The different types of adhesive tape

You use different types of adhesive tapes depending on your needs and logistics environment. Some of them have a standard use whereas the others have a more technical use. How do you know which type of adhesive tape you need? Here is the answer...

SUMMARY

• Everything you need to know about the adhesive tape
  • Backing
  • Glue
  • Colour
• The industrial tapes
  • The strapping tape
  • The kraft adhesive tape
  • The masking tape
  • The double-sided tape
• The printed adhesive tapes

Everything you need to know about the adhesive tape

Backing

The adhesive tape, also called "scotch", consists of a backing and glue. The backings made of PVC and PP (polypropylene) are mostly used to close cardboard boxes. The PVC is stretching in the cross direction whereas the PP is stretching in the down direction. A PP adhesive tape is also noisier when you unroll it.

The mechanical resistance increases all the faster if the backing is thick (this prevents any risks of cutting in the corner of the boxes).

The most common sizes are:

• in width: 48 or 50 mm
• in length: 66 or 100 m

Glue

3 different types of glue can be used for the coating of the tape. An adhesive tape holds longer according to the type of glue and on the basis weight of glue poured on the backing.

• The acrylic glue: UV resistant, but not suitable for industrial refrigeration and plastic objects.
• The solvent glue is a glue made of natural rubber dissolved in a solvent. It has an immediate adhesion capacity and is recommended for a long-term storage. Unlike the acrylic glue, the solvent glue is cold-resistant and sticky with plastic material.
• The Hot Melt glue is a water-based glue and so it is eco-friendly. It is resistant to large temperature changes and humidity. We recommend you to apply a pressure on the tape while lying in order to improve the setting and the holding of the adhesive weight.

Colour

First and foremost, it is important to know that a clear adhesive tape has a better adhesion because there is no colouring. You obtain white or tan adhesive tapes by adding pigments to the glue which will be apply on a clear backing. For the other colours (red, blue, green, yellow...), the colouring is made directly on the backing.

Did you know? If you buy a large amount of adhesive tapes and need to store them, we recommend you to store them at room temperature around 20°C in order to preserve all their qualities.

The industrial tapes

The industrial tapes, also called "technical tapes", have specific uses. Here are the main technical tapes:

The strapping tape

This strapping tape is also called "filament tape". It consists of threads made of fibreglass and it is tearproof lengthwise. It mostly used to reinforce packaging, to strap pallets and parcels solidly, to put in butches and to fix the sails of a boat.

The kraft adhesive tape

This adhesive tape, made of unbleached siliconised kraft paper covered with Hot Melt glue, is environmentally friendly. So, it can be recycled with the cardboard material. You can use it to close heavy cardboard boxes. It is simple to use, so you don't need to use a tape dispenser.

The masking tape

This kind of adhesive tape consists of a semi-crepe paper covered with Hot Melt glue and is mostly used for painting, housing insulation or bundling. It sticks on all material types, is waterproof and resists to temperatures from 60°C to 100°C depending on the model.

The double-sided tape

The double-sided scotch is made of PP covered with Hot Melt glue, its backing is made of siliconised kraft paper. This type of adhesive tape is used to stick two surfaces together. For example, it is used to attach identification plates or to put decorative door beadings up.

The printed adhesive tapes

The term "printed adhesive tape" gathers fragile tape, security seal tape, or adhesive tapes with another message : "do not stack", "do not depalettise", "non-compliant"... This product is the easiest and cheapest solution to inform the precautions you have to take when handling products.

For example, the security seal tape tells to the customer what things he has to check when the parcel is delivered. The other printed tapes will inform the person who handle the parcels to be careful or not to stack the cardboard box.

Another type of printed tape is the coloured PVC adhesive tape. It is suitable to close cardboard boxes and to identify quickly the areas of storage.

Last, the custom printed tape will help you to advertise your company on any packaging which needs to be closed with an adhesive tape. You can add the logo and the text you want.