Answer
Feb 14, 2014 - 12:00 AM
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your questions about Duck Carton Sealing Tape.
There are differences between acrylic and hot melt adhesive tapes. Both are good, strong tapes, but hot melt is specially designed for commercial and shipping applications. Hot melt is strong enough to handle repeated rough handling. In fact, hot melt tape is so strong, it is not only used to seal shipping boxes, but also to securely strap them together.
Acrylic tape is plenty strong enough for a residential move, and Duck makes some of the best. You can be sure that any moving box you seal with good acrylic packaging tape will stay closed until you are ready to unpack.
If you want to get super technical about things, moving box tape should be at least 2.47 mil thick, and have a minimum tensile strength of 34 lb. per inch. This Duck Tape is 3.1 mil thick, and has a tensile strength of 35 lb. per inch, so you're good to go.It is somewhat easier to "find the edge" with thick tapes like this. But the most reliable way to eliminate that problem is to use a tape dispenser. Tape dispensers prevent waste, and allow for quick, easy cuts. You don't have to worry about accidentally splitting (and wasting) long lengths of tape trying to separate the tape from the roll.
Make sure your tape and dispenser cores are the same size, and that the width is close. For example, this Duck Tape has a 3" core, and is 1.88" wide. So you would something like the Universal® Handheld Box Sealing Tape Dispenser , which has a 3" core and is 2" wide.
Hope this answers all your questions! Good luck with the move!
Best,
Frankye
