The Best Duct Tape for Any Project

Key Specs

• Length: 60 yards (six 10-yard rolls)
• Cost per yard: $0.25
• Color: Multicolored (Orange/Yellow/Pink/Green/Blue/Purple)

The durability and strength of duct tape is also what makes it such a versatile crafting material, and these six multicolored rolls are perfect for projects in the home or classroom. 

Plus, since it’s also designed to be easier to tear than traditional duct tape, these rolls are well-suited for both adults and kids to use. Its no-residue adhesive also means that cleanup should be relatively simple, and won’t leave you with sticky tabletops and fingers. 

If you’re not into crafting, these are also great for labeling and color-coding moving boxes, storage bins, or meal-prep containers.

Key Specs

• Length: 35 yards
• Cost per yard: $.48
• Color: Black

A double layer of adhesive gives this duct tape the strongest hold of all the options on our list, and makes it a great choice for those who prioritize a rock-solid hold, regardless of material. 

This strength is ideal for bundling loads—like lumber or piping—as well as patching and repair jobs on vehicles. Its woven constriction is also designed to rip both vertically and horizontally, allowing you to really customize the size and shape of the pieces being used. 

If you need duct tape that will hold up for a long time, through potentially wet conditions, this 3M option is a great choice.

Key Specs

• Length: 30 yards
• Cost per yard: $.30
• Color: Silver

If you’re going to be using your tape outdoors, like when patching tarps or reinforcing lawn tools, this 3M all-weather option would be a great fit. 

Its powerful adhesive gives it a strong hold and tight seal around whatever you’re using it on, which helps to resist rain or other moisture that could affect its grip. It tears vertically and horizontally, and the silver color is perfect for exterior or interior labelling projects, like camping gear, or beach coolers. 

This tape is also available in rolls of 20 to 45 yards, in 5 yard increments.

Key Specs

• Length: 45 yards
• Cost per yard: $.1
• Color: Gray 

If you need a reliable, strong duct tape, but want to keep the price low, this roll could be just what you’re looking for. Even though this roll comes out to about $.1 per yard, it still packs enough strength and long-lasting hold to be a worthy alternative to more expensive options. Its high tensile strength makes it great for applications that require maximum hold, and is designed to be used on a range of surfaces, like masonry, glass, and wood. 

This duct tape also features just enough stretch to create a tight, snug fit, while also remaining easy to rip by hand.

Key Specs

• Length: 15 yards
• Cost per yard: $1.06
• Color: Clear

If you need to maintain visibility through patches or repairs in tents, tarps, or other materials, this clear duct tape is probably what you’re looking for. It’s also much wider than the other 1.88-inch rolls listed here—at 2.83 inches—and requires less strips for those large projects that need to cover a wider surface area.  

It’s worth noting that although the price of this tape is higher than most—about a dollar a yard—its extra width does mean you’re getting more bang fro your buck than you might first think. 

Key Specs

• Length: 60 yards
• Cost per yard: $.2
• Color: Grey 

If you’re anticipating any large patching jobs in your future, you’d benefit from a roll wider than the normal 1.88 inches found on most other rolls, which is what makes this Nashua option a great choice. 

At 4 inches in width, this tape should efficiently handle large rips and tears, and will also cover smaller issues with a single strip, unlike thinner rolls that require multiple strips that are more likely to fail. 

Its aggressive adhesive also makes it suitable for use on rough surfaces, and it will hold up in a range of temperatures as well, from 40 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Key Specs

• Length: 60 yards
• Cost per yard: $.3
• Color: Grey 

Combining reliable strength and durability with a reasonable price per yard, this Nashua tape is our favorite overall duct tape. This superior strength is rated to support up to 26 pounds of weight per square inch, and the moisture-resistant design makes it more versatile than you might think, and can be used outdoors as well.

It’s also available in a wider range of colors than most other rolls—like yellow, green, and red—making it great color-coding and labeling projects. Its 1.5-inch width is slimmer than most options, although not by much.

Key Specs

• Length: 50 yards 
• Cost per yard: $.16
• Color: Silver 

Despite the name, cloth-based tapes aren’t ideal for use on air ducts. Metal-based tapes like this one are much more effective, and should have a much longer lifespan than any other option on our list. 

The silver foil construction creates a strong, tight seal on surfaces, while also remaining easy to tear by hand. It’s also priced lower than most other tapes, making it a great choice for this with large-scale ductwork projects. 

This tape isn’t as versatile as common cloth-based tapes, but if you need to have your duct seals to hold up over a long period of time, this is probably your best bet.