Tape Guide

Adhesive Tapes Explained

Understanding the technology, manufacturing and terminology of ‘sticky tapes’.

Welcome to Husky Tape’s comprehensive adhesive tape guide, designed to help you understand the key terms, materials, and technologies behind the tapes we supply and convert. Whether you’re selecting a product for packaging, industrial bonding, or DIY use, this guide will give you the knowledge to choose the right tape for your application with confidence.

How is Adhesive Tape Made?

Adhesive tape is a flexible bonding material made by applying a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) to a backing material such as paper, film, cloth, or foam. These tapes are designed to stick with light pressure, eliminating the need for heat, water, or solvents. The manufacturing process typically begins with selecting the appropriate backing, which is then coated with a specific adhesive—rubber, acrylic, or silicone—depending on the tape’s intended use. The adhesive is applied using precision coating techniques, followed by drying or curing, and finally laminated with a release liner if needed.

At Husky Tape, we specialise in converting these materials into high-performance solutions tailored for industrial, commercial, and DIY applications across Australia. Understanding how tape is constructed—from its adhesive chemistry to its carrier and release liner—helps users select the right product for their task.

single sided adhesive tape guide - construction drawing

double sided adhesive tape guide - construction drawing

If you’re interested in seeing how adhesive tape is manufactured, we recommend watching this informative YouTube video that walks through the entire process. While the focus is primarily on packaging tape production, the video offers valuable insights into key stages such as adhesive coating, backing preparation, slitting, and roll finishing. It’s a great visual resource for understanding how raw materials are transformed into the tapes used in everyday industrial and commercial applications. Please note that manufacturing methods may vary depending on the type of tape and its intended use, but the core principles remain consistent across most formats.

Backing/Carrier Types

What is an Adhesive Tape Backing / Carrier?

The term backing or carrier are interchangeable and mean the same thing in this context. An adhesive tape backing is any material, whose composition varies depending on application, that carries an adhesive on one or both sides.

Material Types

There is an abundance of materials commonly used in the construction of adhesive tapes. These vary in material type, thickness and colour, depending on the application they are intended for. Here are some typical materials often used:

Papers: Kraft, Silicone Coated, Flatback, Creped, Woven Tissue, Non-Woven Tissue, and Washi

Cloths: Cotton, Rayon

Films: Polyester (PET), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyimide, Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)

Foams: Open or Closed Cell – Polyurethane (PU), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyethylene (PE), Nitrile Rubber (NBR)

Foils: Aluminium, Copper

Adhesive Types

Choosing The Right Adhesive

The choice of adhesive used in tapes will alter many factors that are important when giving consideration as to which tape is right for the job. Here are some factors to consider when choosing the right adhesive for the job:

Tack

Shear adhesion

Peel adhesion

Operating temperature

Resistance to environmental effects

Permanent hold or temporary hold with residue free removal

Curing time

Types of adhesive

Acrylic (Solvent Based)

Provides a medium to high initial tack but requires approx. 72 hours to achieve a 100% bond. Once achieved, they deliver a long-term bond that is ideal for external applications as they have excellent aging, weathering, temperature, chemical, and solvent resistance.

Butyl

Made from a synthetic butyl rubber, they have no cure time and achieve a 100% bond when applied. Waterproof, flexible, and resistant to extreme low temperatures.

Cross-Linked

Commonly produced with rubber adhesives to improve performance and durability. Cross-linking involves a chemical process to modify the molecules of the adhesive to enhance adhesion, cohesion, and resistance to environmental factors.

Natural Rubber

Good initial tack and excellent holding power that will improve with time. Semi-cured rubber adhesives are often used in masking tapes as they offer a good quick-stick with easy removability. Solvent rubber adhesive adhere well to most surfaces, including virgin grade cardboard, making it an excellent choice for carton sealing tapes and some double-sided tapes. They possess good aging properties and a high shear strength.

Silicone

A highly flexible adhesive that can resist extreme temperatures. Having an initial low to medium tack, with the bond strength increasing over time, make them ideal for high temperature masking applications like powder coating.

Synthetic Rubber (Hotmelt)

Commonly known as hotmelt. These adhesives are very economical and provide a high initial tack and good long-term bond. They do have a low melting point and as such works best when applied in moderate to hot temperatures (above 15°C) when the adhesive is at its most viscous.

Thermoset

Tacky at room temperature and will provide a bond on application just like a Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA). When heated to a predetermined temperature, it will set and form a rigid mechanical and high-strength bond. Commonly found in high performance electrical insulation tapes.

Adhesive Tape Terms

Adhesive Cohesion

The internal strength of the adhesive itself. How well the adhesive holds to resist shear stress and prevent splitting or tearing.

Carrier

The backing that the adhesive is applied to. The material used will depend on the application and will vary from PP, PE, PVC, paper, cloth, etc.

Coat Weight

The amount of adhesive coating applied to a backing and represented as grams per meter square (g/m²).

Cold Flow

The tendency of the adhesive to behave like a viscous liquid over time. This can lead to oozing, potentially affecting adhesion and product quality problems.

Dielectric Strength

The measure of the maximum voltage stress that a single layer of tape can withstand before dielectric failure occurs.

Dimensional Stability

A tape’s ability to maintain its original shape and size, when applied to external influences like temperature, pressure, and moisture.

Elongation

A tape’s ability to stretch before breaking, expressed as a percentage of the original length.

Face Stock

Any material suitable for converting into a pressure sensitive adhesive. This can be paper, film, fabric, foil, laminate, etc.

Fire Resistance

The ability of a tape to withstand exposure to flame. Fireproof materials will not burn even when exposed to flame. Flame-resistant (fire-retardant, self-extinguishing) materials will burn when exposed to flame, but will not sustain the burn after the flame is removed.

Holding Power (Shear Resistance)

A tape’s ability to hold a static weight vertically before falling.

Impact Resistance

The tape’s ability to withstand or absorb shocks and vibrations.

Insulation Resistance

The ability of the tape to prevent the flow of electrical current across its surface.

Lap Joint

A common method used by lapping one material over another and using adhesive tape to provide the bond between them.

Longitudinal

Refers to the direction in the tape’s length. Often used to describe reinforcement or other properties.

Peel Adhesion

The force per unit width that is required to break the bond between the adhesive tape and the surface of which it has been applied.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA)

An adhesive type that sticks when pressure is applied to achieve bond.

Saturation

The process of impregnating the tape backing with materials to improve its durability and physical characteristics, such as resistance to moisture, solvents or chemicals.

Shear Adhesion

The ability of a tape to resist static forces when applied parallel to the bonding surface.

Surface Energy

A measure of how well an adhesive can adhere to a substrate. Surfaces with a high surface energy are easier to adhere to, while low surface energy substrates will require additional preparation to help achieve an affective bond.

Transversal

Refers to the direction across the width of the tape. Often used to describe reinforcement or tear properties.

Tack

The property of a pressure sensitive adhesive that allows it to adhere to a surface under very little pressure. Determined by the ability of the adhesive to wet quickly to the surface it contacts.

Tear Resistance

A tape’s ability to resist tearing in any given direction after the tear has been initiated.

Tensile Strength (Breaking Strength)

The force required to break the tape by controlled pulling on either side. Measured in N/mm.

Unwind Adhesion

Refers to the force required to remove tape from a roll under prescribed conditions. Important for reliable and smooth operation, specifically for machine operation or for when wide rolls are being dispensed by hand.