19 Different Types of Tape & What They're Used For

No matter what you need to tape, you'll find the right tape for it here

Co-authored by Fahim and Seema Mojawalla and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: September 22, 2026 Fact Checked

From crafting cards and repairing couch cushions to making roads (and bondage safer), tape can do it all! Not all tape is created equal, though. To help you decide which tape meets your needs, we partnered with shipping, crafting, sports, and fashion experts and compiled a list of 19 common types of tape. We cover just about every application you can think of, so stick with us!

What are common types of tape?

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A chart showing 19 different kinds of tape, including Scotch, duct, masking, painter's, and packing tape.

Scotch tape: Used for paper crafts and wrapping presents
Duct tape: Used for quick, temporary DIY repairs on all kinds of materials
Masking tape: Used to secure lightweight boxes and labeling
Painter's tape: Used to block off surfaces for painting
Packing tape: Used to secure cardboard boxes for moving or storage
Double-sided tape: Used for paper crafts or hanging objects on walls

1

Scotch tape

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Scotch tape is a clear tape that holds paper and other light materials together. If you've ever wrapped a present, stuck a poster to a wall, or worked on a craft project in elementary school, you've probably used Scotch tape. This small but mighty tape isn't super strong like duct tape, but it's strong enough to hold up very light materials, like paper or plastic.
- Best for: Paper crafts and wrapping presents
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Fahim and Seema Mojawalla are shipping and logistics experts and the co-owners of one of the top 3 FedEx Authorized ShipCenters® in the U.S.

Renee Day is a crafting expert and specializes in brush lettering, journaling, embossing, stamping, stenciling, doodling, and crocheting.

Joel Giffin, PT, DPT, CHT, is a physical therapist with over 15 years of experience. He specializes in rehabilitating the hand and upper extremities.

Elle Monus is a stylist with over 11 years of experience. She specializes in a holistic approach to size-inclusive image consulting and personal styling.

Sahra Brandt is a personal stylist with 10 years of industry experience. She specializes in wardrobe audits, personal shopping, and remote styling.

2

Duct tape

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Duct tape is a strong, all-purpose tape used for temporary repairs and securing items. When you need to temporarily attach one item to another or seal up a hole, duct tape is your best friend! It's not a permanent solution, but it can keep cables from hanging down or couch cushions from falling apart until the permanent solution comes along. It also sticks to just about any surface, including wood, metal, tile, glass, and cement.^{[1]
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Research source} Just try to avoid using it to tape up your boxes. According to shipping and logistics experts Fahim and Seema Mojawalla, boxes closed with duct tape tend to "split right open" during moving.^{[2]
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Fahim and Seema Mojawalla
Shipping and Logistics Experts

Expert Interview}
- Best for: Quick, temporary DIY repairs
- Caution: Duct tape tends to leave a sticky residue, and it can also rip up paint. Avoid attaching it to anything that can't be exposed to moisture or chemicals, which you'll need to use to clean up the adhesive.^{[3]
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  - Soften tape residue with warm water, distilled white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, WD-40, or cooking oil.^{[4]
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- Need something to hold your money and credit cards? Try crafting a wallet out of duct tape!

3

Masking tape

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Masking tape is a light packing tape that doesn't leave a sticky residue. You might have used cream-colored masking tape to label boxes or even to secure cardboard box flaps together. It's generally easy to remove and doesn't leave any stickiness behind, making it safe for furniture. It's not super strong and isn't the best choice for sealing box flaps, but it comes in handy for securing cabinet doors and drawers for moving.^{[5]
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- Best for: Light packing and labeling

4

Painter's tape

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Painter's tape is blue tape used to seal off walls and furniture for painting. Painter's tape is specially designed to stick to surfaces, like painted drywall, without damaging it or leaving residue. This makes it the perfect border between areas you want to paint and areas you want to keep paint-free (like your walls and your baseboards).^{[6]
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Research source} Some people also use painter's tape to mark things in their house that they want a contractor to repair.
- Best for: Taping off walls and furniture to paint

