Duct tape
Encyclopedia
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape
often sealed with polyethylene
. It is very similar to gaffer tape
but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of 1+7/8 in and is generally silver or black but also available in other colors. Permacel
, formerly a division of Johnson & Johnson
, originally developed duct tape in 1942 during World War II
as a rubber
-based adhesive
tape with a durable fabric backing that resisted water
for use as sealing tape on ammunition
cases. Because of these properties, it was also used to repair military
equipment quickly, including jeep
s, firearm
s, and aircraft
.
A more specialized product, commonly known as gaffer tape
, is preferred by gaffer
s, as it does not leave a sticky residue when removed. It comes in matte black, and is more easily torn into thin strips for precise application.
Duct tape, in its guise as "racer's tape", has been used in motorsports for more than 40 years to repair fiberglass bodywork. Racer's tape comes in a wide range of colors to help match it to common paint colors. In the UK, it is usually referred to as "tank tape" in motorsports use.
Duct tape is not intended to be used for sealing ductwork. Building code
s usually require a special fire resistant product, often with a foil backing and long lasting adhesive.
NASA
engineers and astronauts have used duct tape in the course of their work, including in some emergency situations. One such usage occurred in 1970, when the square carbon dioxide
filters from Apollo 13
's failed command module had to be modified to fit round receptacles in the lunar module, which was being used as a lifeboat after an explosion en route to the moon. A workaround used duct tape and other items on board Apollo 13, with the ground crew relaying instructions to the flight crew. The lunar module's CO2 scrubbers started working again, saving the lives of the three astronauts on board.
Ed Smylie, who designed the scrubber modification in just two days, said later that he knew the problem was solvable when it was confirmed that duct tape was on the spacecraft: "I felt like we were home free", he said in 2005. "One thing a Southern boy will never say is, 'I don't think duct tape will fix it.'"
Duct tape was also used aboard Apollo 17
to improvise a repair to a damaged fender
on the lunar rover
, preventing possible damage from the roostertails of lunar dust as they drove.
or Proposition 65
, which means the tape may burn violently, producing toxic smoke; it may cause ingestion and contact toxicity; it can have irregular mechanical strength; and its adhesive may have low life expectancy. Its use in ducts has been prohibited by the state of California
and by building codes in most other places in the U.S.
However, metalized and aluminum tapes used by professionals are still often called "duck/duct tapes".
was green. It is also called "duck tape", "riggers' tape", "hurricane tape", or "100-mph tape"—a name that comes from the use of a specific variety of duct tape that was supposed to hold up to 100 mile per hour winds. The tape is named so because it was used during the Vietnam War to repair helicopter rotor blades, thus earning the name 100-MPH tape.
Duck Products
, the manufacturer of Duck brand duct tape, annually sponsors a competition that offers a college scholarship to the person who creates the most stylish prom
formal wear made from Duck Tape.
A medical study by Adam Doorn announced on major news networks on October 15, 2002, stated that application of duct tape can be used as an effective treatment for wart
s. This treatment is often called by the name duck or duct tape occlusion therapy
. A more recent study claimed to have cast doubt these findings, pointing out the original researchers didn't actually examine participants to determine if the warts were in fact gone, but instead phoned participants and asked. In the 2006 study of 103 children [Haen et al.], duct tape did not perform significantly better than a placebo. This study compared clear duct tape, applied six nights a week to corn pad placebos, which were applied one night a week. In a study released in 2007, a study among older adults found duct tape helped only 21% of the time and was no better than moleskin, a cotton-tape bandage used to protect the skin. However, researchers used transparent duct tape that unlike the grey duct tape does not contain rubber. "Whether or not the standard type of duct tape is effective is up in the air," said Dr. Rachel Wenner of the University of Minnesota, who started the new study as a medical student. "Theoretically, the rubber adhesive could somehow stimulate the immune system or irritate the skin in a different manner." The Wenner study was published in the March 2007 issue of Archives of Dermatology.
