Considerations on Tarp Sizes
Custom-made tarps are made to be within 1 inch of variation. We call out this variation on all amazon pages as shown below. For instance, if you order a 72 inch tall tarp and it arrives as 73" or 71" that would be in a normal variation of 1". The 1" variation is an industry standard for custom made textiles. You might be asking why a not made to the precise dimensions. We go over that in the below with some more detailed information. Ultimately we work with every customer so that we can get them to a place of satisfaction, but this article is important to understand before we proceed with any resolutions.
Variable #1 - Shrinkage
PVC and vinyl will expand and shrink based on temperature variations. When your tarp is produced at the factory it's made to the exact size that you inputted your request for. However, that factory is at room temperature and your tarp when used outdoors is going to be hotter or colder than when it was originally produced. As PVC gets hot it expands and when PVC gets cold it contracts. This will ultimately affect the sizing of your tarp.
Variable #2 - Folding
In order for us to ship your tarp, we have to fold it so that it can be shipped. When you fold material it will affect the overall dimensions because some of the width and height is collected in those folds. As they warm up, those folds will relax which which will get you closer to your desired dimensions. (Please see our video on how to get falls out using the steamer)
Variable #3 - Textiles
Custom made textiles are a dynamic material which are hand produced unlike cookie cutter designs that are stamped out. This is really not a big variable but it does account for some centimeters of variation.