PTFE Tape and Silicone Tape: What’s the Difference?
By Lanmar Inc. | February 2026 | 4 min read
Most people don’t think about sealing tape until something goes wrong. A seal comes out wrinkled. Bags start sticking to the heating element. The tape starts fraying after a week of use when it should last a month. At that point, the tape suddenly matters a lot.
At Lanmar, sealing tape is one of the first things we ask about when a customer calls with a heat sealer problem. It’s a small component that does a critical job, and picking the wrong type for your application creates headaches that are completely avoidable.
There are two types you’ll encounter on nearly every heat sealer: PTFE tape and silicone tape. On the surface, they look similar. They sit in the same place on the machine and serve the same basic purpose. They’re built differently, though, and they perform differently. Here’s what you need to know about each one.
What Sealing Tape Actually Does
Before comparing the two types, it helps to understand what sealing tape actually does on the machine.
On any heat sealer, the sealing tape sits directly between the heating element and your bag material. Every time the machine closes, that tape is doing three things at once.
First, it prevents your packaging from fusing to the hot element. Second, it helps distribute heat evenly across the full width of the seal. Third, it protects the heating wire from direct contact wear, which extends the life of the element itself.
That’s a lot of work for a thin strip of material. The type of tape you use determines how well those three jobs get done, and how long the tape holds up before it needs to be replaced.
PTFE Tape
PTFE stands for polytetrafluoroethylene. It’s the same base chemistry as Teflon, which tells you most of what you need to know about how it behaves. The surface is extremely slick, almost glassy, and virtually nothing sticks to it under heat.
In sealing tape form, PTFE is either a woven fabric or a film, coated with PTFE resin. It’s typically white or off-white and has a noticeable stiffness compared to silicone.
PTFE tape handles high temperatures extremely well, up to around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has an exceptional service life. On a high-volume production line, a good roll of PTFE tape will outlast silicone significantly. It’s also chemically inert, which makes it a natural fit for food-grade applications and anything involving oils, solvents, or specialty films.
The stiffness that makes it so durable can, however, work against you on certain sealer designs. If your machine uses a jaw that curves, flexes, or has a padded profile, PTFE may not conform the way you need it to. On flat-bar impulse and band sealers, it’s hard to beat.
Silicone Tape
Silicone sealing tape is fiberglass cloth with a silicone rubber coating. It’s typically tan or brown with a matte, lightly textured surface. Where PTFE is rigid and slick, silicone is pliable and has a natural grip.
That flexibility is its defining characteristic. Silicone tape conforms to curved, spring-loaded, or padded jaws in a way PTFE simply doesn’t. On jaw-type sealers and direct-contact machines, it performs the way the equipment was designed to operate.
Silicone does have trade-offs worth understanding. It tops out at around 450 degrees Fahrenheit and wears faster under continuous high-heat conditions. In a lower-volume or intermittent-use setting, that’s rarely a problem. On a production line running hundreds of cycles per hour, the replacement intervals get noticeably shorter.
The cost per roll is generally lower than PTFE, which makes silicone appealing on the surface. Whether it’s actually the more economical choice depends entirely on how hard you’re running the machine.
Which One Is Right for Your Situation?
A simple way to think about the choice: look at how your sealer closes.
If the sealing bar is flat and presses straight down, PTFE tape is almost certainly the better option. If the jaw has any curve, spring tension, or padding, silicone tape is likely what your machine needs.
Volume matters too. High-cycle production favors PTFE because the longer service life makes the higher upfront cost worth it quickly. Lower-volume or occasional-use operations often do perfectly well with silicone.
That covers the basics. For a full breakdown of specs, sealer compatibility, and which tape is standard across specific industries, the detailed comparison guide covers all of it.
Ready to find the right tape for your sealer? Request a quote or contact us to discuss your application.
Lanmar Inc. is a master distributor and converter of PTFE tapes, coated fabrics, and custom conveyor belting, serving packaging, food processing, and industrial manufacturing customers since 1977.