The most common unit load stabilizer is stretch film. The standard measure of film application effectiveness is containment force as described in ASTM D4649. Within certain guidelines, the final selection of the film and wrap patterns is still based on trial and error performance testing. A simple procedure that predicts containment force as a function of film properties and application method would help designers optimize unit load performance in supply chains. Various tensile properties of layered films were compared with two measures of containment force. It was determined that a tensile stiffness subsequent to non-linear relaxation was the best predictor of containment force. Various empirical models were evaluated. The effect of layering appears to be additive for many films. However, variations in material chemistry as well as poor control of pre-stretch at application, reduces the reliability of containment force predictions from physical characteristics of the film. This study points the research direction forward that will permit more reliable predictions of containment force from film properties and application methods.