Packing Tape

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At Ace Packaging Solutions, we offer an extensive line of carton sealing tape to address the varied needs of your business. This essential packaging product plays a critical role in ensuring your shipments remain secure in transit and arrive at their destination in the condition your customers expect. We’ve helped businesses in a wide range of industries find the right carton sealing tape solutions for their specific applications. Our team will work with you to understand your shipping needs, allowing us to recommend a customized solution for your business.

Are All Carton Sealing Tapes Equal?

Carton sealing tape, often referred to as packaging tape, comes in a variety of forms. The most common is a type of pressure-sensitive tape used to secure cardboard boxes prior to shipping, storage and moving. It’s made from a polypropylene backing material and is coated with an adhesive that bonds securely and firmly to common packaging materials. Carton sealing tape is highly durable and weather resistant, allowing it to withstand significant wear and tear during transit. Another popular style of carton sealing tape is made with a paper backing, with or without fiberglass reinforcement strands and with a water activated adhesive.

There are many variants of packaging tape to provide for the specific performance needs of a wide range of applications, including:

Heavy or light boxes
Pilfer proof
Damp/dry environments
Hot/cold environments
Dusty or clean environments
Recycled or virgin boxes
Basic functionality
Branding features

In addition, there are several different grades and varieties of carton sealing tape, and it’s important to choose an option that possesses the proper physical properties, carrier strength and adhesive for your specific applications. Choosing the wrong tape can potentially cost your business a lot of money and disrupt your operations. Our team is extremely knowledgeable about the properties of each carton sealing tape we offer, and we can recommend the best solution to address your specific needs.

Properties of Carton Sealing Tape

There are a variety of properties associated with carton sealing tape. It’s important to understand how these properties will impact the way a specific type of tape will perform. Choosing the right tape for your applications will improve efficiency and reduce product damage.

Length – This refers to the length measurement of the tape roll. Hand carton sealing tape typically comes in 55-yard or 110-yard rolls, while machine carton sealing tape typically ranges in length between 1,000-2,000 yards. Choosing the right length of tape roll can improve efficiency and reduce waste.
Width – The width of carton sealing tape is measured in inches. Most carton sealing tape rolls come in 2-inch or 3-inch width. As with the length of the roll, choosing the right width can reduce the number of layers of tape you need to use, improving your efficiency.
Tensile Strength – This refers to the force required to cause the tape to break or tear. It is typically measured in pounds.
Elongation – Elongation is related to tensile strength, and it refers to how far your tape can stretch before breaking. It is typically measured as a percentage.
Core Size – This refers to the tape’s inside roll diameter.
Thickness – The thickness of the tape is generally measured in millimeters and can range from 1.5 mm for economy options to 3 mm or greater for heavy-duty options.
Backing Material – This is the component of the tape that the adhesive gets applied to. The most common backing materials used for carton sealing tape are polypropylene, vinyl, cloth and paper.

Carton Sealing Tape Options We Offer

At Ace Packaging Solutions, we offer a wide range of carton sealing tapes. Our clear polypropylene carton sealing tape comes off the roll sticky and adheres to the surface once pressure is applied. We offer the following adhesive types with our line of carton sealing tape:

Acrylic
Hot melt
Natural rubber
Water activated

Acrylic Carton Sealing Tape

Acrylic tape is synthetically produced and ideal for businesses looking for a low cost solution. Acrylic adhesives work well across a wide temperature range. It’s suitable for storage in conditions ranging from 32°F to 140°F, making it a good option for boxes stored or shipped in extreme temperatures.

This tape is highly UV resistant and offers good clarity, making it an effective solution for printed or white cartons where you don’t want to obscure the carton design. However, this tape isn’t ideal for heavy boxes or long-term storage needs. It’s commonly used in warehouse and retail applications, as well as in situations where boxes are stored in freezers.

Hot Melt Carton Sealing Tape

Hot melt tape is more expensive than acrylic adhesives but still provides an economical solution that works in a wide range of applications. It uses a synthetic rubber adhesive that works well in temperatures ranging from 40°F to 120°F. Hot melt tape is known for it’s quick tack and strong adhesion, and it performs well on high speed sealers and with heavier packaging.

This tape is highly durable and possesses an impressive bond factor. It typically comes in clear, tan and white colors, but will often turn yellow over time. Hot melt tape is commonly used in applications where speed and efficiency are required, such as logistics and fulfillment centers.

Natural Rubber Carton Sealing Tape

Natural rubber tape is a bit heavier duty than the options discussed above and comes at a higher price point. It uses natural rubber adhesive instead of synthetic adhesive and performs well in a wide range of temperatures and environments. It maintains strong adhesion in cold temperatures and challenging conditions, such as those involving high humidity. It adheres to almost anything and is an excellent solution for rough or recycled surfaces.

Water Activated Carton Sealing Tape

Water activated tape is an adhesive that’s generally associated with paper or paper reinforced tape backing materials. It’s an eco-friendly option made from 100% sustainable materials. Water activated tape has a gummed adhesive and a paper backing that is dry to the touch but becomes sticky when it comes into contact with water. Once this tape becomes wet, it forms a strong bond to linerboard or corrugated cartons, becoming part of the box that can’t be peeled off.

In addition, the break strength of water activated tape can be increased with fiberglass filaments of various thicknesses and number of strands. It is commonly used in high-volume fulfillment warehouse applications, as well as for FedEx and UPS shipping since it holds up well with packages weighing as much as 150 pounds.

A Collaborative Approach to Packaging Solutions

At Ace Packaging Solutions, we’re committed to providing customized packaging solutions that address the specific needs of your business. This includes ensuring you have the right carton sealing tape for your applications. Our unique Collaborative Success Approach™ was designed to ensure we meet all of your packaging needs.

With this approach, our team will work closely with you to assess your processes and the products you’re currently using. We’ll discuss what works and doesn’t work about your existing tape products to recommend the right options for your specific needs. Our team will continue following up with you over time to ensure the products we provide are still right for your operations. This collaboration allows us to make any additional recommendations down the road that may better address your needs and applications as they evolve.