Who Invented Duct Tape?

Duct tape was developed by Permacel, a division of Johnson and Johnson, around 1942. A single person can’t be credited with having invented duct tape because there were a number of people involved. Permacel was asked to design a tape which would keep the moisture out of the ammunition cases. The result was a water proof tape, which was soon found to be so versatile that soldiers started using duct tape to quickly mend their machine guns, jeeps, aircraft etc. during the Second World War. The Germans called the tape Panzer band. The panzer was one of the most powerful tanks of the Second World War, therefore the term ‘Panzerband’ refers to how strong the tape was considered by the soldiers. When the war was over, Americans found it easier to hold together their broken windows or chimneys using duct tape. This made it hugely popular. Duct tape was initially called ‘duck tape’ because it was made using cotton duck.

Duct tapes are pressure sensitive tapes which are composed of three layers. The second layer or the middle layer is a fabric mesh which is sandwiched between a rubber based adhesive (the bottom layer) and a water resistant plastic, usually polyethylene, which makes up the top layer. Although duct tape is strong, one only needs his/her hands to rip it off the roll to use it – no special tools are required. Usually, duct tapes come in grey colors but other colors are also available. Yellow, green, blue, brown, red and black colors are common.

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