Automotive Wiring Harness
A wiring harness spends its life being rubbed, bent and heated. Tapes here have to survive abrasion from neighbouring parts, hold a bundle together through years of vibration, and — inside the cabin — not add smell or noise.
That is why harness tape is specified on four properties rather than price alone: abrasion class, temperature range, noise damping and VOC.
What this application demands
Abrasion resistance
Tapes on engine and chassis harnesses are exposed to friction from brackets, clips and body panels. Abrasion class is the first filter.
Temperature range
Engine compartment runs see sustained heat; a tape rated to 105 °C will not behave like one rated to 150 °C after 1,000 hours.
Noise damping
Harness rattle is a customer complaint, not an engineering nuance. Noise-damping grades fix it at the wrapping stage.
Low VOC and odour
Interior harness tapes must not release odour or fogging compounds inside a closed vehicle compartment.
Recommended constructions
| Requirement | Recommended tape | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Abrasion class D / heavy duty | B1300 / B1600 PET cloth tape (non-tearable) | 0.25 mm PET polyester fabric with synthetic rubber adhesive; class D abrasion (1,000–4,999 cycles) and class A noise damping. |
| Fast manual wrapping | BY1300 PET cloth tape (hand-tearable) | Tears by hand without tools, so operators wrap faster on the harness board. |
| Engine compartment / high heat | B1600 grade, or PT5200 PET high-temperature tape for masking | B1600 is rated −40 °C to 150 °C; PT5200 covers masking and splicing up to 180 °C. |
| Noise and odour sensitive runs | B1300 plus R1005 PET fleece tape | Fleece tape conforms to irregular shapes and dampens noise; both grades are low-VOC and RoHS 2.0 / REACH compliant. |
How to specify it
| Specification point | What to state on your enquiry |
|---|---|
| Base material | PET polyester cloth, or non-woven fleece where conformity matters more than abrasion |
| Total thickness | State the thickness you need (0.25 mm is the common harness grade) and your tolerance |
| Service temperature | Continuous operating temperature, not just the short-term peak |
| Adhesive | Synthetic rubber for general harness use; state if you need a specific adhesive chemistry |
| Width and core | Finished width and core diameter of your wrapping equipment |
| VOC / odour limits | Any interior or fogging requirement, with the test method your OEM uses |
Common specification mistakes
Watch out for this: choosing on price per roll
A thinner or lightly coated tape saves cents per roll and costs multiples of that in rework when it fails abrasion testing.
Watch out for this: ignoring the substrate
Peel adhesion is quoted against steel. On a PP or PE conduit the same tape can behave very differently — tell us the substrate.
Watch out for this: forgetting the test standard
Abrasion class and flame rating are only comparable when both sides quote the same test method.
Talk to a tape engineer
Send us the application, the operating temperature and the base material you have in mind. We will come back with a recommended construction, a datasheet and a quotation within one working day.