Packing Tape Guide: Parcel Tape Types, Widths and How Much You Need

Packing tape is polypropylene film with an adhesive layer, used to seal cardboard boxes so they stay shut through sorting, stacking and delivery. Pack Solution sells it in packs of 6 rolls, in brown, clear, printed fragile and kraft paper versions, with widths from 24mm to 75mm.

It is also sold as packers tape. Parcel tape and box tape are the same product under other names. The right roll depends on the colour of your boxes, the width that suits their size and how many parcels you pack in a day.

Quick Picks: Packing Tape for Boxes and Parcels

Brown packing tape suits brown cartons because it blends in. Brown box tape is the same roll. Clear packing tape suits any box where labels or printing should stay readable. Fragile tape seals the box and warns couriers in the same pass.

Best for brown cartons and everyday parcels

Brown Packing Tape

Buff polypropylene tape that sits neatly on brown boxes, in five sizes from 48mm x 66m to wide Proloc 72mm x 66m.

• Packs of 6 rolls
• Standard rolls: acrylic on 42 micron film
• Low noise: BigTape 48mm x 150m and Vibac 835 Buff
• Proloc 72mm x 66m for larger cartons

From £4.50 ex VAT (£5.40 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Best for labelled and printed boxes

Clear Packing Tape

Transparent polypropylene tape that leaves labels, barcodes and printing visible, in widths from 24mm to 72mm.

• Packs of 6 rolls
• 24mm x 66m, 48mm x 66m, 48mm x 132m
• BigTape 48mm x 150m Low Noise, 43 micron
• Proloc 72mm x 66m for wide seams

From £3.50 ex VAT (£4.20 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Best for breakable parcels

Fragile Tape

Printed packing tape that seals the box and warns couriers in one step, so no separate sticker is needed.

• Packs of 6 rolls
• 48mm x 66m, 42 micron
• BigTape 48mm x 150m Low Noise, 43 micron
• FRAGILE warning printed along the tape

From £5.50 ex VAT (£6.60 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Key Facts

• Brown, clear and fragile tape are all sold in packs of 6 rolls.
• The standard 48mm x 66m and 48mm x 132m rolls are acrylic polypropylene at 42 micron.
• BigTape 48mm x 150m Low Noise is 43 micron with a premium acrylic adhesive.
• Clear tape comes in 24mm, 48mm and 72mm widths. Brown comes in 48mm and 72mm.
• Kraft paper tape is sold as 48mm x 50m hotmelt and 75mm x 50m rolls.
• The minimum order is one pack, and the price per pack falls as you buy more.

Types of Packing Tape for Sealing Boxes

Packaging tape for boxes comes in four types here: brown, clear, fragile and kraft paper. The first three are polypropylene film and the fourth is paper, and every roll is sold in a pack of 6.

The film tapes use an acrylic adhesive. The 48mm x 50m kraft roll uses hotmelt adhesive instead. A micron is one thousandth of a millimetre, so a 42 micron film is thin, and the 43 micron BigTape is only slightly thicker.

Brown or Clear Packing Tape: Which Should You Pick?

Use brown where the box is brown and clear where you want to see what is under the tape. Brown tape matches the cardboard, while clear tape does not hide box labels, barcodes or printing.

Brown parcel tape gives a neat, uniform finish on plain cartons, so it suits removals and warehouse packing. Clear box tape is the better fit for printed or coloured boxes and for any parcel with a label near a seam. Most sizes exist in both colours, including 48mm x 66m and Proloc 72mm x 66m, so the colour does not change what the roll can do.

If you are still deciding, the full comparison is in our brown tape vs clear tape guide. For a closer look at one side of that choice, the existing guide to clear packing tape covers its uses in more detail.

Parcel Tape Widths and Roll Lengths

For most boxes, 48mm is the width to buy. The 24mm roll suits small jobs and the 72mm and 75mm rolls suit large cartons.

