It can be overwhelming to pick a roll of tape in the hardware store aisle… there are thousands of different products out there! Learning to identify different types of tape can help you select the right product for each application. We’re going to start with eight different tape categories – each with unique characteristics!

Carton Seal

There are different types of carton sealing tape that vary by thickness and adhesive. Carton seal is generally composed of a polypropylene or PVC film backing and single sided adhesive, such as rubber or acrylic. Because it's not hand-tearable, you will need scissors or a tape dispenser.

Also known as packing or packaging tape, carton sealing tape is most commonly used for packaging and closing boxes.

Double Sided Tape

Double sided tape can be made of many different materials and adhesive combinations, but the defining characteristic here is the double sided adhesive coating. Instead of a backing, double sided tapes have a carrier in-between the two layers of adhesive. 

You can easily identify a double sided tape by removing the liner and touching both sides. If they’re both sticky, it’s a double sided tape! These products are best suited for attaching and bonding applications.

Duct Tape

In the cloth tape family, duct tape is composed of a polyethylene coated cloth backing and adhesive. Generally offered in silver or black, duct tape comes in a variety of different colors. An easy way to identify duct tape is to look for the strings! You can see them in the backing and on the edges when torn. 

Duct tape is one of the most common household tape products, and is used for many different repair applications.

Filament Tape

A heavy duty packaging tape,filament tape is reinforced with fiberglass filaments. Just like carton sealing tape, filament tape can’t be torn by hand and will need to be cut. The backing looks woven and is most frequently white or natural in color.

The fiberglass filaments make this product exceptionally strong for heavy duty bundling and palletizing applications. You may find filament tape on your newer appliances to hold drawers and shelves in place, or on large boxes to prevent opening in transit. 

Gaffers Tape

Another cloth tape, gaffers tape is most commonly found in the entertainment industry. This product most often features a matte finish to reduce light reflectivity and comes in a variety of colors, however the most common are black and white. Gaffers tape is hand tearable, and offers residue free removal in temporary applications.

Gaffers tape is most often used by gaffers to secure cables and wires, tape down stage equipment, mark stages and sets, and other backstage applications. 

Masking Tape

Masking tape is easily identifiable by a smooth, hand-tearable paper backing. Available in many different colors, masking tape can feature acrylic or rubber adhesive systems. 

Another common household product, masking tape is best suited for painting and surface protection applications due to clean removal properties.

Poly Tape

Often called “duct tape without the strings”, poly tape features the same polyethylene backing material as duct tape without the impregnated cloth. Poly tape is most commonly available in red or white, and can be purchased in straight or pinked (serrated) edge for easy tear.

Poly tape was introduced to provide clean removal, UV resistant options for building and construction contractors. These products can be used for abatement and containment, waterproofing, crawlspace encapsulation, and pool plastering – among many other applications.

Vinyl Tape

The most common type of vinyl tape is electrical tape! You may also see a vinyl safety tape for aisle or lane marking. You can identify vinyl tape by pulling the open edge to test for elasticity. Vinyl tapes come in multiple colors and can be used for wire identification and other marking applications.

Need more help? Our Application Specialists are here to answer your questions! Contact us and we’ll put you in touch.