Plastic seals are ideal for securing such items as food carts, containers of varying sizes, lock ring drums, and fire doors. However, since they are disposable, they shouldn't be used for trailer doors or cargo containers. Most plastic seals are of the pull-through variety, making them easy to use; tools, for the most part, aren't required.

Three Samples of Plastic Seals

Plastic seals can vary in length, width, and color; they can also be custom designed to suit your specific needs. One type of plastic seal is about a foot long and a quarter-inch wide. It has a built-in tag that can be sequentially numbered for both identification and authentication purposes. Simply pull the band through the loop, fasten what you want, and the tag is displayed for quick reference.

A beaded plastic seal is longer and, of course, much narrower; it is ideal for lower-security applications like cabinets and large drums. It is made of corrosion-proof plastic and works like a metal beaded seal: once it is closed, it can't be opened unless cut. You can attach a customized tag with a bar code label, logo, or any identification of your choosing.

Rip lock seals are probably the easiest to use. After the band has been fed through the loop--which is attached to the tag--and then tightened, you can rip off the unused portion of the band; it is pre-scored to make it a breeze to use. Like the others, the tag can be numbered or decorated to suit its purpose.