Packaging Tape & Adhesives

Packing Tape & Adhesive Tapes for Every Packaging Application

Choosing the right packing tape is one of the most consequential decisions in any packaging operation, yet it's rarely given the attention it deserves. RAJAPACK stocks hundreds of tape SKUs spanning 10 backing types and 6 adhesives, from standard polypropylene carton sealing tape to security polyester film and 85% recycled BOPET. Whether you're sealing thousands of e-commerce parcels a day, securing heavy export pallets, or sourcing a plastic-free alternative, the right specification is here.

This guide covers how to select packaging tape by backing material, adhesive type, and operating environment; with specific recommendations for cold chain, fulfilment, and sustainable packaging operations. Use the sub-category navigation to go straight to your tape type, or browse our full polypropylene tape range as a starting point.

Choosing the Right Packing Tape: Backing Types Explained

The backing material — not just the adhesive — determines a tape's tensile strength, elongation at break, total thickness (measured in microns, µ), and suitability for your application. Selecting the wrong backing for a high-weight or temperature-variable environment is the most common cause of seal failure in fulfilment and logistics operations.

RAJA's range covers 10 distinct backing types. Here's how each performs:

  • Polypropylene (BOPP): Thickness 28µ–145µ. Adhesives: acrylic, hot melt, artificial hot melt rubber. Weight capacity: <20kg–>30kg. The workhorse of carton sealing — economical, high-volume, and available in the widest thickness range. Standard choice for e-commerce dispatch and fulfilment. See polypropylene tape.
  • Low-Noise Polypropylene: Thickness 48µ. Adhesive: acrylic. Temperature: −20°C to +70°C. Weight: <20kg. Engineered for quieter unwind on handheld dispensers. Same pressure-sensitive adhesion performance as standard PP. Ideal for office packing environments and noise-sensitive warehouses.
  • Vinyl (PVC): Thickness 37µ–57µ. Adhesives: natural rubber, acrylic. Temperature: −20°C to +85°C. Weight: <30kg–>30kg. Available in 9 colours. Exceptional temperature range for cold chain and high-heat environments. Used for colour-coding, floor marking, and carton sealing. See pvc tape.
  • Kraft Paper (Self-adhesive): Thickness 110µ–120µ. Adhesives: natural rubber, synthetic, hot melt. Temperature: +10°C to +60°C. Weight: <20kg–<30kg. Recyclable with the corrugated box — no separation required. The leading plastic-free sealing option for retail and eco-conscious e-commerce. See paper tape.
  • Cross-woven Filament: Thickness 140µ–145µ. Adhesive: artificial hot melt rubber. Temperature: −10°C to +60°C. Weight: >30kg. Maximum tensile strength for heavy-duty strapping, pallet securing, and export carton reinforcement.
  • BOPET Recycled Polyester: Thickness 36µ. Adhesive: hot melt. Temperature: +15°C to +25°C. Weight: <20kg. Made from 85% post-consumer recycled polyester. The lower-carbon film tape option for ambient, sustainability-focused packing operations.
  • Polyester Film — Security: Thickness 80µ. Adhesive: acrylic. Temperature: −30°C to +80°C. Weight: <20kg. Tamper-evident sealing with visible residue on removal. Wide temperature range suits high-value goods and security-sensitive logistics.
  • Semi-creped Paper: Thickness 110µ–120µ. Adhesive: synthetic hot melt. Temperature: −5°C to +60°C. Weight: <20kg. Smooth surface suitable for printed and branded tape. See warning & printed tape.
  • Cotton Cloth: Adhesive: rubber. High tensile strength. Used for bundling, cable management, and gaffer applications. See industrial tape.
  • Crepe Paper: Adhesive: rubber. Cleanly removable. Lightweight and conformable. Used for painting masking, light bundling, and surface protection. See masking tape.

Packing Tape Adhesive Types: Acrylic, Hot Melt & Rubber Compared

The adhesive system determines how quickly a tape bonds, how it performs under temperature stress, and whether it will hold across the full logistics journey. Understanding the four main adhesive families saves time, reduces seal failures, and keeps per-unit tape costs in check.