• 24mm x 66m (clear only): small parcels, padded envelopes and light office jobs.
• 48mm x 66m: the everyday size of box packing tape for standard cardboard boxes.
• 48mm x 132m: twice the length of the 66m roll, so you change rolls half as often.
• BigTape 48mm x 150m Low Noise: the longest roll, and quieter to unwind.
• Proloc 72mm x 66m (brown and clear): a wider band across the seam of larger or heavier cartons.
• Kraft paper 75mm x 50m: a wide paper strip for big boxes.

Width decides how much of the seam each pass covers. Proloc 72mm x 66m is the widest roll in brown or clear, and the 75mm kraft paper roll is wider again. Brown tape comes in 48mm and 72mm only, so there is no 24mm brown roll. A 24mm strip gives light parcels enough hold, but it covers little of a big carton's seam.

Noise is worth a thought if several people pack in one room. BigTape and Vibac 835 Buff, a buff tape with high tack, are the two low noise brown options, and they unwind more quietly than the standard rolls.

How Much Packing Tape Do You Need?

Measure one sealed box, then divide the roll length by that figure. A box that takes 1.5 metres of tape across its top and base gets about 44 boxes from a 66m roll, so a pack of 6 covers roughly 264 boxes.

The 1.5 metres is only an example. Bigger boxes, extra strips on heavy cartons and a second pass on joins all use more tape. Using the same 1.5 metre example, the longer rolls work out like this.

Roll length also sets how often you stop to change. At 100 boxes a day and 1.5 metres each, a 66m roll runs out more than twice a day, while a 150m roll lasts about a day. If you seal boxes daily, buy the 132m or 150m rolls and stock a few packs. Many products here have volume pricing, so the price per pack drops as the quantity rises, and the tiers show on each product page.

How to Seal a Box With the H-Taping Method

The H method seals the centre seam and both edges of the flaps, so the tape forms the shape of the letter H. It keeps the flaps from lifting when a carton is stacked or knocked in transit.

1. Fold the bottom flaps in so they meet at the centre, with no gap and no overlap.
2. Run box packaging tape along the centre seam from one edge to the other, and carry it a few centimetres down each side of the box.
3. Run a second strip along each short edge, crossing the first strip, so the three strips make an H.
4. Press the tape down firmly with your hand along every strip.
5. Fill the box, close the top flaps and repeat steps 2 to 4 on the top.

Pull the tape flat as you lay it and smooth out creases with your hand. If the flaps will not close flat, move to a larger box before adding more tape. Heavier cartons can take a further strip across the middle, and wider tape such as the 72mm roll covers more of the seam in one pass. The same method works with tape for parcels of any colour.

Fragile, Paper and Low Noise Options

Choose fragile tape when the contents are breakable, and kraft paper tape when you want to replace plastic film. Both do the same job as standard parcel tape, with a different finish.

Fragile tape carries a printed warning along its length, so every sealed seam shows it and you need no separate sticker on each box. It comes in 48mm x 66m and in BigTape 48mm x 150m. If you also want stickers for odd-shaped parcels, our fragile tape and fragile stickers guide compares the two.

Kraft paper tape has a brown paper backing with a matt finish and matches kraft and brown boxes. The 48mm x 50m roll uses hotmelt adhesive. The 75mm x 50m roll gives wider coverage on larger cartons. Every kraft paper roll is 50 metres long, which is shorter than the plastic rolls, so allow for more roll changes.

Best for plastic-free sealing on kraft boxes

Kraft Paper Tape

Brown paper-backed tape for sealing cardboard boxes with a natural kraft finish.

• Packs of 6 rolls
• 48mm x 50m with hotmelt adhesive
• 75mm x 50m for larger boxes
• Paper alternative to plastic film tape

From £14.00 ex VAT (£16.80 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Tape Guns for Faster Sealing

A tape gun is a pistol grip dispenser that applies and cuts tape with one hand. It seals boxes faster and gives a neater line than tearing tape by hand.

