If you’ve been rolling your eyes at people who say “duck tape” adhesive, prepare some apologies. The durable cloth-backed tape first appeared during World War II, when Johnson & Johnson developed an olive drab version as a handy way for American soldiers to waterproof their ammo cans. According to the company, soldiers dubbed the product “duck tape” because it forced moisture to flee “like water off a duck’s back.”
Troops realized that the tape was good for more than just keeping their powder dry, and after the war, it caught on as an easy and effective way to seal, among other things, heating ducts. Johnson & Johnson even began offering a silver version of the tape specifically for this purpose, giving rise to “duct tape.”
So which is correct? “Duck tape” has the chronological upper hand, but “duct tape” is a more accurate description of the product’s historical use. To make things even more complicated, though, it’s no longer used to seal ducts! You could always just hedge your bets the way the leading manufacturer does when it bills itself as “Duck brand duct tape.”
—Mental Floss
I always called it duck tape, and Andy used to protest until we started to use the Duck Tape brand. Now it’s hard for him to argue. Why am I thinking of that now? Because I just read a review of the best duct tapes and Duck Tape was the winner. Hurray for Duck Tape! Do you ever use it?
April 10, 2025
I’m stuck for something to say.
God bless.
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I’m not even sure which version I’ve used. I’m thinking I’ve called it duct more than duck. All I know is that Duck brand duct tape fixes just about everything.
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I call it duck tape, when we started using it, Duck was the only one around and to tell the truth until I read this I did not realize there is duct tape and now am wondering which ones I have. I have white, yellow, clear and silver ….but I think the names are not on them. I am back, all of them say duck. now I can’t wait to see if they have duct at Walmart and I never saw it.
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…the name has morphed.
Yes.
Yes, all the time! The last time we moved, Tom wondered if I had stock in the Duck Tape company.
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I think they just introduced a clear line of duck/duct tape. There isn’t anything you can’t fix with duck tape, always had it in our trucks.
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That was really interesting, I didn’t know there was a real Duck Tape.
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Duct tape I think.
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Always called it duct tape, but when you say it fast it sounds like duck tape, regardless–lol! Good to know it doesn’t matter. 🙂
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Interesting…I’ve always called it Duck tape and honestly never knew about the duct tape.
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Duct tape. Probably because my father was a sheet metal worker who formed and installed ducts.
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We have it in more than one color! Until just about a year ago, I had thought that Duck Tape was a mispronunciation! I only recently saw that it really IS Duck!!
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When you explain it this way, “duck tape” sounds right to me.
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I love any kind of Duck or duct tape. Every home has to have some! lol
Yes!
It is amazing how many times duck/duct tape has come to the rescue for some project or other of mine. Love the stuff, and it comes in so many colors now too.
We use it a lot too.