As a quick fix, duct tape can be used as a temporary bandage
, until proper medical treatment and bandages can be applied to a wound
.
Recently, duct tape has proven the most effective fix to Apple's iPhone 4
dropped call issue, even over Apple's own rubber case.
book was, "Two rules get you through life: If it's stuck and it's not supposed to be, WD-40 it. If it's not stuck and it's supposed to be, duct tape it". Their website features thousands of duct tape uses from people around the world ranging from fashions to auto repair. The combination of WD-40 and duct tape is sometimes referred to as "the redneck
repair kit".
The Canadian sitcom The Red Green Show
s title character often used duct tape (which he dubbed "the handyman's secret weapon") as both a shortcut to proper fastening as well as for unconventional uses. The series sometimes showcased fan duct tape creations. The series had a feature film based on it entitled Duct Tape Forever
and several VHS/DVD compilations of the show's use of the tape have been released. Since 2000, series star Steve Smith
(as Red Green) has been the "Ambassador of Scotch Duct Tape" for 3M
.
The Discovery Channel
series MythBusters
has featured duct tape in a number of myths that involve non-traditional uses. Confirmed myths include suspending a car for a period of time, building a functional cannon, building a two-person sailboat, and constructing a bridge that spanned the width of a dry dock. In the episode "Duct Tape Plane", the MythBusters repaired (and eventually replaced) the canopy of a lightweight airplane with duct tape and flew it a few meters above a runway.
One view is that it was called "duck tape" by WWII
soldier
s either because it resembled strips of cotton duck
(canvas) or because the waterproof quality of the tape contributed to the name, by analogy to the water-shedding quality of a duck
's plumage
. Under this view, soldiers returning home from the war found uses for duck tape around the house where ductwork needed sealing. Other proponents of this view point to older references to non-adhesive cotton duck tape used in Venetian blinds, suggesting that the name was carried over to the adhesive product. The Oxford English Dictionary
says that perhaps "duct tape" was originally "duck tape". This view is summarized most notably in a New York Times article by etymologist William Safire
in March 2003. Safire cites use of the term "cotton duck tape" in a 1945 advertisement for surplus government property. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle uses the term "duck" in 1902 quotation for "100,000 yards of cotton duck tape" being used to protect the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge
. Thus a fabric duck tape was available to which an adhesive could have been added.
In any case, whether it is an error or a preservation of the original usage, the term "duck tape" is often used for the product today. Duck Tape is also a brand name for this product in some countries.
n usage of the term and those from regions such as Australia
and New Zealand
, where a completely different type of tape is often sold as duct tape, as shown right. Australian duct tape is the same in feel and material to electrical tape, but much wider. Cloth backed tape like in America can also be sold under the name duct tape in addition to the non cloth backed variant.
Pressure sensitive tape
Pressure-sensitive tape, known also in various countries as PSA tape, adhesive tape, self-stick tape, sticky tape, or just tape, is an adhesive tape that will stick with application pressure, without the need for solvent, heat, or water for activation...
often sealed with polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
. It is very similar to gaffer tape
Gaffer tape
Gaffer tape, gaffer's tape, gaff tape or gaffa tape is a strong, tough, cotton cloth pressure sensitive tape with strong adhesive properties. It is used in theater, film and television productions as well as during live performances and any other kind of stage work...
but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of 1+7/8 in and is generally silver or black but also available in other colors. Permacel
Permacel
Permacel , a division of the Nitto Denko company, is an industrial adhesive tape manufacturing company. Headquartered in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, USA, the company produces 350 kinds of tape used in a broad range of industries, including paper masking tape, reinforced strapping tape, paper...
