the difference between waiting and picking. Anti-drip polythene is more about keeping wet leaves under control, especially when disease is on your mind.
Diffused polytunnel covers scatter light more evenly through the crop. That can reduce harsh hotspots and help lower leaves receive more usable light. In tall crops, or in tunnels packed with benches, this is often worth looking at.
Reinforced polytunnel covers have a woven grid inside the material. They are tougher in exposed places, though light levels may be a little lower. For some polytunnel covers, the aim is not warmth at all. Mesh, bird netting, shade netting, and fleece sit in the same buying conversation. They may only cover doors, beds, or side sections, yet they can make the crop easier to manage when pests or heat start causing an issue.
What do commercial polytunnels cost to run
On most farms, commercial polytunnels cost less day to day than a commercial greenhouse. Less steel, less heat, fewer moving parts. Not every site follows that pattern. A heated propagation tunnel with automated vents and irrigation is not the same as a basic field tunnel.
Still, the cost pattern is clear. Commercial polytunnels tend to have lower purchase costs, lower installation costs, and fewer expensive parts to service. On commercial polytunnels, the cover will need replacing after several seasons, so build that into your figures rather than treating it as a surprise bill. For busy commercial polytunnels, choosing polytunnel covers with the crop and site in mind usually pays back in fewer interruptions.
When you price the running costs, include heat, vents, irrigation, labour, repairs, replacement polythene, lost crop risk and the extra yield you expect. For covered space across a larger area, commercial polytunnels often come out ahead because the capital cost is lower than that of glass.
How greenhouse costs differ
A commercial greenhouse gives you more grip on the growing climate. Glass or rigid panels stay in service for longer, and heating, venting, screens, and controls can be set up with far more finesse. For high-value crops, year-round production, or retail-grade uniformity, that control may be worth it, but this can be expensive.
The snag is the bill: build cost, insurance, heat, shading, cleaning, and repairs all climb. A cracked pane is one job. A stuck vent motor or tired boiler is another, and none of them fixes themselves. Commercial polytunnels look plainer, and that is partly the point. You get usable covered acreage without treating every square metre like a major building project.
If you are comparing the two, price the whole crop cycle. What does each structure cost per usable growing metre? What yield increase do you expect? How much earlier can you crop? How many labour hours will each system save or add?
Choosing the right cover for farm use
For broad vegetable production, standard or thermal polytunnel covers usually do the job. For soft fruit, diffused film and anti-drip polytunnel covers are often worth considering. For exposed farms, reinforced material can save a headache later. For pest pressure, mesh can be more useful than another chemical pass.
Commercial polytunnels also let you match cover to crop block. With commercial polytunnels, you might use clear film on early salads, shade netting over propagation, and insect mesh on brassica or herb areas. A greenhouse tends to push you toward one controlled environment. Tunnels can be more modular.
PolytunnelsRus advice is to compare three numbers before buying: cost per square metre, expected life of the skin, and likely crop value per square metre. Then add the unforeseen factors like wind exposure, access, irrigation runs, labour, and how quickly you can repair damage after bad weather.
Polytunnel covers are not all the same, and neither are farms. If your goal is flexible protected cropping at a sensible cost, commercial polytunnels are usually the first option to price.
The best answer may be a commercial polytunnel for volume and seasonal extension, space for propagation or high-value crops, and the right polytunnel covers on each block so the structure pays for itself early on.
Read More:
When does a home tunnel start acting like a commercial one? Livestock polytunnels or commercial tunnels: where does quality change?