Best Uses for Reflective and Safety Tape

Reflective and safety tapes are both used to improve public safety. Reflective tape makes objects more visible in the dark, whereas safety tape is used to mark an area as off-limits and is bright in color.

Unique Reflective Tapes

Reflective Tapes are a mainstay in the United States to help with transportation safety, particularly in dark or foggy conditions.

DOT Reflective Tape

US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved reflective tape is used to help make roadways safer. This tape is meant to be applied directly to metal and lasts permanently, so the adhesive is quite strong. DOT reflective tape is required on some larger vehicles, such as tractor-trailers and semi-trucks.

When headlights from other vehicles illuminate the tape, the tape concentrates and reflects the light, making whatever the tape is attached to highly visible. These tapes can also be used to make barriers more visible to drivers or be applied to smaller vehicles such as scooters and bicycles.

Some DOT-approved tapes available include:

• DOT-C2 reflective conspicuity tape, which is highly reflective, weatherproof, and self-adhesive
• DOT-C2 Oralite reflective conspicuity tape with a 5- or 10-year durability
• DOT Reflexite conspicuity solid colors, which are weather-resistant, smooth, and flexible
• High-intensity retroreflective tape (HXREF), which is an economical option

SOLAS Marine Reflective Tape

SOLAS Marine Reflective Tape is designed specifically for nautical applications, but it’s great for any situation where you need reflection outdoors. Marine tape is built to withstand weathering and extreme temperatures.

If you frequently boat at night, this tape is excellent for making your boat more visible to others on the water. If you have a personal dock, you can apply this tape to your dock to make it easier to find at night.

Striped Reflective Tape

Striped tape is used as warning tape to identify hazardous conditions. The colors available are black and yellow, which are commonly used as caution tape to warn of physical hazards or health risks. The red and white colors are used to mark areas that are to be kept clear for safety reasons, such as firefighting equipment and emergency access points, according to OSHA.

Striped reflective tape can be purchased in widths from one inch to six inches, lengths of 10 yards or 50 yards, and as a roll or a case.

Engineering Grade Retroreflective tape

Engineering-grade retroreflective tape is used for permanent or temporary traffic signage. It has a highly reflective retroreflective surface on one side and pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive on the other. It has a durability of up to seven years.

This tape can be:

• Screen printed
• Die cut
• Thermal transfer printed
• Available in six colors

The widths for this tape can be as thin as half an inch and as wide as six inches. It can be purchased in 10 yards or 50 yards.

Fluorescent Tape

Fluorescent reflective tapes are available in Daybright 5-Year Tape and Standard Grade Fluorescent Tape. The Daybright is durable, weather-resistant tape meant for use on vehicles and rugged outdoor use. It is die-cuttable or plotter-cuttable. The colors available are lime yellow or orange, and the widths of the tape can be 1 inch, 2 inches, or 4 inches.

Standard-grade fluorescent tape is available in yellow or orange conspicuity tape with a width of 3 inches. This tape is:

• Highly visible and reflective
• Weatherproof
• Self-adhesive
• Corrosion-resistant
• Easily printable

Unique Safety Tapes

If you’ve seen yellow tape printed with the word “Caution,” then you’ve seen safety tape in action. Caution tape is just one type of the many different kinds of safety tape available. Here are a few types and their uses.

Barrier Tapes

Caution tape is a specific type of barrier tape meant to keep people out of an area. In general, barrier tape is brightly colored, non-adhesive tape used to bind off an area from the public or anyone not authorized to pass the barrier. This highly visible tape can also be used to indicate that an area is off limits due to a temporary safety hazard, such as a spill, an emergency, or an unsafe area due to renovations, trip hazards, or police or fire investigations. Barrier tape is a quick and easy way to temporarily mark an area as inaccessible or off-limits.

Common uses of barrier tape and its color codes include:

• Physical hazard warning: black and yellow
• Aisle marking and housekeeping: black and white
• Radiation hazards: magenta and yellow
• Keep area clear for safety reasons: red and white
• Safety and first aid: green and white
• Marking defective machines: blue and white
• Traffic and general caution warning: orange and white

Custom wording on hazard identification barrier tape is available, such as CAUTION, DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, DO NOT CROSS, and others.