, formerly a division of Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, originally developed duct tape in 1942 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
-based adhesive
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
tape with a durable fabric backing that resisted water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
for use as sealing tape on ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
cases. Because of these properties, it was also used to repair military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
equipment quickly, including jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
s, firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s, and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
Common uses
Duct tape is commonly used in situations that requires a strong, flexible, very sticky tape. Some have a long-lasting adhesive and resistance to weathering.A more specialized product, commonly known as gaffer tape
Gaffer tape
Gaffer tape, gaffer's tape, gaff tape or gaffa tape is a strong, tough, cotton cloth pressure sensitive tape with strong adhesive properties. It is used in theater, film and television productions as well as during live performances and any other kind of stage work...
, is preferred by gaffer
Gaffer (filmmaking)
A gaffer in the motion picture industry and on a television crew is an electrician that can be head of the electrical department, responsible for the execution of the lighting plan for a production. Gaffer, outside of the motion picture industry, is a traditional British English word for an older...
s, as it does not leave a sticky residue when removed. It comes in matte black, and is more easily torn into thin strips for precise application.
Duct tape, in its guise as "racer's tape", has been used in motorsports for more than 40 years to repair fiberglass bodywork. Racer's tape comes in a wide range of colors to help match it to common paint colors. In the UK, it is usually referred to as "tank tape" in motorsports use.
Duct tape is not intended to be used for sealing ductwork. Building code
Building code
A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...
s usually require a special fire resistant product, often with a foil backing and long lasting adhesive.
Usage in spaceflight
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
engineers and astronauts have used duct tape in the course of their work, including in some emergency situations. One such usage occurred in 1970, when the square carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
filters from Apollo 13
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 was the seventh manned mission in the American Apollo space program and the third intended to land on the Moon. The craft was launched on April 11, 1970, at 13:13 CST. The landing was aborted after an oxygen tank exploded two days later, crippling the service module upon which the Command...
's failed command module had to be modified to fit round receptacles in the lunar module, which was being used as a lifeboat after an explosion en route to the moon. A workaround used duct tape and other items on board Apollo 13, with the ground crew relaying instructions to the flight crew. The lunar module's CO2 scrubbers started working again, saving the lives of the three astronauts on board.
Ed Smylie, who designed the scrubber modification in just two days, said later that he knew the problem was solvable when it was confirmed that duct tape was on the spacecraft: "I felt like we were home free", he said in 2005. "One thing a Southern boy will never say is, 'I don't think duct tape will fix it.'"
Duct tape was also used aboard Apollo 17
Apollo 17
Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the...
to improvise a repair to a damaged fender
Fender (vehicle)
Fender is the US English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well . Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. Fenders are typically rigid and can be...
on the lunar rover
Lunar rover
The Lunar Roving Vehicle or lunar rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program during 1971 and 1972...
, preventing possible damage from the roostertails of lunar dust as they drove.
Usage on ductwork
To provide lab data about which sealants and tapes last, and which are likely to fail, research was conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Their major conclusion was that one should not use duct tape to seal ducts (specialty tapes are available for this purpose). (They defined duct tape as any fabric-based tape with rubber adhesive.) The testing done shows that under challenging but realistic conditions, duct tapes become brittle and may fail. Commonly duct tape carries no safety certifications such as ULUnderwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
or Proposition 65
California Proposition 65 (1986)
Proposition 65 is a California law passed by direct voter initiative in 1986 by a 63%-37% margin...
, which means the tape may burn violently, producing toxic smoke; it may cause ingestion and contact toxicity; it can have irregular mechanical strength; and its adhesive may have low life expectancy. Its use in ducts has been prohibited by the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and by building codes in most other places in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
However, metalized and aluminum tapes used by professionals are still often called "duck/duct tapes".
Usage in Military
In military circles, there is a variant known as "shooters tape", typically olive-green, known for its resistance to oils and greases. In the US Submarine fleet, it is called "EB Green," as the duct tape used by Electric BoatElectric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
was green. It is also called "duck tape", "riggers' tape", "hurricane tape", or "100-mph tape"—a name that comes from the use of a specific variety of duct tape that was supposed to hold up to 100 mile per hour winds. The tape is named so because it was used during the Vietnam War to repair helicopter rotor blades, thus earning the name 100-MPH tape.
