Duct Tape

adhesive · repair · invention

Cloth-backed sticky magic. Duct tape has a cloth layer on the back instead of being smooth plastic, which makes it extra strong and able to grip really tough surfaces like metal and wood.

Sealed the ducts. The name came from using it to seal air ducts in heating and cooling systems, though nowadays it's used to fix almost anything you can imagine.

Stretchy and waterproof. A coating of slippery plastic called polyethylene covers the cloth, so water slides right off and it sticks even when things are damp.

Special foil version exists. Because regular duct tape melts on hot ducts, engineers invented a heat-resistant foil tape that can handle the warmth without falling apart.

Pressure-sensitive stickiness. Duct tape doesn't need heat or water to work, it just grabs onto things when you press it down, making it instantly ready to save the day.