Written by Timothy Dale | Published 8:22 PM, September 8, 2020

If you purchase a product through one of our links, BobVila.com and its partners may receive a commission.

If you have ever grabbed a roll of packaging tape and used it to secure a box or container containing plates, clothes, lights, and other valuables, but let it give way and eventually damage or destroy the contents, you might know The importance of good tape. You can avoid similar situations when you use the correct type of straps for different jobs and even climates.

Packaging tape is specially made for fixing boxes to meet mobile and storage needs, and there are various types with different adhesives and activators. Consider some of the best strapping options available and find the one that suits your needs.

Packaging tape comes in different styles and is suitable for a variety of tasks, including carton sealing, low-temperature bonding, water-activated bonding, binding strength, and masking quality. The best straps detailed here have universal qualities that benefit every user.

Sealing tape is the most common type of packaging tape. People who work in packaging warehouses or moving companies often use it, but almost everyone who moves or stores items has used it. If your packaging is not affected by extreme temperature changes, this tape is a good choice. If you use it for large packaging or are worried about theft, you may need to choose a different type of packing belt.

One problem with ordinary carton sealing tape is that extremely low temperatures can cause the adhesive to fail. If you live in a cold climate or move items to a cold climate, or if items are stored or kept in a cold storage area (such as an ice cream truck or freezer), you need low temperature tape. This tape uses the same liner as the carton sealing tape, but it has an adhesive specifically designed to stay strong at low temperatures. However, as you might have guessed, this tape is not a good choice for extremely warm temperatures.

When you ship items across the country or rely on porters to transport your items to a new location, safety is clearly an issue. The carton sealing tape can be easily removed and re-applied without evidence. You should consider using water active tape to ensure the safety of your belongings. This tape activates when wet, sticks to the cardboard, and forms a seal that must be cut or torn to break. When you remove the tape, there are signs of tampering.

If your box is too heavy for ordinary carton tape to seal tightly, you should consider using strapping tape. Manufacturers weave glass filaments or glass fibers into this tape to reinforce the lining to increase durability, strength, and flexibility. The strapping strap is a bit more expensive than other varieties, but it can securely fix heavy objects in the container.

Masking tape is a special tape with pressure sensitive adhesive that can be easily applied and removed. The thin paper lining is easy to tear and is specially designed to protect areas such as skirting boards during the painting process. You can also use masking tape to secure light packages, but it is less sticky, which means it does not perform well on medium to heavy packages.

Before choosing the best packaging tape for your mobile and storage needs, please consider the following shopping considerations.

The adhesive strength of the tape determines how well it sticks to the surface and is an important factor in how you should use it. How heavy is the box you packed? How strong must your tape be to achieve its purpose? These are important considerations because they determine the type of tape you need.

Before choosing a packing belt, please consider the moving or storage conditions. A new house moving to the same city in a short period of time does not need tape with a durable adhesive, but you need to make sure it is strong enough to support your strongest boxed items. Or, storing a package for several months at a time will largely depend on the life of the adhesive. When the box is in a long-term storage state, the strength of the lining is not an important factor.

However, mobility and storage are not the only considerations. How do you move? If you hire porters, you may need to use water-active tape to prevent your belongings from being stolen. If you plan to store boxes or cartons throughout the year in a cold climate or move to a cold climate, choose cold weather tape.

There are many other considerations to keep in mind: humidity, precipitation, and even the method you use to transport the package. For example, boxes on ships may be affected by high humidity, while boxes on trucks may be affected by shifts. When deciding on packaging tape, always keep the travel and storage conditions in mind.

Determine the amount of tape you need before starting the project so that you don’t have to go to the store to buy more tape halfway through the packaging. Packaging tape manufacturers always list how much tape is included in roll and bulk packaging. You can measure in two ways.

The first is the width of the tape, which is usually between 0.5 inches and 4 inches. You need to know the width of the space where the tape will be applied so that you can bind the surface and provide adequate sealing. The second is the length of the tape on the roll. You usually measure rolls in yards, but you can also measure in inches or feet. If you estimate the number of tapes needed, always proceed with caution. Get more than you need, so you don't run out halfway through. After all, the extra tape around the house is never a bad thing (within reason).

The tape can be individually rolled into rolls, or you can find an integrated tape dispenser, which can apply the tape to your package easily, quickly and efficiently.

Applying a piece of tape seems easy, but depending on the type you get, you may spend more time sticking the tape.

The products listed below have received the highest ratings in terms of quality, price and customer satisfaction.

If you have been struggling to seal boxes, especially those made of 100% recycled materials, please consider using this packaging tape from Scotch. This impressive carton sealing tape uses solvent-free hot melt adhesive to provide a heavy-duty seal for all types of boxes. This unit contains six rolls of tape. The scotch tape also has a coating to prevent it from cracking and tearing when it is unfolded.

