10 of the Most Common Types of Tape and Their Best Uses

Choosing the right tape for your application is crucial to ensure effective adhesion and safety. Tape is used across numerous industries, including packaging and office supplies, as well as retail, construction, and aerospace applications.

Not All Tapes Are Created Equal

We have all used tape at some point, whether to secure items for shipping, mark workplace floors, or repair damaged equipment. While tape may seem like a simple tool, there is a wide range of tapes available for various applications. Using the wrong tape for your task can result in wasted time, compromised safety, and reduced quality.

This guide covers the 10 most common types of tape, their typical uses, and their unique features. Use this information to select the best tape for your application needs.

Packing Tape (Clear/Brown Polypropylene)

Packing tape is the most commonly used tape for shipping and fulfillment. It is ideal for sealing corrugated boxes, and comes in standard, heavy-duty, and low-temp designs. These features make it an excellent choice for e-commerce fulfillment, warehouses, and distribution centers that regularly use cardboard packaging materials.

If you operate a warehouse or fulfillment center, bulk packing tape offers a cost-effective solution to keep your packing and shipping operations running smoothly. At Tape Jungle, we create custom packing tape to meet your brand and safety requirements.

Custom Printed Tape

Our custom printed tape solutions let you add a message or logo to personalize your brand packaging. You can also use custom printed tape as tamper evidence for internal or regulatory safety requirements.

Custom tape is available in water-activated paper, PolyPro, and reinforced PVC options. Each has different grades, including general-purpose, heavy-duty, and industrial, allowing you to select the best adhesive for your intended application.

Our Standard PolyPro is also available in Hi-Tak, an aggressive adhesive option ideal for low temperatures and slippery surfaces, such as laminated or recycled corrugated boxes.

Here's how it works:

Choose your tape type, select colors, and upload your logo or design.
You will receive a proof for your approval from our design team within two to three business days.
We manufacture your custom printer plates and print your order within three weeks.
Your custom tape order will be delivered within four weeks of your order date.

Our custom printed tape products are popular with retail companies, logistics organizations, and companies that sell subscription boxes.

Masking Tape

Masking tape is a paper-based tape made to protect surfaces and delineate edges. Its easy-to-tear design and clean removal make it ideal for painting, light-holding applications, and crafting.

Choose from general-purpose, professional, and painter's tape options.

General-purpose masking tape works for non-critical carpet seaming, silk screening, school, minor industrial, and packaging applications.
Professional masking tape is the ideal option for automotive painting due to its superior protection and clean removal.
Painter's masking tape is specifically designed to peel cleanly off of drywall, glass, wood, and other building materials after 14-21 days of adhesion, depending on the specific product.

While standard masking tapes are not made to withstand heat exposure, Tape Jungle offers specialized glass cloth thermal spray masking tape for use in temperatures up to and above 500°F. Its high temperature resistance makes it an excellent choice for crossover insulation, coil wrap, and non-electrical equipment insulation for industrial and military equipment, where thermal spray and plasma spray are a risk.

Duct Tape

Duct tape is everyone's favorite fix-all. People have traditionally used it to hold together everything from broken outdoor furniture to car bumpers. Although common knowledge says that duct tape is safe for wrapping electrical wires, this is a myth - and a dangerous one.

Although it is not ideal for electrical use, duct tape is cloth-backed and weather-resistant, making it a highly flexible and versatile option for indoor and outdoor applications. Duct tape comes in various grades, colors, and designs:

General-purpose and multi-purpose duct tapes range in thickness from seven to nine millimeters. They are suitable for patching broken items, sealing heavy-duty boxes, sealing ducts, and wrapping pipes.
Contractors' grade 12 mil duct tape is specifically designed to be more durable in outdoor environments. It provides superior performance in high-demand contractor applications such as HVAC, construction, and asbestos abatement.

At Tape Jungle, we offer a wide range of high-quality duct tape grades, widths, and colors to meet your unique needs.

Gaffer Tape

Also called spike and AV cord tape, gaffer tape offers a matte finish and residue-free removal. It is ideal for film production, public events, and staging due to its durability and clean removal. Gaffer tape is as strong as duct tape, but it peels more cleanly from surfaces, leaving no adhesive residue and causing no damage to the surface.

Tape Jungle's gaffer tapes are available in black, white, and multiple colors, including fluorescent colors for high visibility in varying light conditions. Its low-gloss finish makes it a great choice for stage placement markers, securing wires and cables, and building background props where glare could be problematic.

Standard grade gaffer tape from Tape Jungle.

Double-Sided Tape

Double-sided tape features adhesive on both sides of a core material. The double adhesive allows you to bond a surface on either side of the tape. It is often used for displays, signage, carpeting, and mounting applications.

Tape Jungle provides a range of double-sided tape options, including:

Double-sided foam tape: Available in high-performance polyethylene foam or ultra-high-bond acrylic foam, these foam tapes are ideal for use in demanding environments. In addition to exterior mounting for signs and nameplates, double-sided foam tape helps to dampen sound and vibration in industrial equipment, office machines, glass panel mounts, window glazing, and seals.
Double-sided polyester fabric tape: Made with a rubber hot-melt adhesive on both sides of polyester fabric, this tape can be used to secure items to rough or fibrous surfaces, such as bricks and cinder blocks.
Double-sided crepe paper tape: This quick-hold tape includes an aggressive adhesive applied to crepe paper. It bonds to many materials, including rough surfaces, making it an excellent choice for carpet installation, textile manufacturing, printing applications, and repairing sports equipment.

