The thermal behaviors of heat shrinkable poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film, used as a packaging material in electronic applications, were investigated. The entropic shrinkage and the thermal shrinkage force were monitored as functions of time and temperature. The shrinkage of the drawn film started in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature, and the percentage shrinkage increased with increasing temperature. The degree of shrinkage depended primarily on the draw ratio. The shrinkage force of the drawn film became dominant at around T-g. At a lower temperature, the shrinkage force did not fully develop, whereas at a higher temperature, the relaxation process was very fast and partially inhibited the build-up of the force. The peak shrinkage force reached a maximum and decreased as the temperature increased. The orientation in the drawn film decreased and the dichroic ratio increased at elevated temperatures. No significant change in the degree of crystallization was observed during the shrinkage of the drawn PVC films. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112: 886-895, 2009