Reinforced with glass fibre filaments
3M™ filament tape is a 145 micron cross-woven for heavy carton sealing, pallet strapping, bundling and load unitising where unidirectional tape lacks the strength to resist bursting in both directions. The polypropylene film backing is reinforced with glass fibre running in both length and width directions; the hot melt adhesive bonds instantly on contact to paper, board, metal and plastic. Transparent, available in 50mm and 75mm widths on 50m rolls, 76mm core. Requires a dispenser or knife to cut. Filament tape 3M is rated for over 30kg. Shelf life is 18 months from manufacture.
Sold in packs, priced per roll.
Where does 3M™ filament tape work best?
It’s the right choice when load stress acts in more than one direction; the cross-weave construction resists bursting, tearing and splitting along both the tape length and across its width simultaneously, which unidirectional mono-filament tape cannot do.
- Heavy carton sealing over 30kg on export and long-distance freight where both lengthways and lateral burst resistance are needed through multiple handling stages.
- Pallet and bundle strapping where a high-tensile tape must maintain its integrity under heavy stacking loads acting in more than one direction.
- Carton reinforcement at seams, corners and edges on packed cases that are subject to drop, impact or pressure during transit.
Not suitable for
- Hand-tearing: glass fibre reinforcement in both directions makes this tape impossible to tear cleanly by hand; a blade dispenser or knife is always required. Attempting to tear by hand risks injury from the glass fibre filaments.
- Kerbside-recyclable packaging: for kerbside-recyclable carton sealing use self-adhesive paper tape.
- Lengthways-only load stress: if load stress is predominantly in one direction, a mono-filament alternative provides equivalent lengthways tensile strength at lower cost per roll.
How to use
At 145 micron total thickness this 3M™ strapping tape is a substantially stiffer tape than standard packaging grades; full-width firm contact across the bonded surface requires deliberate pressure and the tape won’t self-conform to gaps or raised edges.
- Always use a blade dispenser or knife: load a 76mm-core dispenser fitted with a cutting blade; do not attempt to hand-tear this tape as the cross-weave glass fibre filaments won’t cut cleanly and present a laceration risk.
- Prepare the surface: wipe dust and moisture from the application surface; hot melt adhesive grips immediately on contact so contamination is bonded into the joint rather than displaced during application.
- Apply with firm, even pressure: press across the full tape width using a firm tool or roller; the stiff 145 micron construction won’t conform to surface irregularities under hand pressure alone, particularly at the edges of the bonded strip.
- Apply at corners and stress points: for carton reinforcement, apply strips across corners and seams where the highest burst stress concentrates; overlapping strip ends by at least 25mm onto each surface ensures both directions of the cross-weave are working across each joint.
- Store correctly: store at 15–25°C, maximum 65% relative humidity. Shelf life is 18 months from manufacture.
Specifications
- Backing: polypropylene film with cross-weave glass fibre reinforcement (lengthways and cross-direction)
- Adhesive: hot melt
- Total thickness: 145 micron
- Width options: 75mm, 50mm
- Length per roll: 50m
- Core size: 76mm
- Weight capacity: >30kg
- UV resistance: no
- Shelf life: 18 months from manufacture
- Storage: 15–25°C, max 65% relative humidity
- Colour: Transparent
- Tearability: dispenser or knife required (cross-weave glass fibre; hand-tearing is not possible and presents a laceration risk)
- Recyclability: not recyclable at kerbside
Choose the right tape
- Choose this 3M™cross weave tape for heavy carton sealing, bundling and reinforcement over 30kg where bi-directional glass fibre strength and hot melt adhesion on contact are both required.
- Choose RAJA mono-filament tape when load stress is predominantly lengthways and bi-directional reinforcement is not required.
- Choose RAJA cross woven filament tape for equivalent bi-directional reinforcement on cartons and loads where the RAJA grade meets requirements.
Product FAQs
What is the difference between 3M™cross-weave and mono-filament?
Mono-filament has glass fibre running only in the lengthways direction; it resists splitting along the tape but will burst laterally under pressure from the sides. Cross-weave has glass fibre in both directions; it resists splitting and bursting in both the lengthways and cross directions, which is what makes it suitable for applications where stress acts from multiple directions simultaneously.
How is 3M™8959 used for pallet strapping?
Applied in strips lengthways and across the pallet load, the cross-weave construction resists both the lengthways pull of the load shifting and the lateral burst pressure of the load spreading outwards; it’s used alongside or instead of strapping on loads where a tape-based solution is preferred or where strapping machine access is limited.
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