Each double-sided tape has different adhesion properties, depending on the core material and type of adhesive. While thinner crepe paper double-sided tape may work for mounting lighter items, consider a heavy-duty acrylic tape, such as our ultra-high bond double-sided acrylic foam (UHB) or double-sided polypropylene with solvent-based acrylic adhesive, for exceptional permanent bonding.

Electrical Tape

Electrical tape is highly specialized tape made of non-conductive vinyl and rubber. It is typically used to insulate and secure wires, bundle cables, and color code wire and cable phases. Tape Jungle offers electrical tape in a wide range of hues for your color-coding needs.

Standard electrical tape is made from PVC material with a rubber-based adhesive. It is flame-retardant, flexible, and resistant to cold, making it ideal for insulating and color-coding electrical wires, as well as securing wire harnesses in motor vehicles.

For high-demand, high-temperature electrical applications, consider opting for a specialized polyimide adhesive designed for extreme conditions.

UL Ratings and Industry Standards

Underwriter Laboratories (UL) is a U.S.-based independent testing laboratory that evaluates products for safety and quality. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is Canada's equivalent of UL, and Conformité Européenne (CE) certifies that the product meets appropriate European health, safety, and performance standards. These certifications are among the highest levels of regulatory compliance for electrical tape.

Tape Jungle's electrical tape is UL, CSA, and CE rated, consistent with the highest industry standards. That means you can rely on our tapes to provide safe, high-quality electrical insulation and support.

Foam Tape

Foam tape features closed-cell foam material coated on one or both sides with acrylic or rubber-based adhesive. Available in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE), foam tape is highly compressible, making it ideal for filling gaps and damping vibrations in business and industrial equipment.

PVC Foam Tape Features

Our standard single-sided medium-density foam tape and low-density PVC foam tape are composed of PVC closed-cell foam coated on one side with a high-performance acrylic adhesive. It is highly flexible and conformable, with excellent weatherability and chemical resistance. The foam remains pliable in temperatures ranging from -4°F to 176°F.

PVC foam tape is ideal for sealing equipment and structures in HVAC, construction, and automotive applications. It is also used for cushioning and vibration control in motor vehicles, electronics, door frames, and speakers. PVC foam tape's highly insulative properties also make it the preferred option for weather stripping along windows and doors.

PE Foam Tape Features

Polyethylene foam tape is the go-to option for window glazing, nameplates, signs, and other demanding installations where moisture is a concern. It comes in double-sided options with both acrylic and rubber adhesives.

Acrylic adhesives offer resistance to UV, weather, chemicals, and temperature fluctuations, making them ideal for outdoor use. Rubber adhesives, on the other hand, are best for long-term indoor installations on rough and hard-to-bond surfaces.

Floor Marking & Safety Tape

Floor marking tape is a critical tool for safety in retail stores, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. Choose from a wide range of colors, patterns, and designs tailored for everyday operational needs, including anti-slip, directional tape, and hazard identification.

Tape Jungle offers a broad selection of floor marking tape, including:

Our heavy-duty vinyl floor tape is our top-rated floor tape for all traffic situations, including high-demand forklift and truck traffic. It is highly durable, easy to install, and features a double-tapered edge to prevent it from catching on sliding objects. We back it up with a one-year warranty.

OSHA Color Coding Explained

To help you meet workplace safety requirements, we offer general-purpose and industrial-grade floor tapes that comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for color and stripe markings.

OSHA color standards include:

Red, or mainly red, with contrasting letters or symbols to signify "DANGER"
Yellow, or primarily yellow with contrasting letters or symbols for "CAUTION"
Orange, or predominantly orange, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color to denote "WARNING"
Fluorescent orange or orange-red with symbols or letters in a contrasting color for a "BIOLOGICAL HAZARD"

Before you purchase floor or safety tape for your operation, review OSHA's regulations for hazard identification to better understand how hazards should be labeled. Additionally, consider how traffic, environmental conditions, and lighting will impact your safety labeling.

Specialty Tapes (PVC, Kapton Alternatives)

Specialty tapes, including PVC tape and Kapton alternatives, offer unique thermal, dielectric, and adhesive properties that are ideal for specialized applications such as cleanrooms, aerospace, and electronics manufacturing.

Kapton Alternative Tape

While rubber adhesives are ideal for short-term and general-purpose electrical applications, they lack the adhesion and thermal resistance of polyimide. If you're looking for a Kapton alternative with exceptional heat protection for electronics manufacturing, look no further than polyimide tape. Made from polyimide film coated with high-performance silicone, this tape is ideal for protecting electronics from molten solder and extreme temperatures during cleanroom manufacturing.

PVC Tape

For generalized industrial and electrical insulation, consider PVC pipe wrap tape. This specialty tape offers a moisture and vapor barrier. It is highly resistant to microbial growth, aging, wear, water, and sun.

Since it effectively handles impacts and resists ruptures, PVC tape is ideal for electrical protection, pipe joints, and conduit couplings in overhead or direct-buried applications. PVC tape also provides an effective mask for hard chrome plating and anodizing applications.

Do Your Research

Whether you need tape for packaging, manufacturing, painting, or insulation, remember that one tape does not fit all. Rather than investing in a tape that is "good enough," request samples or place small orders to test different tape types for your applications.

Research and care in the beginning can safeguard your supplies, reduce overhead, ensure facility safety, and protect product quality. Shop all tape types today at Tape Jungle.