Interior harness tape is one of the few components that can fail a vehicle programme without failing a mechanical test. Odour and fogging complaints are investigated by the vehicle manufacturer’s materials team, and the tape is usually the component under suspicion.
What VOC and fogging actually measure
Volatile organic compound testing measures what a material releases into the air inside a closed cabin, typically after heating. Fogging measures the condensable film that forms on a glass surface. They are related but separate tests, and a supplier can pass one and not the other.
Where the emissions come from
- The adhesive: rubber-based systems and solvent residues are the usual sources
- The backing: certain coatings and dyes release volatiles as they age
- The process: incomplete drying after coating leaves solvent in the roll
What to write into the specification
| Requirement | What to state |
|---|---|
| VOC limit | The limit and the test method your OEM uses |
| Fogging | Whether a fogging requirement applies, and its limit |
| Odour | Any panel-test requirement and the acceptable rating |
| Declaration | Whether a material declaration is required at PPAP stage |
Why the tape specification changes the answer
Low-VOC behaviour is a property of the construction, so it cannot be improved after the fact. If your programme has an interior VOC requirement, it has to be part of the tape specification from the first sample — which means choosing a supplier who can coat to that requirement rather than a distributor who can only offer what is in stock.
The practical takeaway
For interior runs, specify low-VOC grades explicitly and ask for the declaration at sample stage, not at PPAP. Re-testing a harness after a materials complaint is far more expensive than choosing the right tape the first time. Constructions compliant with RoHS 2.0 and REACH, with low VOC and class A noise damping, are available across standard PET cloth and fleece harness tapes.
Tapes mentioned in this guide: B1300 / B1600 low-VOC PET Cloth Tape · R1005 PET fleece wire harness tape
