Building Supplies

Duck Tape Rose

Duck Tape Wallet

Duck Tape Book Cover

Duck Tape Fabric

Duct tape - it's America's favorite fix-all. From industrial strength to general purpose, and classic gray to groovy tie-dye, Duck brand duct tape comes in all shapes, strengths, and colors.

Create durable and wildly creative arts and
crafts projects with Duck Tape

Excellent for coordinating repairs, color-coding materials, fashion, crafting, and imaginative projects

High performance strength and adhesion characteristics

Tears easily by hand without curling and conforms to uneven surfaces

Duck Tape Can Be Fun

You can use Duck Tape for fun, durable and wildly creative arts and crafts project. Choose from a broad variety of vivid colors or wild Duck Tape prints. Try a Duck Tape Wallet, or Flower, or even go all out and join students across America making Duck Tape prom dresses.

Click a project on the left for instructions.

The History of Duck Tape

Duct tape has adhered itself so well to American culture that it's become much more than a roll of tape. It's an enduring symbol of all in this world that is functional.

So how did this sticky wonder come about? It was World War II and there was a need for a strong, flexible, durable, waterproof tape that could seal canisters, repair cracked windows, repair trucks, and help the war effort in general. Permacell, a division of the Johnson and Johnson Company, stepped up to this challenge. Using medical tape as a base, they applied two new technologies. Polycoat adhesives gave the tape its unshakable stick and polyethylene coating allowed them to laminate the tape to a cloth backing, making it extremely strong and flexible. The resulting tape was nicknamed "Duck Tape" for its ability to repel water, while ripping easily into strips for fast convenient use.

After the war the tape was put to the more civilian use of holding ducts together. So the product changed from a nameless army green tape to the familiar gray duct tape.

Choose from a broad variety of vivid colors or wild Duck Tape prints

Thirty years later, Jack Kahl, former CEO of Manco, Inc., changed the name of the product to Duck Tape and put ‘Manco T. Duck’ on the Duck Tape logo, giving personality to a commodity product. Manco, Inc. also began to shrink-wrap and label the product, making it easier to stack for retailers, and easier to distinguish different grades for customers.

Now, over 50 years after its invention, Duck tape is sold in more than 20 colors and is touted by its followers for having a nearly endless amount of uses. What will happen to Duck Tape? What advancements in Duck Tape technology will be made? Only time will tell.

Preparing Surfaces to Use Duck Tape

When using Duck Tape, whether the traditional silver or one of the rainbow of Duck color tapes, all surfaces should be clean and free of dust or dirt before placing any tape on them. You will want to dust the surface and then wipe the area down with rubbing alcohol. However, rubbing alcohol can dull certain surfaces, so try it on a small, inconspicuous area before applying on a large scale.