Duct tape is a cloth-backed adhesive tape that is more easily ripped than cut. The three layers that make duct tape are polyethylene, fabric mesh, and adhesive. The most common width is 1.88 inches (~48 mm), but depending on application, it is available in widths from .7 inches to 2.83 inches (~18 mm to ~7.2 cm). Originally called duck tape because it was green and waterproof, shedding liquid like the proverbial duck’s back, it became known as duct tape and colored silver because of its applicability in heating and air conditioning duct work. There are four basic grades, known as utility, all-purpose, professional, and industrial, but there are also specialty tapes that don’t fit within this grading scheme.

Today, still marketed as Duck® tape by one company of the same name, duct tape is the name for a line of products, not just a single tape. Specialized forms are available for exterior use and professional repair work, with attention to heavy-duty thickness and moisture resistance. Industrial duct tape is a separate category, featuring thicker, heavier tape suited for specialized manufacturing purposes. There is also a special fire safety tape that is rated for flame spread.

The varieties of duct tape have multiplied through the years. Transparent duct tape is now also available, as is double-sided duct tape. In addition, colored duct tape, available in hues similar to the 8-pack box of crayons used by youngsters, has been specially designed both for general use, being less obvious in repair work, and craft applications. One can also find camouflage duct tape, fluorescent colored duct tape, and flattened rolls without the core for compact storage.

In addition to home repair and improvement, construction, and industrial applications, duct tape has been used for clothing, including period clothing like armor, Halloween costumes, prom wear, and wedding gowns and tuxes. Accessories such as purses, hats, wallets, corsages, and jewelry are popular, but there are also adventurous folks who make duct tape furniture and footwear. In fact, duct tape is an adhesive of such wide and varied use that some people include it in “three things I’d take to a desert island.” Not only was it used on Apollo space flights, but it is now required cargo on space shuttle missions. A wide variety of medical applications, from wart removal to reinforcing casts and beyond, have also been recorded, but wiseGEEK is reporting this use only as a point of information - not recommending it.