What is the Best Tape for Packing Boxes?

Tape is an essential ingredient in packing cardboard boxes. It ensures the boxes stay in their 3D shape, hold their contents securely, and get the contents to their destination smoothly. But before you get to that stage, you’ll need to select the best type of tape for your own needs.

Acrylic Tape

Acrylic tape, often referred to by the brand name “Sellotape”, is the most widely recognised type of tape on the market. Acrylic tape is renowned for its reliability and durability for packing boxes, but also for many other uses including wrapping presents, picking up pet hair, and temporarily hemming clothes.

Vinyl Tape

Vinyl tape, often referred to as “duct tape”, is a sturdy type of tape known for its superior strength and waterproof properties. Vinyl tape is a great choice for shipping heavier items or items that are susceptible to water damage. Vinyl tape is widely available in both a brown and clear option.

Paper Tape

Paper tape is an excellent eco-friendly alternative to acrylic tape and vinyl tape. Whilst plastic-based tapes are widely available in non-toxic, low emission, halogen-free varieties, they are not biodegradable, meaning they cause environmental pollution.

Paper tape, on the other hand, is biodegradable and doesn’t compromise on performance to meet these environmental standards. In fact, paper tape is a high performing tape type with excellent binding capabilities. It is also much more aesthetically pleasing than its plastic alternatives, is less prone to sticking to itself due to its more rigid structure, and can be printed with your business logo, branding, and other information. This option for customisation is a huge plus for corporate use.

Water Activated Tape

Water activated tape, often referred to as “gummed tape” or by the brand name “Tegrabond”, is an alternative form of paper tape. To be used, the sticky side of the tape requires moisture to activate it. The average consumer will be familiar with this type of tape due to it being used by Amazon on their cardboard box shipments. Water activated tape is extremely high quality and has a closely woven fibre texture that gives it excellent strength, water resistance, and even some security features.