Adhesive tape: types, adhesives and what each one is for

What adhesive tape is

Adhesive tape has two parts: a backing, which can be paper, plastic film, cloth or metal foil, and a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive, which sticks as soon as it is pressed onto a surface without heat or water. The backing decides what the tape can survive, from paint and sun to cutting and tearing; the adhesive decides what it will stick to and for how long.

On a building site the same word covers very different products. A masking tape that has to come off clean after a paint job and a PVC tape that has to insulate a cable joint share little beyond the roll.

Four tapes used on site

The table compares four tesa products, one from each family, using the figures on their data sheets:

Four tapes used on site

Tape	Backing	Adhesive	Thickness	Heat resistance	What tesa names it for
tesa 4334 Precision Mask	washi paper	acrylic	90 µm	120°C for 1 h, 150°C for 30 min	sharp paint edges; clean removal
tesa 4688	PE-coated cloth	natural rubber	260 µm	110°C	repairs, masking, construction films, cable bundles
tesa 53988	soft PVC	natural rubber	150 µm	90°C	insulating and marking wires
tesa 50565	50 µm aluminium foil	acrylic	90 µm	−50°C to +150°C	sealing ducts and insulation joints

The cloth tape is the strongest of the four at 52 N/cm, against 25 N/cm for the PVC tape, and it tears straight by hand. The PVC adhesive tape stretches instead: tesa gives 240% elongation at break, which lets it wrap tightly round a cable joint.

Rubber, acrylic or silicone adhesive

MPI, a US tape converter, sets out the trade-offs. Natural rubber grips hard on first contact and has higher shear strength than acrylic, but copes poorly with high temperatures and UV. Acrylic adhesive tape stands up to UV, heat, humidity and chemicals, although it takes longer to reach full bond. Silicone handles the hottest and coldest conditions, and butyl works in cold, damp places.

Addev Materials puts it in terms of use: rubber for low-cost indoor work, acrylic for permanent outdoor jobs and for low-energy plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, silicone for silicone parts and extreme temperatures. For a tape that will sit in the sun on a roof or wall, that points to an acrylic adhesive.

Masking tape: how long it can stay on

Masking tape is judged by how cleanly it comes off. tesa rates its 4334 for residue-free removal after up to eight weeks outdoors and up to six months indoors, and for oven drying at the temperatures in the table. Removal ratings differ from tape to tape, so check the stated time on the roll before masking windows or tiles for a long job. Sealant joints are a short case: Sika’s application notes for a door sealant joint have both edges masked and the tape pulled off within five minutes of applying the sealant.

Electrical and foil tape

PVC insulation tape is the one adhesive tape with an electrical rating. tesa 53988 is certified to IEC 60454-3-1, the international standard for PVC insulating tape, by the VDE, IMQ and SEMKO testing bodies, and its data sheet gives a dielectric breakdown voltage of 7,000 V. It also comes in several colours, which tesa offers for marking and colour-coding wires.

Aluminium foil tape does a different job. tesa describes the 50565 as moisture-resistant and a vapour barrier, flame-retardant to UL 510A, and lists the sealing of ducts and joints in insulation among its uses. For water on roofs and gutters, a bitumen sealant tape is the closer match, and pipe threads take PTFE thread tape, which has no adhesive at all. Where two sheets must be bonded over their whole face, Henkel lists laminates, rubber and leather among the materials for its contact adhesive, Pattex glue.

How to apply adhesive tape

1. Clean the surface and remove grease; Addev notes that for tapes this is usually all the preparation needed.
2. Press the tape down along its whole length; a pressure-sensitive adhesive bonds through pressure.
3. Give an acrylic tape time before loading it, since MPI notes that acrylics take longer to reach full bond.

Tape is not a structural fixing. Addev places tapes in non-structural and semi-structural work, such as fixing signs, not in joints that carry a building load.

What to check when you buy

• Backing and thickness. Paper, cloth, PVC or foil, and the thickness in µm; tesa lists 90 to 260 µm across the four tapes above.
• Adhesive. Acrylic for sun and long outdoor service, rubber for quick indoor work.
• Temperature. The data sheet should state heat resistance, and for foil tape the full operating range.
• Removal. For masking, a stated number of days or weeks with residue-free removal.
• Ratings. For electrical work, IEC 60454-3-1 on the PVC tape; for foil tape on ducts, a flame rating such as UL 510A.