Cloth Tape FAQ

 

1.     Are Duct Tape and Cloth Tape the Same Thing?

There are many different kinds of cloth tape.  The range of Cloth tapes manufactured by JTAPE are duct tapes.  These are highly adhesive water-resistant tapes that use a layer of cloth for additional reinforcement.  Duct Tapes are used for a variety of different purposes from short term repairs through to protection, and benefit from their combination of resilience and high tack glue which holds them in place on many different surfaces.

 

2.     What is the difference between Gaffer Tape and Duct Tape?

Although they are similar, Gaffer tape and Duct or Cloth Tape are manufactured from different materials and are used for different purposes.

Gaffer’s tape has a vinyl coating whereas Duct Tape is coated in Polyethylene (PE).  The two types of tape have a distinct appearance.  While Gaffer tape has a matt finish as a result of the vinyl coating, Duct Tape is highly reflective.

 

3.     Which is stronger duct tape or gaffer tape?

In addition to the materials used in their manufacture, the structure of Gaffer tape and duct tapes like JTAPE Cloth tapes are different.  The cloth layer in a gaffer tape is woven to give strength whereas Duct tape uses fibres as reinforcement for the other structural materials.

In use, JTAPE cloth protection tapes are twice as tough as standard gaffer tapes, making them suitable for a wide range of jobs where resilience is important such as repairs and marking heavily trafficked areas.

 

4.     What is Cloth Tape Made From?

JTAPE Cloth tapes are designed and manufactured to be highly resilient and useful in a wide range of different situations.

The tape itself is made up of 4 layers:

  • A Release Coat
  • A layer of protective PE Film
  • A cloth Layer
  • The Synthetic Rubber Adhesive Layer

The cloth layer provides strength, while the synthetic rubber adhesive is formulated to adhere to a variety of surfaces including metal, glass, wood, and plastics.

 

5.     When Was Cloth Tape Invented?

The mixture of cloth and adhesive to create a conformable protective material for repair has been used throughout history, although the first documented appearance of a cloth tape similar to modern duct or gaffer tape dates back to the 1840s when it was patented by Dr Horace Day as a medical tape.

Modern Duct tape was patented in 1942 when it was developed as part of the war effort and was first used as a water-resistant seal for ammunition cases.

Gaffer tape is a more recent invention and was introduced in the early 1950s as a product for the film industry as it was easily torn and suited to use on set.

 

6.     What Can Cloth Tape be used for?

General purpose cloth tape is a useful addition to any toolbox, thanks to its wide variety of applications.

You can use JTAPE General Purpose Cloth Tape for making temporary repairs, sealing pipes, marking areas on different floor and wall surfaces.  Thanks to its water resistance, cloth tape can be used outdoors, and is durable enough to be used as a protection tape on almost any surface including metals, plastics, wood, and cement.

 

7.     Is Cloth Tape Waterproof?

Cloth tape is water resistant rather than waterproof.  This means that it will keep moisture at bay for a time, but eventually, in the presence of enough water will cause the seal between the tape and the underlying surface to degrade at which point the tape will fail.

Cloth tape has a high tack adhesive and will stick to surfaces when there is a small amount of water present, and the seal will last long enough for emergency repairs.  The durability of cloth tape is due to the layer of Polyethylene which protects the reinforcement layer of cloth and prevents this from weakening in water.  The tape can handle quite extreme conditions.

 

8.     Does Cloth Tape Leave a Residue?

The high-tack adhesive used in JTAPE cloth tape is designed to create a close seal with the underlying material and be removed easily without leaving a residue.  In some cases, such as if the tape has been in place for a long period of time, there may be some residue left behind when the tape is removed if dust is present, but this can be easily removed leaving a surface that is clean and ready for use.

 

9.     What does Cloth Tape Stick To?

Cloth tape will adhere to almost any surface including wood, metal, plastic – even cardboard.  The adhesive on cloth tape means that it will adhere to most surfaces securely, making it suitable for a wide range of protection and repair tasks.

 

10.  Can you Use Cloth tape as a bandage?

You may have read survival articles on the internet or watched YouTube videos that suggested cloth or duct tape as a substitute for a bandage in an emergency.  In almost all situations, this would be a bad idea.  The adhesive on cloth tape is very strong and is designed to hold the tape tightly in place against a variety of surfaces.  As such, while the tape might be suited to protecting an injury, removing the tape will pull hard against the skin and could potentially make an injury worse.  We would not recommend using cloth tape as a bandage.