What Is Hockey Tape Made Of?

Hockey tape looks simple, but each type is built for a different job. The roll you tear for your blade is not the same material as the clear roll you wrap around your shins. Here is what each one is made of, according to the companies that make them.

Cloth tape: woven backing plus rubber adhesive

Cloth tape is the classic blade and knob tape. It has two parts.

• The backing. A woven cloth, usually a blend of polyester and cotton. Renfrew Pro describes its Pro-Blade tapes as a polyester and cotton cloth base. Lowry Sports describes a poly-cotton blended cloth. Howies says its black tape uses a tightly woven poly-cotton cloth with 68 strands per inch.
• The adhesive. A rubber-based glue on one side. Howies and Lowry both name a natural rubber adhesive. Renfrew Pro describes an advanced adhesive formulation without giving the recipe.

The weave is what lets you tear the tape by hand, and it gives the blade a slightly rough surface that grabs the puck. The adhesive holds the wraps in place through cold, snow and sweat.

Black and white come from the same cloth

North American Tapes, which makes Comp-o-stik tape in Watertown, New York, says its black and white tapes start as the same base cloth. Black is dyed, and the dyeing makes the cloth a tiny bit thinner. So a black roll can look slightly smaller than a white roll of the same length. Printed and patterned tapes are slightly thicker.

The same company notes that rolls can contain stitched seams left over from weaving. Rather than cut them out, it adds a few extra feet to the roll to make up the difference.

Friction tape: tacky on both faces

Friction tape is cloth tape with tack on the outside as well as adhesive on the inside. Renfrew Pro describes its black friction tape as “adhesive on the inside and tack on the outside.” Howies calls its version tacky on both sides. For more, see friction tape vs cloth tape.

Clear shin pad tape: stretchy plastic

Clear tape is not cloth at all. Renfrew Pro makes its Polyflex shin pad tape from moisture-resistant polyethylene that stretches and has some memory. Howies describes its clear tape as high-grade polyethylene that conforms to the pad and the leg. Coloured sock tape works the same way. It is thin, stretchy and adds almost no bulk.

Grip tape: gauze and stretch wraps

Most grip tapes are self-adhering wraps rather than sticky-backed cloth.

• Howies describes its stretch grip as a stretchy gauze with an abrasive mesh for grip.
• Renfrew Pro lists a stretch, self-adhering cohesive grip tape that leaves no residue, and a lighter gauze version.
• Lowry lists a cohesive grip tape, 36 mm wide.

Cohesive tape sticks mainly to itself, which is why it comes off the shaft cleanly.

What the labels do not tell you

Brands publish little about adhesive chemistry or test results. Claims about long life or holding through snow and sweat are the makers’ own descriptions, not independent tests. If you want to compare, buy single rolls and try them on the same stick.

Quick reference

Tape	Backing	Adhesive	Usual job
Cloth	Woven poly-cotton	Rubber-based, one side	Blade and knob
Friction	Woven cloth	Adhesive inside, tack outside	Blade and handle grip
Clear and sock	Polyethylene film	Not detailed by makers	Shin pads and socks
Grip	Gauze or stretch wrap	Self-adhering, cohesive	Upper shaft

For a plain-language guide to which tape goes where, see hockey tape types.