Have you ever spent seemingly endless time lining up strips of masking tape?
Yet, when the hand holding the spray paint can gets tired and clumsy, or your tape lines come out crooked, there’s nothing you can do.
The only way to ensure a mega-accurate paint job is by using custom masking tape.
The Best Masking Tapes
If you saw “custom masking tape” and became breathless at the thought of precision die cuts, hold on:
It’s time to find a trusted converter.
After you’ve decided whom to trust, it’s a matter of collaborating until you find the right material for your project.
To get you started, we’ve picked out a few of the top masking tapes on the market:
- They peel cleanly
- They can stretch around curves
- They don’t suffer from folding edges
So, after reviewing our all-time most used suppliers and materials, we can finally present to you our best masking tapes for die cut converting.
3M™ HIGH-PERFORMANCE GREEN MASKING TAPE 401+
If you’re a fan of all-rounders, then this tape could be the right one for you.
3M’s green crepe paper tape has a wide variety of advantages and can cover a range of substrates.
It can conform to the following:
- Metal
- Glass
- Plastic
- Rubber/EPDM
─as well as paint for powder coatings or irregular surface-type jobs.
The green crepe masking tape is often used during automotive manufacturing and paint baking. This sturdy, heat-lasting adhesive can withstand a maximum operating temperature of 250oF (121oC) for up to 30 minutes.
Not only does this 3M masking tape suit automotive paint jobs, but it also works for rail, marine, or aerospace applications.
No matter the industry, 401+ tape’s vibrant green color is excellent for marking parts and highly accurate masking.
tesa® 4174
tesa’s masking tape 4174 was made to be highly conformable without the messy elements of tape application, such as residue or ghosting.
This masking tape can be used on painted or non-painted substrates, and when conforming to more complex surfaces, masking tape 4174 leaves a sharp paint edge behind.
Reliable masking tape die cuts can provide the coverage you need for two-tone car masking while improving production speed by enabling you to paint without fear.
Finally, with its natural rubber adhesive, tesa masking tape 4174 lasts at a temperature of 302oF (150oC) without leaving residue for up to 1 hour.
If you’re unsure about the significance of it being natural rubber, go ahead and read more about different types of masking tape before you choose.
AVERY DENNISON™ ft 0976
Avery Dennison’s FT 0976 was created for a more specific purpose than the other tapes on this list.
FT 0976 is used for the sole purpose of automotive wheel masking.
Because it’s meant to be used in the long term, the adhesive coating of FT 0976 is lightweight, and its facestock is UV inhibited.
This acrylic adhesive has a low-density polyethylene liner and a maximum intermittent operating temperature of 225oF (105oC).
With a material designed to meet automotive wheel masking specifications, your die cut parts can’t get more custom than this.
3M™ PERFORMANCE MASKING TAPE 2380
The 3M performance masking tape 2380 is a tan-colored rubber adhesive tape.
In the past, we’ve used this adhesive and others like it for our automotive masking tape solutions.
Its heavy crepe paper backing provides powerful holding abilities and resists bleed-through.
Although the tape is strong and durable, the backing was made for easy application, and it’s meant to be removed in one piece.
Masking tape 2380’s edges are built against slivering when exposed to high heat. As a result, it can be baked at the high temperature of 325oF (162oC) for up to 30 minutes.
tesa® 4831
When you think of masking tape, the word “tough” might not immediately come to mind. However, the tesa 4831 fulfills several demanding applications.
tesa 4831 is a silicone-free, high-temperature masking tape intended for use in the automotive, transportation, building, appliance, and metal industries.
It has a PET/non-woven backing, and the removal stays residue-free for an hour at temperatures up to 356oF (180oC).
The most common uses of tesa 4831 include:
- Fine-line masking
- Masking for sandblasting
- Powdercoat masking
In fact, its primary function is to adhere to rough surfaces while peeling off cleanly.
Like the tesa 4174 tape, when it comes to two-tone masking applications, tesa 4831 blocks off the desired panels leaving behind nothing but precise paint edges.
The Best Masking Tapes
Now that you’ve seen what our favorites offer, maybe you’re ready to start.
Perhaps you already have a design in mind, and you’re asking around to find the right price for you.
OR you could still be unsure about your project material, and you’d rather see your part in different materials before diving into the whole process.
Hopefully, you’ve found a couple of options to the ever-burning question, “What type of masking tape should I use?”
