Polyken vs Patco Aerospace Tapes

Polyken is the broader aerospace and industrial line — cloth, fiberglass, foil and vinyl tapes for carpet mounting, cargo compartments, speed tape repair and military packaging. Patco specializes in aircraft sealing, corrosion inhibition and surface protection: film tapes for floor joints and wet areas such as galleys and lavatories, moisture barriers for seat tracks and cargo areas, removable protection during maintenance, and one exterior tape for leading edges. Both are made in the USA and both are named directly on OEM documentation.

Polyken 296FR is the flame-retardant fiberglass cloth cargo compartment tape approved to Boeing BMS 5-146. It also meets FAR 25.853(a) and FAR 25.855(d), and is commonly cross-referenced against Nitto P629 and 3M 398FR. See our BMS 5-146 guide for the full breakdown.

For flame-retardant cabin carpet work, use Polyken 108FR — it is approved to Boeing BMS 5-133 plus Airbus, Douglas, Embraer, Fokker, Lockheed and Bombardier specifications. For temporary or non-FR mounting where the drawing permits it, Polyken 105C covers Boeing BAC5034-4 Sec. 5.1.a(1)(a).

All three are cargo compartment tapes that solve different problems. 296FR carries the Boeing BMS 5-146 approval for cargo liner work. 290FR is the heavy-duty sealing tape named in the Boeing SL-25 service letters. 225FR is the conformable, hand-tearable duct tape for irregular surfaces and Douglas DMS 1968E callouts. The cabin and cargo comparison table above has the figures side by side.

Patco D9100 is the waterseal tape for sealing floor joints in wet areas, approved to Boeing BMS 8-346 Type I and Type II. Its elastic polyurethane film moves with the airframe. Patco 1800 is the black FR PVC alternative for galley and lavatory wet seal work under FAR 25.853(a) and the Bombardier DSC 91-25 series. For a moisture and corrosion barrier rather than a joint seal — seat tracks and cargo areas — the tape is Patco 9425FR, which holds BMS 8-346 Type I Class 3.

No. The aerospace interior tapes — 108FR, 225FR, 290FR, 296FR, Patco 1800, Patco D9100, Patco 5565FR and Patco 9425FR — are flame retardant and meet FAR 25.853(a). Polyken 345SW also meets FAR 25.853(a) per its data sheet, but it is a foil repair and masking tape rather than an interior tape a cabin drawing would call out. Polyken 105C, 231, the 510 gaffer series and Patco 8300 are not FR products: 105C is intended for temporary non-FR mounting and the 8300 is an exterior protective tape. Always check the callout on your drawing.

It varies by construction: Polyken 231 is 36 months, 225FR, 290FR, 345SW and 105C are 24 months, and Patco 1800 and the 510 gaffer series are 12 months. Store at 60–80°F and 40–60% relative humidity in the original packaging to get the full rated life.

Yes. A Certificate of Conformance is included with every order where available. Send us the part number, quantity and the specification your drawing calls out and we will confirm what documentation ships with it.

Patco 5565FR is the removable one. It is a 5.5 mil LDPE film that stretches to 500 percent, conforms over contours and lifts away with no residue when the work is finished, and it meets FAR 25.853(a) so it can stay on through an interior refurbishment. It comes clear or in high-visibility orange, by the case. For exterior surfaces that need permanent protection against rain erosion, UV and abrasion, the tape is Patco 8300 instead.

Patco 9425FR, sold as SealDry, is a lightweight self-extinguishing polyurethane film with a hydrophobic acrylic adhesive. It forms a moisture barrier and inhibits corrosion at seat tracks and in cargo areas, at 6.0 mil and 5.0 oz per square yard so it adds very little weight. It carries Boeing BMS 8-346 Rev. E Type I Class 3, Airbus A2MS 535-007 Rev. A Type VI, Bombardier BAMS 535-007 Rev. B Type VI and FAR 25.853(a), and is available in widths up to 48 inches.

Patco 8300. It is a 14.5 mil non-yellowing polyurethane film on a die-cuttable kraft liner, rated from −40°F to 275°F, built to take rain erosion, UV and abrasion on leading edges, struts and stabilizers. It holds Fokker FK05-193, is printable and paintable, and is the only exterior tape in the Patco line. Note that it is not a flame-retardant product and is not intended for cabin interior use.