86. Duct Tape

Or is it duck tape?

Duct tape—or is it duck tape, which is it?—is the quintessential scrappy, do-it-all American tool. It saved the Apollo 13 astronauts from suffocating in space, solving the square-peg-in-a-round-hole problem 200,000 miles from Earth. When NASA engineer Ed Smylie learned duct tape was on board, he later said, “I felt like we were home free.”

Originally olive green, the fabric-backed tape—designed to be waterproof and easily torn in the field—was used to seal WWII ammunition cases. It was called duck tape during the war, although it’s unclear whether because of the canvas duck fabric, or because water flowed off it like a duck’s back. As with most things duct tape, the lore is better than the practical application.

After the war, the tape became gray to match the HVAC ductwork contractors wrapped with it and the name morphed—again, nobody knows quite how or when—into “duct tape.”¹ Here the tape’s shortcomings became apparent: applied to real-life ductwork, the tape fails completely within months. Heat degrades the adhesive; cold makes it brittle; moisture renders it useless. A Lawrence Berkeley researcher put it plainly: “Of all the things we tested, only duct tape failed. It failed reliably and often quite catastrophically.”

But even though we’ve all experienced a duct tape fail, it nonetheless enjoys a reputation as a near-supernatural problem solver, beloved by hobbyists for everything from home repairs to craft projects. The greatest improvisation tool ever made is useless for the one job its name promises.

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Special thanks to Steve Satterwhite for suggesting duct tape.

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Links:

• Duct Tape and Determination: Ed Smylie’s Apollo 13 Heroics – gekko, Mary 19, 2025

• Duct Tape Auto Repair on the Moon – Max Campbell, National Air and Space Museum, August 31, 2015

• 10 Duct Tape Hacks That Are Worth A Try – Jahaira Arthur, House Digest, January 8, 2024

• Berkeley Lab report: Advanced Duct Sealant Testing (PDF)

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This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 words on 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary. Through December 31, 2026.

I’m looking for ideas for this series — have something you’d like me to consider for inclusion? Please feel free to leave a comment!

1. Which sounds like “duck tape” when spoken, contributing to the ongoing confusion about the name.