About Us
We are Scotch™ Brand. For a century, we’ve been by your side, transforming your ideas into reality. Since the invention of Scotch Masking Tape in 1925 and the first transparent tape in 1930, our products have been your go-to for big projects and small tasks, embodying ingenuity and efficiency. Need to create, fix, or build something? We're here to help make it happen. Let’s innovate together.
We Believe in Resourcefulness
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Resourcefulness is about adapting, making do and doing more with what you’ve got. It’s not about using less, but using smarter. And it means finding the right tools and taking a shot at using them.
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Resourcefulness is a core value at Scotch™ Brand. We understand that problem solving is the ultimate creative act. That’s the principle that has guided our long history of invention and that spurs us on to future innovations.
Historical Milestones
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2021: Introduction of Scotch® Box Lock Packaging Tape, which sticks instantly to any box and has an extreme grip for boxes to stay sealed through rough handling.
2016 – 2018: Scotch® Home and Office Tapes expands offerings to include Scotch® Wall-Safe Tape intended for lightweight hanging of decorations, artwork, paper and more. As well, the Scotch® Super-Hold Tape is introduced, which was designed with 50% more adhesive to stick to plastic, metal and cardboard for a secure seal in more places.
2013: Scotch® Brand designers reimagine the iconic “snail” dispenser for the first time in 60 years. The new dispenser features a modernized, sophisticated shape that conforms to the hand, improving comfort and ease of use.
1997: Scotch® Packaging Tape develops its first clear-to-the-core tape, providing consumers with a more secure seal with a see-through finish.
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1961: 3M invents Scotch® Magic™ Tape. The innovative matte-finish tape is virtually invisible on light-colored paper and envelopes. Unlike glossy tapes, it can be written on with pen, pencil or marker. At about the same time, Scotch® Cellophane Tape is renamed Scotch® Transparent Tape.
1941 – 1945: During World War II, almost all tape production is diverted to the war effort. 3M develops and manufactures more that 100 different types of tape to help solve war production problems such as sealing, protecting, insulating, identifying parts and holding materials. Scotch® Double-Sided Tape, coated with adhesive on both sides, joins the transparent tape family during this time.
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1939: Scotch® Brand welcomes the "snail" — the brand's iconic, handheld tape dispenser. The first version is made from stamped sheet metal, and a molded plastic model is added one year later.
1932: Scotch® Brand introduces the first heavy-duty, countertop tape dispenser. It’s made from cast iron and weighs almost 7 pounds.
1925: Richard Drew, a young 3M engineer, invents Scotch® Cellulose Tape. Later to be renamed Cellophane Tape, it is an attractive, moisture-proof way for grocers and bakers to seal packages. The tape helped people “make do” during the Great Depression — they were able to make simple repairs to household items when supplies were scarce.
In 1925, a young banjo-player-turned-Engineer named Richard Drew invented 3M's first transparent tape. Its purpose was to serve as a moisture-proof seal for the new food packaging that was becoming popular at the time.
Unique Ways Scotch® Brand Tape Has Been Used
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In 1925, Richard Drew invented Masking Tape to help auto-body painters detail cars without damaging existing paint jobs. It didn’t take long for people to put the new tape to other imaginative uses. That ingenuity hasn’t flagged for a moment since, and it seems the possible uses for Scotch® Brand Tapes are virtually endless.
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Scotch® Transparent Tape has: served as an anti-corrosive shield on the Goodyear blimp; covered cracks in the soft shells of fertilized pigeon and turkey eggs – which then hatched; and repaired airplane rudders. A 1946 Taylorcraft airplane was disabled after cows ate the resin-coated fabric on the plane’s rudder section. The plane’s owner taped the remaining fabric over the hole-ridden section and flew away.
