Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A woven scrim sits between polythene coating and a thick rubbery adhesive. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a everyday life fact?

Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Duct tape gets its strength from a cloth mesh

A woven scrim sits between polythene coating and a thick rubbery adhesive The tape is a composite: a loose woven cloth of cotton or synthetic yarn gives tensile strength, polyethylene coating makes it waterproof, and a pressure sensitive adhesive supplies the grip. It was developed during the Second World War for sealing ammunition cases, originally in olive drab. The cloth mesh is why it tears cleanly by hand in a straight line. It sits in Mondo's everyday life collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Smithsonian Institution

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: tape, repairs, materials

Duct tape gets its strength from a cloth mesh: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A woven scrim sits between polythene coating and a thick rubbery adhesive. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a everyday life fact?: Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.