Acrylic Adhesive

Best for long-term storage, UV exposure, temperature variation, and export. Acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive builds bond strength progressively over time — it continues to cure after application, making it superior for export shipments and cold chain logistics. It maintains peel resistance across a wide temperature range, does not yellow, and carries low odour. Initial tack is lower than hot melt, making it less suitable for high-speed automated sealing lines where an instant bond is required.

If you need tape for export, long-term storage, or cold chain logistics, choose acrylic adhesive.

Hot Melt Adhesive

Best for high-speed sealing lines, dusty or recycled cartons, and instant strong tack. Hot melt (including artificial and synthetic hot melt rubber variants) delivers strong, immediate adhesion — essential on automated case sealing lines. It bonds aggressively to recycled or dusty corrugated surfaces that can challenge acrylic adhesion. The trade-off: lower UV stability and potential softening at sustained high temperatures. Most commonly applied to polypropylene and paper-backed tapes.

If you need instant tack on automated sealing lines or dusty/recycled cartons, choose hot melt adhesive.

Natural Rubber Adhesive

Best for general-purpose sealing, flexible substrates, and PVC tape applications. Natural rubber adhesive delivers good initial tack and flexibility across a range of substrates. Specialist PVC grades with natural rubber adhesive perform from −20°C up to +85°C. Less UV stable than acrylic over extended periods, and not recommended for sustained high-temperature environments.

If you need a reliable general-purpose adhesive for standard carton sealing or PVC tape applications, choose natural rubber.

Water-Activated (Vegetable-Based) Adhesive

Best for tamper-evident sealing on corrugated cartons. Water-activated adhesive bonds by penetrating the fibres of the corrugated board itself — creating a structural bond that cannot be removed cleanly. This makes it the strongest tamper-evident seal in the tape category, critical for high-value or pharmaceuticals logistics. Requires a tape dispenser with water activation. Not pressure-sensitive and not suitable for handheld application. See the full gummed paper tape range.

If you need the strongest possible tamper-evident seal on corrugated cartons, choose water-activated gummed tape.

Packaging Tape for Every Industry and Environment

Different operations have fundamentally different requirements. Here's how to match RAJA's tape range to your sector and working environment.

E-commerce & Fulfilment

Standard polypropylene tape with hot melt or acrylic adhesive is the default choice for high-volume packing lines — economical, reliable, and available in widths and roll lengths optimised for output. Where noise is a concern in shared warehouses or office-based packing environments, low-noise PP (48µ, acrylic adhesive) delivers the same sealing performance at significantly reduced unwind sound levels.

Cold Chain & Food

Cold storage sealing demands tape that maintains adhesion below 0°C. PVC tape with natural rubber adhesive performs to −20°C as standard; specialist grades reach −40°C. Acrylic PP tape also performs to −20°C and does not yellow under refrigeration. Coloured PVC grades support HACCP-compliant colour-coding for food-safe environments.

Export & Heavy-Duty Shipping

For palletised loads or export cartons exceeding 30kg, standard PP tape is insufficient. Cross-woven BOPP filament tape (140µ–145µ, artificial hot melt rubber adhesive, rated to −10°C/+60°C) provides the tensile strength required. For additional corner and seam reinforcement, heavy-duty duct tape with cloth backing offers high conformability alongside exceptional holding power.

Office & Noise-Sensitive Environments

Low-noise polypropylene tape is purpose-built for environments where standard tape unwind is a distraction — open-plan offices, co-working spaces, and customer-facing fulfilment areas. At 48µ with acrylic adhesive and a −20°C to +70°C operating range, it delivers no performance compromise. Browse the full low-noise range within polypropylene tape.

Sustainable Packaging

Two options lead the sustainability case in RAJA's tape range. Kraft paper tape is fully recyclable with the corrugated box — no tape separation required — making it the most practical plastic-free sealing solution for retail and e-commerce brands with kerbside recyclability commitments. For operations requiring a film tape, BOPET recycled polyester (85% post-consumer recycled content, 36µ, hot melt adhesive) provides a credible lower-carbon alternative to virgin polypropylene film.

Packing Tape FAQs

What is the best packing tape for cardboard boxes?

