The 10 Best High Temperature Tapes

For soldering, 3D printer beds and masking small parts before powder coating, the Elegoo High Temp Tape set covers most jobs. Four rolls of amber polyimide film come in different widths, from a thin strip for circuit boards to a wider band for masking. The silicone glue holds to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit and usually peels away without leaving gum behind. The film is very thin, though, so it won't shield a hot pipe or protect a heavy wire.

Rewrapping a wiring harness under the hood is the job for tesa 51036. It's a black, ribbed cloth tape of the kind car factories use, and tesa rates it for about 3,000 hours at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It also earns a high grade on the auto industry's rub test, so it holds up where wires chafe against brackets. It tears by hand and stays flexible. It's no good near exhaust parts, which run far hotter.

Patching a leak on a furnace flue or a hot-air duct calls for metal tape that won't let go as it heats up, and 3M High-Temperature Flue Tape is rated to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. The aluminum foil bends around round pipe and covers small gaps at seams and joints. It's a 3M roll, so hardware stores tend to stock it. The roll is short, enough for a few joints, and foil conducts electricity, so keep it off wiring.

Woven fiberglass with a glue that sets in the heat makes APT Glass Cloth Tape a strong choice for masking parts in a powder-coating oven or wrapping motor leads. The seller lists it as class H electrical insulation, good to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and it lifts off clean after baking. The cloth doesn't stretch, so it won't hug tight curves, and the narrow roll runs out fast on big masking jobs.

When a wood stove door leaks smoke, a flat seal like the Protalwell Stove Gasket closes the gap without a tube of cement. It's a band of fiberglass braid soaked with graphite, rated to about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, and its sticky back holds it in place while you shut the door. It also fits pellet stoves, grills and smokers. It's a flat band, so doors built for a round rope gasket need rope instead.

Wires, hoses and fuel lines that run close to headers need a reflective shield, and Heatshield Products Thermaflect is built for that. A shiny face over glass fabric bounces radiant heat away, and the maker rates it for about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit of steady heat. It wraps around a hose or lays flat on a firewall or floor pan. It costs a lot for a short roll, so measure before you buy.

For a cheap way to cover a hose, a cable run or a duct near something hot, Firewess Heat Shield Tape lays aluminum foil over fiberglass cloth. The cloth makes it tougher than plain foil, so it resists tearing when you pull it tight. The seller rates it to roughly 570 degrees Fahrenheit, and one long roll goes a long way. The brand is new and publishes no datasheet, so treat that rating with some caution.

XFasten Silicone Tape has no glue at all. You stretch it as you wrap, and the layers fuse into a solid rubber sleeve that can stop a leaking hose or seal a wire splice. The seller rates it to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and it unwraps without leaving residue. It only bonds when stretched hard over a clean, dry surface, and a loose wrap is the usual reason it fails.

Sealing duct seams, dryer vent joints and pipe insulation is everyday work for Romeda Foil Tape, a thick aluminum tape with a strong acrylic glue. One roll covers a lot of seams for little money, and the liner separates from the foil without a fight. Know its limit: the seller rates it to only about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, fine for warm air but not for a flue, an exhaust or an oven.

LEDAUT Exhaust Heat Wrap isn't sticky. It's a woven fiberglass band you wind around headers and pipes, then lock down with the included steel ties, to cut the heat that soaks into an engine bay. The maker claims it handles about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Soak it first so it wraps tight, and wear gloves, because the fibers itch. Wrap can hold water and oil against the pipe, and it smokes the first time it heats up.