Packaging guide
Wholesale Packing Tape: How to Buy by the Case and Work Out the Real Cost per Box
Micron, adhesive and roll length decide whether tape holds. Here is how to compare wholesale packing tape, with the cost per box worked out from stated assumptions.
Updated Nov 6, 2026
Wholesale packing tape, bulk packaging tape and carton sealing tape are among the most searched phrases for a small packaging supplier, and the tape page on this site shows more impressions than any other. The same product has different names in different places: packing tape in the United States, parcel tape or packaging tape in the United Kingdom and Australia, and carton sealing tape in Canada. This guide covers what to compare and what a roll really costs you per box.
What our tape is
Our packing tape is polypropylene film, 45 micron, with an acrylic adhesive. It is low-noise, 48 mm (about 2 in) wide and 66 m (about 72 yd) long, sold by the roll. Published prices:
| Rolls | Price per roll | Order value |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 (the minimum) | $0.945 | $945 |
| 2,500 | $0.882 | $2,205 |
| 5,000 | $0.828 | $4,140 |
| 10,000 | $0.774 | $7,740 |
| 25,000 | $0.738 | $18,450 |
Other widths and lengths are priced on the size pages, such as 2 in × 100 m.
Three things that decide whether tape holds
- Film thickness. Measured in micron (or mil in the US). Thicker tape resists tearing and carries more weight. Heavier cartons need more than a light retail box.
- Adhesive. Acrylic holds well across temperature changes and ages slowly. Hot-melt is cheaper and grabs fast, but can fail in cold or hot storage.
- Cold and dust. A cold warehouse or a dusty box surface weakens any tape. Wipe the seam, and if you pack in an unheated space, test a roll first. Our guide on why packing tape keeps failing lists the causes.
Cost per box from a stated assumption
Assume an H-seal on the top and the bottom of a 12 × 9 × 6 in carton uses about 1.5 m of tape. Measure your own, because pack style changes it a lot. A 66 m roll then seals about 44 boxes (66 ÷ 1.5). At $0.945 a roll that is about 2.1 cents per box, and at $0.774 a roll about 1.8 cents. Tape is a small share of packing cost, so choose by whether it holds, not by the last cent.
Order tape with your boxes
Tape, cartons and labels usually leave the same warehouse, so ordering them together saves freight. A carton of tape is dense, and the pallet is quoted by weight and volume. The dimensional weight calculator shows how carrier charges are built. See also the corrugated shipping boxes the tape is designed to seal.
Buying from the United Kingdom
UK buyers get the same prices in US dollars with freight quoted to their address. See our UK page for how orders reach you and who pays duty and VAT.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for packing tape?
The minimum is 1,000 rolls, worth $945 at the published price. Our minimum for any product is an order worth at least $500.
Can the tape be printed with my logo?
Yes. Printed tape is quoted separately, and like every order the run must be worth at least $500 in goods.
Is it clear or brown?
Both are available and perform the same, so choose by look. Buff brown reads as neutral on kraft cartons, and clear disappears.
How do I pay?
By bank transfer or USDT, against a proforma invoice.
Products in this guide
More guides on this topic
- How to Switch Packaging Suppliers Without Disrupting Shipping — Changing supplier is easy to get wrong in one specific way: running out of the old packaging before the new arrives. Here is the overlap that prevents it.
- Packaging for Shopify Stores — How to set up a packing bench that keeps up with orders, from label printing to the three consumables you will reorder forever.
- Beginner's Guide to Ecommerce Packaging — Everything a first-time seller needs to buy, in what quantity, and roughly what it costs to get started.
- Wholesale Stretch Film and Pallet Wrap: 80 Gauge Rolls, Prices and Export Pallet Wrapping — How to buy pallet wrap in bulk: 80 gauge (20 micron) 18 in x 1,500 ft rolls from $13.14, how many rolls a pallet uses, and what exporters should know about wrapping.
Still not sure?
Tell us what you ship and roughly how much of it, and we will recommend a specification and price it.