Is duct tape the same as masking tape?

Answer 1

It is pronounced Duct Tape, but people say it so fast it sounds like duck tape. Originally duct tape was used for taping ductwork together. This is used in the air conditioning systems in most buildings. Duct tape was strong enough and flexible for the job. Later, it was used for almost anything imaginable, from canoe repair to fixing the Apollo 13 spacecraft. Duck tape was manufactured later by an Australian company. There was even a book on the alternative uses of duct tape in everyday life. Its also called 100 mph tape by the military. The airline industry has made some improvements, now making a 600 mph tape. See the related links for more information.

Although the term more commonly used is "Duct Tape", either is an acceptable term. Duck Tape is also a Brand name in some countries. Duct tape was originally created during World War Two, when soldiers needed a waterproof means to keep moisture out of ammunition cases. They soon found how versatile the tape was and put it to many other uses, including fixing tents, repairing clothing, fixing guns and other equipment, and a whole host of other things. It was said that the name "Duck Tape" was given due to the tapes ability to shed water much like a duck's plumage does. When the war was over and the soldiers returned home, even more uses for the tape were discovered, particular with reference to repairing heating and air ducts. The colour was changed from army green to silver along with the name, giving birth to Duct Tape we know today. Others suggest that the original name is derived from its resemblance to cotton duck, a non-adhesive canvas like material made from woven cotton fabric. It is thought that as both were used for so many things, and that they both came in strips, the name was carried over to the new adhesive product. The Oxford English Dictionary states the term Duck Tape may precede Duct tape, and cites a quotation from 1902 for "100,000 yards of cotton duck tape" to be used to protect the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge. This sets a precedence for the term and gives a basis for which the new adhesive could have derived its name. Other say that the original term was "duct tape" since there exists documentation using the term that pre-dates any for the term duck tape being used for the adhesive backed product.

It is also said that as there is no written evidence to support the WWII story that its origins of the duck tape name can be called into disrepute. Some supporters of this view accept that the earlier non adhesive product was known as "duck tape", but claim that people have just confused the similar pronunciation of the two terms. They suggest that the birth of the Duck Tape name during the war is nothing more that a quaint folklore and is a fabrication of the truth. Which term was first used will probably never really be known, but whether it was originally called "duck tape" or "duct tape" is of little consequence, as both names are now acceptable terms for the same product.

Its duct tape, designed to be used to tape air ducts in heating and cooling systems.

Answer 2

No - consider Masking Tape to be temporary, as in interior decorating. Masking tape on the glass whilst painting the frame of the window, frame painted, masking tape removed. Duct tape for a more permanent repair, it is a pressure sensative tape sealed with polyurethene, it is water resistant, flexible, very tacky and long lasting