A web is a continuous sheet of thin material moving over rollers, generally for processing. Between processing stages, webs are stored and transported as coils. Because a web has a single leading edge to align with a processing machine, handling the material in web form is generally more efficient than loading from a stack of sheets.

Current research on webs and web handling systems includes work on controlling the vibration of high-speed webs and investigations into the effect of winding parameters on coil quality. Other research areas include lateral control and wrinkle mechanics.

Materials which are formed as webs include:

• Sheet metal
• Plastic films
• Paper
• Nonwovens

The concept of web handling is also used in several other areas, including:

• Tape drives
• Web offset printing

Metalworking fabrication