5

Packing tape

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Packing tape is a clear tape used to secure boxes for moving or shipping. If you're moving, storing, or shipping cardboard boxes, packing tape is a must. It's clear and lightweight, but strong enough to create a tight seal between box flaps.
- The Mojawallas note that packing tape is also great for securing a shipping label to the top of a box!^{[7]
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  Fahim and Seema Mojawalla
  Shipping and Logistics Experts
  
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- Best for: Packing and shipping boxes

6

Double-sided tape

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Double-sided tape is used for crafts and for securing items without screws, nails, or staples. As its name suggests, double-sided tape has adhesive on both sides. It also comes in 2 main varieties with totally different applications. The first kind is double-sided Scotch tape and can be used for similar purposes (i.e., paper crafts or wrapping presents). The second kind is called mounting tape and can secure objects weighing up to 15 lb (6.8 kg) to walls or other surfaces. This lets you hang pictures, racks, mirrors, and other items without making holes in your walls.^{[8]
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- Caution: Mounting tape is incredibly strong, so if you stick it on something and then remove it later, the surface underneath will probably be damaged.
- Best for: Paper crafts and scrapbooking (double-sided Scotch tape); hanging objects on walls (mounting tape)

7

Washi tape

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Washi tape is colorful tape from Japan used for crafts and journaling. According to crafting expert Renee Day, washi tape is a decorative tape that comes in a variety of fun designs and colors. It's not very sticky, so it's easy to apply and remove without damaging most surfaces (even paper). She suggests using it to embellish greeting cards or to decorate a journal.^{[9]
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Renee Day
Crafting Expert

Expert Interview} You can also wrap it around pencils, binders, and other school and office supplies to give them a little pizzazz!
- Best for: Crafting, scrapbooking, and decorating books and office supplies

8

Foam tape

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Foam tape is used for insulation, sealing, and soundproofing. The most common place to apply foam tape is a gap, so it can function as a seal. It's commonly used in weather stripping around windows and doors to prevent cold, heat, and dirt from entering your home. It's also insulating and noise-dampening, and it also makes great padding for heavy hanging objects that might scrape the wall, like picture frames.^{[10]
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- Best for: Weather stripping, cushioning heavy objects, stabilizing vibrating machinery, and soundproofing

9

Plumber's tape

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Plumber's tape refers to pipe tape and self-fusing tape used for emergency seals. There are 2 different types of tape referred to as "plumber's tape." The first is also called pipe tape, and it has no adhesive. Plumbers wrap it around the threads of a pipe, which thickens it and allows for a tighter seal between 2 joints. The other type is self-fusing silicone tape. It creates a watertight seal and is used for temporarily patching leaks.^{[11]
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- Best for: Sealing joints (pipe tape); patching leaks (self-fusing silicone tape)

10

Electrical tape

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Electrical tape is stretchy and used to wrap and insulate electrical wires. Electricians use this type of tape all the time, but it's also a good idea to keep some on hand as a homeowner. Electrical tape is super sticky on one side and is designed to stretch and wrap around wires. It also insulates the electrical current passing through them. You can use it to hold wires together so they're not dangling all over the place, or you can use different colored electrical tape to label wires for future reference.^{[12]
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- Best for: Wrapping around or labeling live wires

11

Drywall tape

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Drywall tape seals gaps between sheets of drywall in walls or ceilings. The drywall that makes up the walls in your home comes in multiple sheets, which contractors screw side by side into the studs. This means there are always thin gaps between each sheet. To seal those gaps, contractors fill them with wet drywall compound, then layer drywall tape over that. Drywall tape helps hold the compound in place and creates a level surface. So when contractors add plaster over the top, your walls look perfectly smooth and flat.^{[13]
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- Best for: Taping over wet drywall compound to make smooth, seamless walls or ceilings

12

Filament tape

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Filament tape is packing tape reinforced with glass filaments or fiberglass. If you need to pack or bundle something big, heavy, and bulky, regular packing tape might not cut it. You might need something stronger, like filament tape. This type of tape is reinforced with tiny filaments of glass or fiberglass, which help it stay together and hold up under a lot of pressure.^{[14]
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- Best for: Packing or bundling heavy, bulky objects or reinforcing large, heavy boxes