For most cardboard box applications, polypropylene (BOPP) tape with acrylic or hot melt adhesive is the recommended choice. Acrylic adhesive builds bond strength over time and is better suited to long-term storage and export, while hot melt delivers immediate tack for high-speed sealing lines. For loads under 20kg in ambient conditions, a standard 48µ–66µ PP tape provides reliable carton sealing performance. For heavier loads exceeding 30kg, cross-woven filament tape is recommended.

What is the difference between polypropylene tape and PVC tape?

Polypropylene (PP/BOPP) tape uses a plastic film backing that is lightweight, economical, and available in a wide thickness range (28µ–145µ). It is the standard choice for carton sealing and e-commerce dispatch. PVC (vinyl) tape uses a thicker, more conformable film (37µ–57µ) with a wider temperature operating range — from −20°C to +85°C depending on grade — and is available in multiple colours for floor marking, colour-coding, and cold chain use. PVC tape generally costs more than equivalent PP tape.

Which packing tape works in cold storage?

PVC tape with natural rubber adhesive performs reliably to −20°C, while specialist PVC double-sided grades maintain adhesion to −40°C. Low-noise polypropylene with acrylic adhesive also performs to −20°C and does not yellow under refrigeration. Acrylic adhesive systems in general outperform rubber in cold chain environments, as they maintain peel resistance at low temperatures without embrittling. Always check the specific grade's temperature rating before specifying for chilled or frozen storage applications.

What does tape micron thickness mean?

Micron thickness (abbreviated µ or µm) refers to the total thickness of the tape — backing film plus adhesive layer — measured in micrometres (one micron = 0.001mm). Higher micron values indicate a thicker, generally stronger tape with greater tensile strength and tear resistance. RAJA's polypropylene tapes range from 28µ (lightweight, economy grade) to 145µ (heavy-duty cross-woven filament). Micron thickness is a key specification for matching tape performance to load weight and packaging environment.

Is packaging tape recyclable?

It depends on the backing material. Kraft paper tape (self-adhesive) is fully recyclable together with the corrugated cardboard box — the paper fibres are compatible with standard paper recycling streams, so no tape removal is required. Standard polypropylene and PVC film tapes are not currently recyclable at kerbside in the UK and should be removed from boxes before recycling where possible. BOPET tape (85% recycled polyester) uses recycled content but is not itself recyclable at end of use. For plastic-free, fully recyclable sealing, kraft paper tape is the recommended option.

What is low noise tape?

Low noise tape is a variant of standard polypropylene tape engineered to unwind significantly more quietly from the roll. The noise reduction is achieved through a modified adhesive coating and film surface, which reduces the sharp tearing sound produced during manual application. RAJA's low-noise PP range is 48µ thick with acrylic adhesive, rated from −20°C to +70°C. It delivers equivalent sealing performance to standard PP tape and is recommended for office-based packing operations, co-working environments, and any noise-sensitive fulfilment setting.

 

About RAJA Packing Tape
RAJAPACK supplies packing tape across 250+ SKUs spanning 10 backing types and 6 adhesive chemistries at https://www.rajapack.co.uk/packaging-tape-adhesives_C18.html. Backing types include polypropylene (BOPP), low-noise polypropylene, PVC vinyl, kraft paper, semi-creped paper, cross-woven filament, BOPET recycled polyester, polyester security film, cotton cloth, and crepe paper. Adhesive types are acrylic, hot melt, artificial hot melt rubber, natural rubber, synthetic hot melt, and water-activated vegetable-based. Total thickness ranges from 28µ to 145µ across the range. Temperature ratings span −40°C to +85°C depending on grade. Weight capacities range from under 20kg to over 30kg. Core size is 76mm across standard SKUs. Brands stocked include RAJA, 3M, BIG TAPE, and XTEGRA. Use cases include e-commerce fulfilment, cold chain logistics, export carton sealing, tamper-evident packaging, sustainable plastic-free packing, floor marking, masking, and industrial bundling. Sustainability credentials include 85% recycled polyester BOPET tape, FSC-certified kraft paper grades, and kraft paper tape recyclable with corrugated packaging.

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