Duct tape
Description
A heavy, plastic-coated, waterproof, cloth tape with pressure sensitive adhesive that was developed during in 1942 by Permacel. The 3-ply product was initially composed of a plastic cellulose nitrate laminated cotton strips coated with a rubber-based adhesive. Within a short time, the plastic coating was switched to polyethylene to increase water resistance. It was given the name 'duct tape' in the 1950s when the tape was advertised for minimizing air and water leaks in duct work. Duct tape originally had a silvery-color metallic paint on the exterior surface but is now available in multiple colors and patterns. The most common current adhesive is a synthetic rubber based material, such as polyisoprene. Duct tape is sold in rolls of varying widths. It is often confused with gaffer tape which is designed to be non-reflective and cleanly removed, unlike duct tape.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Duck tape® [Duck Products]
Resources and Citations
- Duck Products: website
- Lee Valley Technical Bulletin, Issue 23, May 2005.
- Internal analysis report MFA, March 2005.
- Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000