Heavy-duty carton sealing tape has a stronger adhesive than ordinary carton sealing tape, making it ideal for high-pressure situations such as movement, storage, and transportation. The tape has crack resistance and tear resistance, and has an extra-thick lining to provide additional support. You can pack more important items, such as books, in cartons, knowing that the tape will stick. The package comes with four rolls of clear packaging tape. Each core has 25 yards of tape that is 1.88 inches wide. The tape is resistant to moisture and high temperature, but it is not recommended for extremely low temperatures.

If you want to protect surfaces or seal lightweight packaging for storage or movement during painting projects, consider using this masking tape from Lichamp. It has a crepe paper backing that is easy to tear and apply, and has a pressure-resistant adhesive that can be glued to various surfaces. You can easily remove the tape without leaving sticky residue like other tapes. The total length of the packaging tape is 550 yards, divided into ten rolls, with beige and white lining. Each roll is 0.75 inches wide and comes with 55 yards of tape. The back of the tape has a special surface that allows the tape to unfold without tearing, while also providing enough resistance to control use, so you don't have to worry about unwrapping more tape than you need.

The thick paper thread of this sealing tape is dark brown and has excellent tensile strength, but it is also easy to tear, so you can quickly remove the items you need. The tape is made of rubber resin to increase its resistance to high temperatures and fluctuating temperatures and physical shocks, which may occur when the package slides or falls. This 55-yard long carton sealing tape is 3 inches wide and has won high marks on the binding box lid. The adhesive adheres well to most types of cardboard, which makes it particularly suitable for boxes you plan to move or store for short periods of time. One caveat: You must stick the tape at room temperature to make the adhesive work best.

You cannot break the incredible bond of Nova Supply's water-active tape without damaging the cardboard underneath. Tape not only holds the box or carton in place, it also acts as an anti-theft because it is difficult to remove and cannot be replaced.

Nova Supply’s tape is 2.75 inches wide and has 150 yards of tape on the reel. The brown lining is reinforced with glass fiber and has a heavy-duty adhesive for super strong bonding. This tape can withstand extreme heat, extreme cold, dust, dirt and moisture. When using, just wet the tape and stick it on the surface. Adjust it before it dries to get a perfect seal.

If you want a tape that can keep the heaviest items safe during moving or storage, check out this strapping tape from Scotch. The extra-thick lining of this strapping tape is made of two-way glass fiber reinforced fibers and uses heavy-duty hot melt adhesives, with a tensile strength of more than 100 lbs/inch.

Each roll is 30 yards long. Its 1.88 inches width means it fits most standard size tape dispensers, but it is not equipped with an integrated dispenser. However, even without a dispenser, the 3-inch core provides you with an easy-to-grip surface for simple and effective bandaging.

Based on adhesive strength, service life, ease of use and quality, Scotch heavy-duty packaging tape is our first choice for the best packaging tape.

Packaging tape can be used to secure boxes used to store valuables, or when moving from one location to another. The best strapping has a strong adhesive, can withstand the bumps and impacts caused by movement, can withstand extreme temperature fluctuations, and can protect the box and its contents. In order to determine the best box sealing tape on the market, we focus on various types of box sealing tape, such as box sealing tape, low temperature tape, water activated tape, strapping tape and masking tape. These different types of packing belts are suitable for specific situations and should be used according to your own mobile and storage conditions. Our selection of the best packaging tape will enable you to pack your items into boxes to reduce the hassle of moving or storing.

Before choosing the best strap for your project, consider the answers to the following common questions.

Packaging tape has a long-lasting adhesive, can be used at high and low temperatures, and works best when the carton is sealed for movement, delivery, or storage. Manufacturers of transportation tape use hot melt adhesives to make them more durable in the short term. The adhesive is strong enough to withstand multiple contact points, but may fail when exposed to cold temperatures.

The two types of tape have different uses, and it is difficult to say which one is stronger. Duct tape is designed to form a tight seal across the air duct and has a certain amount of built-in stretch. Packaging tape is harder, which means it will not stretch under the same force as duct tape. However, this same stiffness may prevent the packaging tape from absorbing sudden forces, such as when the package is dropped.

You measure the thickness of the strap in mils. One mil is equivalent to 1/1000 of an inch. On average, straps are between 1 and 6 mils, but this varies by manufacturer and quality.

For short-term strength, such as when mailing a package, use shipping tape. However, for long-term storage, or if the cardboard is exposed to a wide temperature range, packaging tape can ensure long-lasting adhesion.

Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide publishers with a way to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliate sites.

You agree that BobVila.com can process your data in the manner described in our privacy policy.

Copyright © 2021 Acton Media Inc. all rights reserved.