Why Is Duct Tape Called Duct Tape

Duct tape is used in the heating air conditioning industry to join and seal metal duct work hence the name.

Why is duct tape called duct tape.

So duct tape is the answer except for the fact that tape manufacturer manco now shurtech. Originally it was called duck tape because of its waterproof abilities but the name was forgotten and changed to duct tape because it was originally silver like the ducts that it repaired. It came in silver not green and was not used in wwii to waterproof ammunition cases. 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. Over the years it has often gotten called duck tape just because of the similar sound. This is total crap. After that duct primarily took over as the widely accepted appellation and it remains so today.

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. 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. 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. There is even a brand of duct tape called duck tape.

The original duck tape. This was when the color changed from army green to silver to match the color of the ductwork.