No More Sticky Situations: Guide to Choosing the Right Packaging Tape

Are you in a sticky situation trying to decide between different types of packaging tapes?

Whether it’s for long-term or short-term storage, shipping, hand-held, or industrial equipment, it can be challenging to determine what tape is best for you.

Typically, the adhesive is the most important part of the tape, and we’ll share more details about that in just a moment. First, let’s review some basic tape terminology:

“If the items you’re shipping are heavy, create an unequal weight within your package, or are of high value to you, you will want to use a stronger tape that is not easily dislodged,” said Sara Thornton, Purchasing Specialist for tape at BradyPLUS.

Types of Tape Adhesives

Now that we’ve defined the key terms, let’s take a deeper dive into tape adhesives because they can significantly impact the quality of your packaging. Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of adhesives.

• Water-Activated: Water-activated tape is starch-based, made from synthetic fibers, and typically used for corrugated packaging materials. It’s environmentally friendly and tamper-evident (useful to help tell if a package has been opened.)
• Hot Melt: Hot melt tape, made from a polymer by combining resin and wax, is versatile and has a superior hold. This product is effective on difficult surfaces, fast to tack, easy to apply, and adheres to most packaging materials (cardboard, a recycled bubble mailer, and much more). Although hot melt tape is strong, it doesn’t fare well in unstable or extreme climate conditions, and it will deteriorate and discolor over time, especially when exposed to UV light, so it’s not ideal for long-term storage.
• Acrylic: Acrylic tape is created by crosslinking monomers. It is either water- or solvent-based and is extremely resistant to degradation. Acrylic has a low shear (strength) but can be used in extreme temperatures (think freezer storage or warehouses without temperature control), can withstand no-to-high humidity, is UV resistant, and has an exceptional shelf life compared to hot melt tape. Acrylic tape may not be as durable as hot melt tape on the forefront, but it has some serious benefits depending on your application needs.
  
  

Consider these attributes of each adhesive when determining the best tape for your application: