Yellow masking tape is the most used product in preparing vehicles for painting. Have you ever wondered why automotive masking tapes often come in yellow shades? In this article we deepen the secret behind this color and we take a look at the qualities a good masking tape must provide for automotive painting.
In professional masking tapes, all the features are balanced carefully to provide the best performance. The color of the tape makes no exception: yellow masking tapes are often employed because yellow is the brightest shade of the spectrum, the most clearly visible as it stands out on most of the vehicle’s surfaces. Think about it: yellow is used in all low-visibility contexts, for signals and professional clothing in night jobs or foggy conditions. In addition, yellow cars represent a minimum percentage of all cars in the world.
Yellow masking tape is useful because it is clearly visible during masking and painting operations, easing the job and making it quicker. It stands out on most of the cars (black, white or gray cars are the most popular worldwide) and on plastic, rubber and glass surfaces, those that require the most accurate protection during painting, due to their irregular shape. This is the reason why the best automotive masking tape manufacturers choose yellow shades to color their products.
Yellow masking tape: beyond the color
Of course, the color is just the beginning. Yellow masking tape is ideal for automotive masking, only when provided with professional features that meet the demanding needs of the sector. When choosing a yellow masking tape, make sure it guarantees:
- High temperature resistance: the tape is required to withstand the extreme temperature of drying cycles in booth without losing its adhesive power or sticking too much to the paint. To be sure about the result, choose a yellow masking tape that resists up to 110°C/230°F.
- Excellent conformability: automotive masking tape is often used to protect small or irregular surfaces such as headlights and taillights, rearview mirrors, door handles and so on. For these applications, it’s important to choose a tape with good conformability properties.
- Compatibility with the most popular paints and lacquers: the best masking tapes for automotive refinishing give excellent performances with any of the most used paints in the field. Choosing the right yellow masking tape, you can have a single product that covers applications with different types of paint.
