Why Is Duct Tape Called Duct Tape

This was when the color changed from army green to silver to match the color of the ductwork.

Why is duct tape called duct tape.

There are a variety of constructions using different backings and adhesives and the term duct tape has been genericized to refer to different cloth tapes with differing purposes. So duct tape is the answer except for the fact that tape manufacturer manco now shurtech. It is silver and called duct tape because it was originally used at joints of heating and cooling ductwaork to stop air leaks that reduced the efficiency of the heating and cooling systems. Over the years it has often gotten called duck tape just because of the similar sound.

After that duct primarily took over as the widely accepted appellation and it remains so today. Duck in this sense comes from the dutch word doeck which means linen cloth. Following this time the tape supposedly began to be called duct tape but the first mention of duct tape wasn t until 1960 and the new york times didn t call it duct tape until 1973. But if you look carefully it says duck tape brand duct tape.

The original duck tape. It came in silver not green and was not used in wwii to waterproof ammunition cases. There is even a brand of duct tape called duck tape. Duct tape is cloth or scrim backed pressure sensitive tape often coated with polyethylene.

An interesting side note and another reason people may be confused about whether it s called duct tape or duck tape is that the backing of the original tape was a type of woven cotton called duck cloth. This is total crap.