Alternative uses
Duct tape's widespread popularity and multitude of uses has earned it a strong place in popular culture, and has inspired a vast number of creative and imaginative applications.Duck Products
Duck Products
Duck Products is a division of ShurTech Brands, based in Avon, Ohio. ShurTech Brands is a subsidiary of Shurtape Technologies, LLC, a pressure sensitive tape manufacturer in Hickory, NC. The Duck Products brand is used for various types of adhesive tape and other adhesive products. They hold the...
, the manufacturer of Duck brand duct tape, annually sponsors a competition that offers a college scholarship to the person who creates the most stylish prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
formal wear made from Duck Tape.
A medical study by Adam Doorn announced on major news networks on October 15, 2002, stated that application of duct tape can be used as an effective treatment for wart
Wart
A wart is generally a small, rough growth, typically on a human’s hands or feet but often other locations, that can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister. They are caused by a viral infection, specifically by human papillomavirus 2 and 7. There are as many as 10 varieties of warts, the most...
s. This treatment is often called by the name duck or duct tape occlusion therapy
Duct tape occlusion therapy
Duct tape occlusion therapy : is a method for treating warts by keeping them covered with duct tape for an extended period. The putative mechanism is not well understood and is likely a result of stimulation of the host immune system...
. A more recent study claimed to have cast doubt these findings, pointing out the original researchers didn't actually examine participants to determine if the warts were in fact gone, but instead phoned participants and asked. In the 2006 study of 103 children [Haen et al.], duct tape did not perform significantly better than a placebo. This study compared clear duct tape, applied six nights a week to corn pad placebos, which were applied one night a week. In a study released in 2007, a study among older adults found duct tape helped only 21% of the time and was no better than moleskin, a cotton-tape bandage used to protect the skin. However, researchers used transparent duct tape that unlike the grey duct tape does not contain rubber. "Whether or not the standard type of duct tape is effective is up in the air," said Dr. Rachel Wenner of the University of Minnesota, who started the new study as a medical student. "Theoretically, the rubber adhesive could somehow stimulate the immune system or irritate the skin in a different manner." The Wenner study was published in the March 2007 issue of Archives of Dermatology.
As a quick fix, duct tape can be used as a temporary bandage
Bandage
A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to the body; they can also be used to restrict a part of the body. During heavy bleeding or following a poisonous bite it is important to slow the flow of blood,...
, until proper medical treatment and bandages can be applied to a wound
Wound
A wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.-Open:...
.
Recently, duct tape has proven the most effective fix to Apple's iPhone 4
IPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
dropped call issue, even over Apple's own rubber case.
In popular culture
The Duct Tape Guys (Jim Berg and Tim Nyberg) as of 2005 have written seven books about duct tape. Their bestselling books have sold over 1.5 million copies and feature real and unusual uses of duct tape. In 1994 they coined the phrase "it ain't broke, it just lacks duct tape". Added to that phrase in 1995 with the publication of their WD-40WD-40
WD-40 is the trademark name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household...
book was, "Two rules get you through life: If it's stuck and it's not supposed to be, WD-40 it. If it's not stuck and it's supposed to be, duct tape it". Their website features thousands of duct tape uses from people around the world ranging from fashions to auto repair. The combination of WD-40 and duct tape is sometimes referred to as "the redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
repair kit".
The Canadian sitcom The Red Green Show
The Red Green Show
The Red Green Show is a Canadian television comedy that aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC Television, and on Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale April 7, 2006 on CBC...
s title character often used duct tape (which he dubbed "the handyman's secret weapon") as both a shortcut to proper fastening as well as for unconventional uses. The series sometimes showcased fan duct tape creations. The series had a feature film based on it entitled Duct Tape Forever
Duct Tape Forever
Duct Tape Forever is a 2002 comedy film based on The Red Green Show. It was written by Steve Smith, the actor who plays Red Green.-Plot:...
and several VHS/DVD compilations of the show's use of the tape have been released. Since 2000, series star Steve Smith
Steve Smith (comedian)
Steven "Steve" Smith, Jr., is a Canadian actor, writer and comedian.Smith was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Before turning to comedy, he studied engineering at the University of Waterloo and then worked a variety of jobs...
