this post was submitted on 25 May 2026
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Other way around, actually! Duck tape was originally made using duck cloth - duct tape was a malapropism of the original term (and possibly a brand name)
Actually, duct tape is an entirely different thing. It’s a metal tape with super tacky backing used to seal HVAC ducts. If you used duck tape for that it would deteriorate very quickly, but DUCT tape is designed for the temperature fluctuations.
And is a much more modern development than the name "duct tape" but yes!
Are you sure? Why would anyone call it "duct tape" before it was used on ducts?
The specific style of metal-backed tape that commonly is called "duct tape" - a heat resistant foil-backed tape designed for HVAC ducts - is not the archetype. The term "duct tape" has been used to describe many kinds of tape prior to the broad avaliablity of that specific style of metal foil tapes, and even today it does not mean specifically that type. We've used tape on ducts for ages, specifically that kind of duct tape is fairly modern.
Duct tape is specifically used to tape ducts together, so I'm not sure it was necessarily a malapropism
Malapropism is probably too strong a term, I admit, but the actual origin is likely a play off duck tape:
(via wikipedia)