Stationery & office
Which packing tape do I need? Kraft, BOPP, fragile and foil tape explained
Most people buy packing tape once, get frustrated when it peels off a cold box or tears down the middle, and then buy something different next time. The tapes are not interchangeable. Each one is built for a different surface and a different job, and picking the right one costs the same as picking the wrong one.
Here is a plain guide to the five tapes you are most likely to need, what width to buy, and how to tell them apart.
Kraft paper tape: for cardboard you want to recycle
Kraft paper tape is brown, paper-based and self-adhesive. Its advantage is simple: it is paper stuck to paper, so a sealed box goes into the recycling as one item. Nobody has to peel plastic off the cardboard first.
It also tears by hand, which saves reaching for a knife or a dispenser, and it takes pen and print, so you can write on the seal. The trade-off is that paper tape does not like damp or dusty surfaces. On a clean, dry box it holds well. On a box that has been sitting in a cold garage, clear plastic tape is the safer choice.
Use it for: everyday parcels, subscription boxes, anything where the packaging is part of the brand, and any business trying to cut plastic out of its despatch bench.
BOPP clear packing tape: the everyday workhorse
BOPP stands for biaxially oriented polypropylene, which is the plastic film in ordinary clear parcel tape. Stretching the film in two directions during manufacture is what makes it strong along its length but still easy to tear across.
Clear tape is the default for good reason. It sticks to cardboard, plastic and tape-on-tape, it survives cold and damp far better than paper, and it disappears against a brown box so labels stay readable underneath. If you only keep one tape in the cupboard, keep this one.
Use it for: sealing and reinforcing boxes, bundling, covering an address label so the ink survives rain.
Fragile tape: a warning that cannot be missed
Fragile tape does the same sealing job as clear tape, but it is printed with a repeating warning so the message runs all the way around the parcel. A single sticker gets buried under a courier label or ends up face down on a trolley. A printed seal does not.
Look for UV-resistant print if parcels may sit in daylight, in a van window or on a loading bay, because unprinted dye fades quickly and a faded warning is no warning at all.
Use it for: glassware, ceramics, framed items, electronics, anything where the handling matters more than the packaging.
Aluminium foil tape: heat, not parcels
Foil tape is not packing tape at all, and it is worth saying so clearly because it sits next to the others on most shelves. It is a metal-backed tape designed for heat and moisture: sealing duct joints, insulation seams, flue and pipe wrapping, and heat-reflective repairs.
It holds where plastic tape would soften, and it forms a vapour barrier that plastic tape does not. It is also not much use on a cardboard box, where it costs more and sticks less well than the tape actually made for the job.
Use it for: ducting, insulation, heat shielding and outdoor repairs where water needs to stay out.
Double-sided mounting tape: fixing without screws
Double-sided foam tape has adhesive on both faces and a compressible foam core. The foam is the point. It lets the tape grip a slightly uneven surface and absorb small movements, which is why it holds a mirror, a hook or a number plate where flat double-sided tape would peel away.
Two rules make it work. First, clean and dry the surface properly. Grease is the usual reason a mounting tape fails. Second, press firmly for a good few seconds after fitting, because these adhesives need pressure rather than time to bond.
Use it for: hanging light fittings and frames, fixing trims, mounting a dispenser or a hook where drilling is not an option.
Two more worth knowing
Two specialist tapes turn up in the same drawer. PVC insulation tape is a stretchy electrical tape for insulating and colour-coding cables, and it should never be used to seal a parcel because it creeps under load. Fibreglass mesh tape is an open-weave tape for drywall joints and plasterboard repairs, designed to be covered with filler rather than left on show.
What width and length should I buy?
For parcels, 48mm wide (usually written 4.8cm) is the standard. It is wide enough to seal a box flap in a single pass and narrow enough to control by hand. Rolls of 50m suit a household or a small despatch bench; if you are sealing dozens of boxes a day, larger rolls mean fewer changeovers.
Specialist tapes run narrower. Insulation tape is typically around 17 to 19mm because it is wrapped around cable, and mounting tape is often 18 to 24mm because it is applied in strips rather than across a seam.
One tip that saves more tape than any other: seal the centre seam, then run a strip across each end of the box. That H pattern spreads the load into the sides and is the difference between a box that survives a courier network and one that opens in transit.
What to buy
- Brown kraft paper tape, 4.8cm x 50m - recyclable with the box, tears by hand, takes a pen.
- BOPP clear packing tape, 4.8cm x 50m - the everyday roll for sealing and reinforcing.
- UV-resistant fragile tape, 4.8cm x 50m - a warning that runs right around the parcel.
- Double-sided mounting tape, 18mm x 2m - for fixing things to a wall without drilling.
The full range is in tapes and adhesives, and if you are packing parcels you will probably want postal bags in the same order.
Frequently asked questions
Is paper tape strong enough for heavy parcels?
For most parcels, yes. Self-adhesive kraft tape holds a well-packed box perfectly well. For heavy or awkward loads, or for boxes that have been stored somewhere cold or damp, clear plastic tape gives a more reliable bond.
Why does my tape keep splitting down the middle?
That is usually the roll being pulled too fast off a hand dispenser, or a roll that has been stored somewhere warm and gone tacky at the edges. Pull more slowly, keep rolls out of direct sun, and press the tape down as you go rather than laying it on loose.
Can I write an address straight onto the tape?
On kraft paper tape, yes, and it is one of the reasons people choose it. On clear plastic tape, most pens will smudge. Write on the box first and then cover the label with clear tape to protect it.