Cloth Tape Vs. Friction Tape

Cloth tape and friction tape are two of the types of tape that hockey players generally use. Both cloth tape and friction tape are generally used to tape the blade of players’ sticks.

  1. Stick Blades

    • Beginners often use friction tape because it is sticky on both sides. The double-sided tape allows for improved puck control.

    Stick Knobs

    • Regular cloth tape is used for the top of the stick or the knob. Using the double-sided friction tape will likely cause damage to the palms of hockey gloves.

    Sock Tape

    • Most high-level players use cloth tape as it is more stable and tends to not rip as easily. The double-sided friction tape is unnecessary on socks.

    Color

    • Friction tape tends to come in only black while cloth tape comes in various colors.

    Cost

    • The costs of friction tape and cloth tape are very close (around $3 per roll as of March 2010). Cloth tape may be several cents cheaper at a local hockey store.