OATEY 31202 1/2 in. x 520 in. PTFE White Thread Seal Tape

OATEY 31202 is the standard white PTFE tape, which complies with Military Spec No A-A-58092 and UL 31 RO. White PTFE tape is the general purpose grade used on water, air and most threaded NPT connections. For fuel gas lines, crews normally specify the heavier yellow gas-rated tape instead, so if the job is a gas drop, pick the yellow tape rather than this white roll.

The white PTFE tape complies with Military Spec No A-A-58092 and UL 31 RO, the two designations institutional and government buyers usually need cited on a submittal for thread seal tape.

3 mils thick with a 0.7 grams per cubic centimeter density. That is the standard-duty white tape, not a thick industrial grade, but the high density is what keeps it from tearing or stretching as you pull it around the thread.

PTFE tape like the OATEY 31202 roll seals threaded metal and plastic NPT joints on its own and is the quicker option on a service call since there is nothing to mix or clean up. Pipe dope is still preferred where a joint may need to be backed off slightly without losing the seal, and some plumbers use both on large or high-pressure threads. On plastic threads, tape alone avoids the risk of a solvent-bearing compound attacking the fitting.

The tape is offered both carded and packaged bulk on spools, so a facility or fleet buyer can standardize on the same white PTFE tape for stockroom quantities as well as single carded rolls.

Wrap clockwise looking at the end of the male thread, which is the same direction the fitting turns on, and keep the tape taut for three or four passes. Because this tape is a high-density 3 mil film that resists stretching, it holds that tension without thinning out or tearing at the thread crest.