13

Reflective tape

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Reflective tape illuminates traffic signs, cones, and some vehicles. This type of tape reflects light back to its source. For example, if you're driving at night and come across a traffic cone, you'll see the cone's reflective tape light up as you're driving toward it. It's super useful in road safety applications, as well as in construction and industrial work sites. You can even wrap it around your pet's collar or your bicycle to make them easier for drivers to see at night.^{[15]
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- Best for: Lighting up traffic signs, cones, and other objects to be visible in a direct beam of light (as from your vehicle's headlights)

14

Anti-slip tape

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Anti-slip tape is gritty on one side to prevent skidding on steps and ramps. You might see this type of tape labeled as "anti-skid" or "non-skid," but they're all the same thing. One side of anti-slip tape is coated with a strong adhesive that sticks to just about any surface without peeling up, even when it's exposed to moisture. The other side is coated in a gritty, waterproof texture to help prevent your shoe from slipping or skidding. It's applied to steps and ramps in residential and industrial settings.^{[16]
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- Best for: Preventing slips and falls on ramps and steps (especially in wet environments)

15

Surgical tape

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Surgical tape holds bandages, catheters, IVs, and even wounds together. Hospitals use surgical tape all the time, usually to hold IVs and other medical equipment to your skin. They also use it to secure bandages, or sometimes they apply a special type of adhesive tape to wounds to keep them closed until they heal.^{[17]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} It's a good idea to buy surgical tape and keep it on hand for at-home wound care.^{[18]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals

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- Best for: Securing medical equipment and wound care

16

Kinesiology tape

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Kinesiology tape is thin, stretchy tape that stimulates muscle contractions. This type of tape is designed to apply directly to your skin to activate your muscles, says physical therapist Joel Giffin, PT, DPT, CHT.^{[19]
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Joel Giffin, PT, DPT, CHT
Physical Therapist

Expert Interview} Another benefit of kinesiology tape (AKA kinesiotape) is that it reduces inflammation by pulling up on the skin to improve lymphatic flow, which is why athletes often apply it after an injury.^{[20]
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- Best for: Stimulating muscle contraction and movement post-injury

17

Fashion tape

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Fashion tape is double-sided and helps clothes sit correctly on your body. This adhesive is double-sided and fastens clothes to your body so they don't slip or reveal too much. To use fashion tape, stylist Elle Monus says to make sure your skin is dry and free of oil and lotion. Next, peel the backing off one side and stick it to your skin where you'd like your clothing to sit. "Once you've got your placement correct," she instructs, "peel the backing off the opposite side and gently press your clothing onto it as it naturally lays."^{[21]
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Elle Monus
Stylist

Expert Interview} And you're done!
- Monus recommends using fashion tape for an off-the-shoulder top, a deep V-neckline, "or anything else that just won't seem to stay put."^{[22]
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- Best for: Helping clothes lay right on your body and eliminate gapping

18

Boob tape

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Boob tape is a skin-safe tape that lifts your breasts when you can't use a bra. Some dresses and tops are strapless, extremely low-cut, or made of see-through material. None of these are conducive to wearing a bra, but fortunately, there's a solution: boob tape! Personal stylist Sahra Brandt describes boob tape as adhesive without being sticky, so it won't burn when you pull it off. To apply it, Brandt says to attach one end of a strip to your nipple, then pull it up and adhere it below your collarbone or below your shoulders, "depending on where the dress is going to hit." Repeat with the other nipple and a new strip of boob tape.^{[23]
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Sahra Brandt
Personal Stylist

Expert Interview}
- Best for: Taping your breasts when a bra would be too visible in your outfit

19

Bondage tape

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Bondage tape sticks only to itself and is safe for use during sex and BDSM. Bondage tape is designed to only stick to itself, meaning you can put it on your skin or hair and feel zero pain while removing it. People who enjoy BDSM encounters or who just want to spice up their sexy time may bind their consenting partner's wrists or ankles with it.^{[24]
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- Best for: Safe, non-painful bondage during sex and BDSM
- Caution: Always get your partner's consent before using bondage tape on them or yourself!