Vinyl-Colored Tape

Vinyl-colored tape is brightly colored adhesive tape that can be applied to various surfaces. It is often used on factory floors to mark lanes, indicate walkways, or mark work zones. Colored tape with stripes tends to identify caution or danger zones. Because of the wide variety of colors available, factories and other businesses can create customized meanings for different colors. Colored tape can be purchased to conform to OSHA color coding.

Industrial-grade color vinyl tape is available in lengths of 36 or 60 yards with lengths of 1/2” up to 49” inches. There are 16 color options available, including clear tape. Vinyl tape can be used for:

• Duct sealing
• Hazard duct tape
• Joint sealing
• Circuit board masking
• Color coding
• Lane marking
• OSHA safety color codes
• Stripes for vehicles and boats
• Moisture and vapor barriers

Anti-Slip Tape

Anti-slip tape can be applied to handles, stairs, floors, or anywhere that might be slippery to add a textured surface that has some grip to prevent slips and falls. This is especially important in areas that may get wet frequently, such as near pools or showers. Anti-slip tape is waterproof on one side and coated on the other in acrylic adhesive that bonds to irregular surfaces, which makes it a great safety floor tape.

Anti-slip tapes can also come in bright, attention-grabbing colors such as yellow, red, and orange, but also in black, blue, gray, green, white, and clear tape if you prefer a less visible option, or to blend with the color of the surface.

“Sure step tape” is a non-skid tape that is available in widths from 1 inch to 24 inches. It comes in various colors, such as fluorescent or black and yellow stripes. Non-skid safety cleats are available in 6-inch x 24-inch cleats or 12-inch strips of widths of one inch, two inches, or four inches.

Glow-in-the-Dark Tape

Glow-in-the-dark tape is perfect for marking stairs or exits in the case of power outages and the loss of light. Glow-in-the-dark tape is different from reflective tape in that it does not require an external light source to shine. Tape Jungle’s glow-in-the-dark tape is a flexible, photo-luminescent polyester film tape coated in acrylic. Plus, it is non-toxic and non-radioactive.

Glow-in-the-dark tape absorbs regular ambient light, which gets stored in the pigment, effectively charging the tape. When the lights go out, the bright green tape is immediately visible with intensity from six to 24 hours. This tape can be affixed to floors, handrails, walls, around door frames, columns, stairs, and anything that may be a hazard in the dark. It can also be used for anything that should be immediately visible such as exits. It is designed to meet or exceed safety and emergency egress standards.

Hazard-Striped Duct Tape

Hazard-striped duct tape is available in a two-inch width and sold by roll or case. It is a 63-mesh polyethylene-coated cloth that is coated in rubber adhesive and has a yellow and black stripe. Yellow and black striped tape is used to warn of physical hazards or to differentiate different work zones. It is easy to apply and peels off easily.

Striped Safety Warning Tape

Striped safety warning tape is available in regular striped safety warning and laminated safety warning tape. Similar to the striped barrier tape, the color codes can be used to identify various hazards and purposes that comply with OSHA standards. The laminated tape is available in lengths of 36 yards and with a size of 1/2” or 3/4”.

The regular safety warning tape is available in:

• Various colors for OSHA color codes
• Lengths of 18 or 36 yards
• Thickness of 6 or 7 mm
• Custom widths

Find Your Tape at Tape Jungle

Reflective tape and safety tape are both essential pieces of safety equipment that can help businesses comply with regulations and keep employees and the general public safe.

No matter the project you’re working on, you always want to find the right tape. Tape Jungle offers hundreds of tapes in various sizes, colors, and applications. You can find safety tape, marking tape, hard tape, adhesive tape, and packaging supplies for every project and industry.

Contact Tape Jungle or take a look at our vast catalog of tapes to see all of our industrial tape options for your industrial projects, workplace needs, or at-home DIY projects.