The pistol grip tape gun range has four models: the HPG50B Pacplus Heavy Duty, the PG50B, the PG75B and the Big Tape 2in1 Core. Three take 50mm tape and the PG75B takes 75mm, so a 48mm roll suits the three 50mm models. Our tape dispensers and tape guns guide compares them with bench top dispensers.

Best for sealing boxes faster with one hand

Pistol Grip Tape Gun

A pistol grip dispenser with a built-in cutting blade, in four models for 50mm and 75mm tape.

• HPG50B Pacplus and Big Tape 2in1 Core are heavy duty
• PG50B for 50mm, PG75B for 75mm tape
• Built-in cutting blade
• Sold individually

From £5.00 ex VAT (£6.00 inc VAT)

Choose sizeView product

Packing Tape Checklist

• Buy packing tape brown for plain cartons and packaging tape clear for printed or labelled ones.
• Pick 48mm for standard boxes, 24mm for small parcels and 72mm or 75mm for large cartons.
• Choose 132m or 150m rolls if you pack every day.
• Choose a low noise roll for a shared packing area.
• Match the tape gun to the tape width: 50mm models for 48mm rolls, the PG75B for 75mm.
• Seal the base and top with the H method, then press the tape down.
• Add fragile tape to anything breakable.

Wrap-Up: Choosing Packing Tape

For most sellers, 48mm brown or clear tape in a 66m or 132m roll covers most boxes. Add a tape gun once you seal more than a few boxes a day, and move to longer rolls as volume grows. Keep a pack of fragile tape for breakables. You can browse every roll in our tapes collection.

Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same working day, and Royal Mail Tracked 48 is free on every order with no minimum. Unused items can be returned within 30 days of delivery under our refund policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between packing tape and parcel tape?

There is none. Packing tape, parcel tape, packers tape and box tape all describe polypropylene tape used to seal cardboard boxes. The real differences are colour, width and roll length. Pack Solution sells brown, clear, fragile and kraft paper versions, all in packs of 6 rolls.

What width of tape for parcels should I buy?

For standard boxes buy 48mm, such as the 48mm x 66m roll of clear or brown tape. For small parcels and padded envelopes, the 24mm x 66m clear roll is enough. For larger cartons, the Proloc 72mm x 66m roll covers more of the seam in one pass.

How many boxes will a roll of box tape seal?

It depends on box size. If one box uses 1.5 metres across its top and base, a 66m roll seals about 44 boxes, a 132m roll about 88 and a BigTape 150m roll about 100. Measure one sealed box, then divide the roll length by that figure.

Is brown or clear packaging tape better for boxes?

Brown suits plain brown cartons because it blends in. Clear suits printed or labelled boxes because it does not hide barcodes, labels or printing. Both come in 48mm x 66m, 48mm x 132m, BigTape 48mm x 150m Low Noise and Proloc 72mm x 66m, so the choice is about looks.

Which packers tape is the quietest?

BigTape 48mm x 150m Low Noise is a 43 micron premium acrylic tape, sold in brown, clear and fragile versions, and it unwinds more quietly than standard rolls. For brown tape, Vibac 835 Buff in 48mm x 66m is also low noise with high tack.

Can I use paper tape instead of plastic packing tape?

Yes. Kraft paper tape seals cardboard boxes with a brown paper backing instead of plastic film. Pack Solution sells it as 48mm x 50m with hotmelt adhesive and 75mm x 50m, both in packs of 6 rolls. Every roll is 50 metres, so expect more roll changes than with a 132m plastic roll.

Shop for This Job

• Packing Tapes

Related Guides

• Brown Tape vs Clear Tape: Which Packing Tape Should You Use?
• Fragile Tape and Fragile Stickers: Do They Protect Parcels?
• Learning from Errors: A Guide to Picking Packaging Tape
• Clear Packing Tape UK
• Tape Dispenser Guide: Tape Guns vs Bench Dispensers

← All buying guides