What is electrical tape made of?
The key properties of a reliable and trustworthy electrical insulating tape are that it must:
act as an effective insulator against electricity, protecting circuitry and users by not conducting current easily
be heat-resistant and fireproof to a reasonable degree for the application it’s being used in
be flexible, user-friendly and easy to apply to a range of wires, circuits and connections (often in relatively tight spaces)
By far the most common material for electrical tape these days is vinyl, but we’ll investigate more materials and their uses in a later section. For now, we’ll take a closer look at some of the general properties of insulating tape listed above, and how best to use it to make the most of those key attributes.
Does electrical tape conduct electricity?
When used properly, electrical tape should act as an insulator - that is to say, it should protect against transfer of any electrical current passing through the wires to people or components potentially coming into contact with them. As such, properly rated and applied insulating tape should NOT conduct electricity.
How to use electrical insulation tape
Electrical tape is most commonly used in DIY applications for making repairs and joins to smaller wires. As we’ll outline in more detail below, it should not be used for major repairs to very badly damaged wires, or on its own for creating permanent connections in junction boxes, light switches, or wiring outlets.
In these sorts of high-demand, potentially high-temperature environments, insulating tape should only be used in conjunction with purpose-made wire nuts and other connector tools for a safer and more secure fix. Furthermore, electrical tape shouldn’t be used as a standalone repair for damaged or unspliced wires in close proximity to soft furnishings or other flammable materials
Can electrical tape catch fire?
Although most reputable brands of electrical tape will have decent thermal properties (generally to cope with temperatures up to around 80 degrees Celsius), many varieties of insulation tape are indeed flammable if they’re allowed to get hot enough. The likelihood of combustion is usually reasonably low if it’s used sensibly and in the environment for which it was designed, but this will depend entirely on the application in question and the type of tape being used.
Several varieties of electrical insulating tape have much more advanced heat-resistant properties than others. We’ll highlight some of the more specialised types in subsequent sections.
What can I use instead of electrical tape?
There are various alternatives to electrical tape available, with the most popular options including wire connectors (or ‘wire nuts’) and heat-shrink tubing. Wire nuts are typically insulated plastic caps with internal threading that are designed to be twisted on to the ends of stripped wires.
Heat shrinks are very commonly found on wires in smaller electrical components and circuits, but they’re not usually used in household or industrial applications where the wire gauge tends to be much larger.
Other types of adhesive tapes are not generally recommended as a substitute for electrical tape when in direct contact with wiring or circuitry, as they’re designed for other applications and tend to lack sufficient thermal or insulating properties for electrical use, which can mean they quickly become unsafe if deployed incorrectly.
