What is in a tape or label: the adhesive, backing and release liner?
A roll is a layered product
A pressure-sensitive tape or label combines an adhesive layer with a backing and often a release liner, so the complete roll is not one formulation. We start by separating the layer question: are you comparing the adhesive chemistry, the carrier material or the surface that releases the adhesive? A backing or liner can contribute far more material than the thin adhesive layer, making a whole-product result difficult to interpret as adhesive composition.
Acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives use acrylic polymers; rubber-based systems can combine natural rubber or SBR with tackifying resins. Silicone pressure-sensitive adhesives provide a separate chemistry, and a silicone signal must be assigned to the relevant layer before it is called an adhesive ingredient. For a melt-applied rubber-based system, see our hot-melt adhesive analysis.
Read the backing separately
Backings may be PET, BOPP, PVC, paper or foam, each giving the adhesive a different mechanical support and surface. A foam tape can contain adhesive on both faces and a foam core, so the two exposed sides should not automatically be treated as identical. In a printed label, the face material and printed image add further layers that should remain distinct from the bonding layer.
A release liner can use paper or plastic with a release coating, commonly a silicone-based surface treatment. Finding silicone on the liner therefore does not establish that the pressure-sensitive adhesive itself is silicone-based. Tell us which face is adhesive, which is the liner and whether the liner was removed before preparing the sample.
Match the layers to the performance question
A layer-by-layer study can support identification of the adhesive polymer family, retained additives, backing material and release-layer chemistry where evidence allows. An adhesive-only sample and the intact construction answer complementary questions, because separation can leave backing fragments or remove material at the interface. Describe any separation method so a layer conclusion is tied to the material actually examined.
For example, a manufacturer who wants to investigate different peel behavior can compare adhesive chemistry while also recording backing stiffness, substrate and test conditions. Release force concerns separation from the liner, while peel adhesion concerns separation from the bonded substrate; the two observations address different interfaces. A compositional difference can guide which layer to investigate next, but it does not replace tests on the assembled tape or label.
Declare the finished article or the liquid separately
We can review finished solid tapes, labels and foam tapes as product articles, subject to declaration and component review. Water-based pressure-sensitive adhesive emulsions can be reviewed as water-based adhesives, while solvent-based liquid pressure-sensitive adhesives are not received from overseas as supplied. For the solvent-based liquid, propose a coated and dried tape or adhesive film for review and read the alternative sample-form guide.
How to start
We review overseas industrial samples before acceptance. Use our industrial analysis page and sample-shipping guide to prepare your declaration. Our reports are research-grade analytical reports from a laboratory that is not accredited. They cannot be used for product registration or legal proceedings.
FAQ
Can we identify tape adhesive by analysing the whole roll together?
A whole tape includes backing and possibly liner material, so layer separation is important when the question specifically concerns the adhesive rather than the complete construction.
Does silicone on a release liner mean silicone adhesive?
Silicone can belong to the release coating instead of the adhesive, so its layer location must be established before assigning the adhesive family.
Why provide both faces of a foam tape?
The adhesive on each face of a foam tape may differ, and the foam core contributes a separate material to the finished construction.
Can we send a solvent-based label adhesive liquid?
We do not receive solvent-based adhesive liquids from overseas as supplied; a coated and dried label, tape or adhesive film can be proposed for declaration review.
Send a sample declaration and describe the product, its physical form and the question you want answered.