The Best Duct Tape of 2023 (2024)

To start, we’ll answer the obvious question. Yes, there is a difference between good duct tape and bad duct tape. Quite a big difference, as it turns out. Our favorite is Gorilla Tape (available at Amazon) , an easy-to-use, heavy-duty duct tape that gets the job done head and shoulders above the competition. That humble, ubiquitous little roll of grey (or black) tape can be found in everyone’s toolbox, garage, or junk drawer for good reason. For nearly a century it’s helped bind together and patch over pretty much every repair job you can think of, transcending its original wartime purpose to become something of almost cult-like reverence: If you can’t fix it with duct tape, well sir, it just can’t be fixed.

We looked at seven top-pick brands (plus two intriguing plastic tapes) to determine which was the strongest duct tape, most durable, most waterproof, and easiest to work with. We got wet and dirty while we were doing it, but we got some answers, too.

AdhesionDuct tape’s primary function is to hold fast to whatever you’re taping together, so we put grip strength to the test and weighted it heavily in our scores. An eight-inch piece of tape was applied evenly across two pieces of one-inch-thick pine board. A person stood on top of one board while the other board was pulled—horizontal to the tape’s surface— slowly and evenly using a hand winch. The force was measured using a crane scale.

Water resistanceWhile duct tapes aren’t necessarily billed as waterproof, most people expect that they can be used for temporarily patching a leak.

We took a garden hose and drilled nine 1/16th-inch, evenly spaced holes down the length. A six-inch length of tape was wrapped around each hole, which allowed for about three layers of tape. We then put a spray head on the end of the hose and turned on the faucet. Performance was measured in how long the tape could hold back the water without leaking.

We expected the test to last for hours, but actually called it after five minutes when all but two tapes had failed.

Weather resistanceA three-foot length of each tape was put on a sheet of plywood and left outside to endure high heat, humidity, and torrential downpours for four weeks. If it wasn't already falling off after that time, we tested how much adhesion strength remained.

Ease of useHandling tape has to count for something, so we scored how easy and cleanly the tape was to rip. Points were lost for ragged bits of string or excessive difficulty in pulling a piece off the roll. We also scored how easily a three-foot length of tape twisted and stuck to itself when waved around.

What You Should Know About Duct Tape

Originally designed for World War II shipping purposes, both the material design and the name itself changed many times over the twentieth century. In the 1980’s, the “Duck Tape” brand finally took off and a genericized “duct tape” was applied to anything off-brand.

True duct tape has a woven fabric or scrim, with colored polyurethane on one side (typically grey or black) and adhesive on the other. It should be easy to rip by hand and is usually expected to have high adhesion (“stickiness”) strength. The fabric imbues the tape with a good deal of flexibility, while the rubber-based adhesive will stick to a variety of surfaces, including wood, masonry, and irregular surfaces.

The thread count and thickness of the tape can, at a glance, indicate the quality. However, our tests found that the thickest tapes were not necessarily the strongest.

What is Duct Tape Used For?

Duct tape is great for small jobs like securing your bumper to your car until you can get it into the shop for repair or holding pieces of wood together until you sort out a more permanent solution with glue or nails. Musicians use it on stage to keep cables from becoming a trip hazard. If you need a quick, temporary fix, in most situations, reaching for a roll of duct tape is the way to go.

The operative word here is temporary: all of the tapes that we tested for this guide will stretch and tear over time. None are waterproof or heat resistant. So, it’s best to properly correct the issue you’re using duct tape as a stopgap for, as soon as possible.

What is duct tape not good for? While water-resistant to a degree, most brands are not truly waterproof (boy, did we find that out the hard way!). They’re also not great for actual duct repair, due to the extreme temperature variance. (Try foil tape for HVAC repairs instead.)

What Shouldn’t You Use Duct Tape On?

Duct tape is sticky stuff, and that means it can damage surfaces when you remove it. So, it’s to avoid using it on painted, stained, waxed, and fragile surfaces, as it could tear part of the surface off or leave behind a sticky residue. So, keep it off the furniture and finished wood floors.

Ironically enough, you should not use it in air ducts, as the adhesive on these tapes doesn’t deal well with extreme temperature variances. Instead, you should use foil tape, designed for HVAC repairs, instead.

You should never use duct tape on your own skin or clothing: it is stronger than both, so you might end up tearing your skin or your clothes when you remove it. And that, believe me, is even less fun than it sounds.

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Richard Baguley

Contributor

@@rbaguley

Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.

David Kender

Editor in Chief

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David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.