The old glazing tape is torn out of the sash, or the order sheet just says glazing tape. Among C.R. Laurence (CRL) glazing tapes you will find foam tape with adhesive on one side, foam tape with adhesive on both sides, and butyl tape. Below is what CRL says each one is for and how to read the size before you order. Other CRL products are on our C.R. Laurence brand page.
Where CRL files its glazing tapes
The breadcrumb on a CRL tape page shows its group. For the tapes in the table below, the foam tapes sit under Tapes, then Foam Tapes, split into Single Sided Foam Tape and Double Sided Foam Tape. The GT butyl tapes sit under Tapes, then Butyl Tapes. Their titles use the same words: Single Sided Foam Glazing Tape, Double Sided Foam Glazing Tape and Butyl Architectural Glazing Tape.
Go by those words, not by the picture. In the photos on our product pages the single-sided and double-sided rolls look much alike.
Foam glazing tape: what CRL says it is for
On the polyethylene tapes in the table below, single-sided and double-sided alike, CRL describes its foam glazing tape as a closed-cell polyethylene foam sealant in tape form, with an acrylic adhesive. According to the same text, the tape is designed to be "a primary or secondary seal in a variety of glazing systems". CRL also calls it self-shimming, "so you don't need shims or spacers."
Single sided or double sided foam glazing tape
The difference CRL spells out is on the single-sided pages. Joints sealed with its foam tape with adhesive on one side, CRL says, can be opened and closed, repositioned and used without the sticky mess of a sealant. CRL names demountable partitions, louvers, formwork, access panels and doors among the operable or temporary joints for this tape. The face without adhesive, the page says, releases cleanly from most surfaces, and when the joint is opened the tape recovers most of its original thickness and is ready to use again.
The polyethylene double-sided tapes carry adhesive on both faces, as the name says and as the heading of their feature list repeats (adhesive on two sides). CRL does not give them a separate use. Apart from that heading, their pages repeat the single-sided product text without the paragraph on operable joints.
One double-sided tape is a different material. CRL's Poly Liner Double Sided Foam Glazing Tape, V992116X38BL, is described as a closed-cell polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on both sides, while the other foam tapes in the table are polyethylene. Its page has its own product text, a product warning and temperature figures, and it recommends testing the tape under your own application conditions before commercial use. Read that page, not the polyethylene text, if this is your tape.
Butyl glazing tape for a window sash
The GT tapes in the table are CRL Butyl Architectural Glazing Tape: an extruded, preformed tape based on butyl rubber, supplied on rolls of release paper. The first use CRL lists is specific: the tape is used "as an exterior primary spacing and glazing seal when glazing glass into a window sash".
CRL's product data keeps the two apart: the Type line under Product Details reads Butyl on GT106, GT206 and GT207, and Foam on the foam tapes.
How to read the size in a CRL glazing tape title
In the titles of the tapes below, CRL prints the size as thickness x width, in inches, after the color. The title of 74814X1BL reads CRL Black 1/4" x 1" Single Sided Foam Glazing Tape, and its Product Details agree: thickness 1/4 inch, width 1 inch. Our product titles for the tapes shown under this guide add the CRL item number in front of the same color, thickness and width, for example CRL GT206 Black 1/8" x 1/2" Butyl Glazing Tape.
Roll length is not in the title. CRL gives it as Roll Length under Product Details, and it changes from item to item: GT106 (1/16 x 1/2 inch) comes on a 50 ft roll, GT206 (1/8 x 1/2 inch) on a 25 ft roll. Compare the roll as well as the size when you reorder. Some pages also give a shelf life, 12 months on 74418X38GRY and 24 months on GT106, GT206 and GT207.
Color is Black or Gray on the items below. On the foam tapes in the table, the item number ends in BL for black or GRY for gray, and on the 74814X1BL page CRL's color selector offers 74814X1GRY as the gray version. The butyl numbers in the table carry no color letters: GT206 is black and GT207 gray, both 1/8 x 1/2 inch.
A selection of CRL glazing tapes, with size and roll length from CRL's Product Details:
| Item | Tape | Size, roll |
|---|---|---|
| 74814X1BL | Single-sided foam, black | 1/4 x 1 in., 50 ft |
| 74418X38GRY | Single-sided foam, gray | 1/8 x 3/8 in., 100 ft |
| 98814X34GRY | Double-sided foam, gray | 1/4 x 3/4 in., 50 ft |
| 982116X34GRY | Double-sided foam, gray | 1/16 x 3/4 in., 200 ft |
| V992116X38BL | Double-sided PVC foam, black | 1/16 x 3/8 in., 200 ft |
| GT106 | Butyl, black | 1/16 x 1/2 in., 50 ft |
| GT206 | Butyl, black | 1/8 x 1/2 in., 25 ft |
| GT207 | Butyl, gray | 1/8 x 1/2 in., 25 ft |
Before you glaze
CRL's pages for these tapes carry more than this guide uses, including application notes and a product warning. The GT butyl pages also link a safety data sheet. Check the page for your exact item before you start.
Working on the window or door around the glass? Rollers, locks and screen parts for sliding glass doors and windows are in our CRL sliding glass door and window parts guide, and seals for the door itself in our door gasketing guide. How CRL numbers and finish letters work on hardware is explained in CRL part numbers and finish codes. More tapes, sealants and adhesives are in our Adhesives, Sealants and Tapes category.
Not sure which tape matches the one you took out? Our customer support team is available Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4 PM Central Time, at 1-888-800-7789 or [email protected].
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