(as Red Green) has been the "Ambassador of Scotch Duct Tape" for 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
.
The Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
series MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
has featured duct tape in a number of myths that involve non-traditional uses. Confirmed myths include suspending a car for a period of time, building a functional cannon, building a two-person sailboat, and constructing a bridge that spanned the width of a dry dock. In the episode "Duct Tape Plane", the MythBusters repaired (and eventually replaced) the canopy of a lightweight airplane with duct tape and flew it a few meters above a runway.
Etymology
The origin of the name of the product, "duck tape" or "duct tape", is the subject of some disagreement.One view is that it was called "duck tape" by WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s either because it resembled strips of cotton duck
Cotton duck
Cotton duck , also simply duck, sometimes duck cloth or duck canvas, commonly called "canvas" outside the textile industry, is a heavy, plain woven cotton fabric...
(canvas) or because the waterproof quality of the tape contributed to the name, by analogy to the water-shedding quality of a duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
's plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. Under this view, soldiers returning home from the war found uses for duck tape around the house where ductwork needed sealing. Other proponents of this view point to older references to non-adhesive cotton duck tape used in Venetian blinds, suggesting that the name was carried over to the adhesive product. The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
says that perhaps "duct tape" was originally "duck tape". This view is summarized most notably in a New York Times article by etymologist William Safire
William Safire
William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter....
in March 2003. Safire cites use of the term "cotton duck tape" in a 1945 advertisement for surplus government property. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle uses the term "duck" in 1902 quotation for "100,000 yards of cotton duck tape" being used to protect the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
. Thus a fabric duck tape was available to which an adhesive could have been added.
In any case, whether it is an error or a preservation of the original usage, the term "duck tape" is often used for the product today. Duck Tape is also a brand name for this product in some countries.
Different meaning in Australia and New Zealand
The term duct tape can lead to confusion between people more familiar with the North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n usage of the term and those from regions such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where a completely different type of tape is often sold as duct tape, as shown right. Australian duct tape is the same in feel and material to electrical tape, but much wider. Cloth backed tape like in America can also be sold under the name duct tape in addition to the non cloth backed variant.
See also
- Duck ProductsDuck ProductsDuck Products is a division of ShurTech Brands, based in Avon, Ohio. ShurTech Brands is a subsidiary of Shurtape Technologies, LLC, a pressure sensitive tape manufacturer in Hickory, NC. The Duck Products brand is used for various types of adhesive tape and other adhesive products. They hold the...
- Duct tape alertDuct tape alertThe duct tape alert refers to the recommendations made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on February 10, 2003, that Americans should prepare for a biological, chemical, or radiological terrorist attack by assembling a "disaster supply kit", including duct tape and plastic , among...
- Speed tapeSpeed tapeSpeed tape is an aluminized tape used to do minor repairs on airplanes. It looks similar to duct tape , but its adhesive is capable of sticking on an airplane fuselage or wing at high speeds, hence the name. During the Vietnam War, helicopter rotor blades damaged by small-arms fire had a temporary...
- Duct tape occlusion therapyDuct tape occlusion therapyDuct tape occlusion therapy : is a method for treating warts by keeping them covered with duct tape for an extended period. The putative mechanism is not well understood and is likely a result of stimulation of the host immune system...
External links
- Etymology provided by Jan Freeman, Boston Globe (reproduced)
- Duct Sealant Longevity
- Duct tape not good for ducts from the California Energy CommissionCalifornia Energy CommissionThe California Energy Commission is California’s primary energy policy and planning agency. Created in 1974 and headquartered in Sacramento, the Commission has responsibility for activities that include forecasting future energy needs, promoting energy efficiency through appliance and building...
- http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct.html