Gaffer Power
Professional gaffer tape, spike tape and console tape for film, theater and stage crews, produced in the United States
⚙️ American Manufacturing
Our assessment
Company details
Where Gaffer Power products are made
US-produced gaffer tape
Gaffer Power states on its own company story page that its gaffer tape is proudly produced in the US, and the storefront repeats the claim at product level: made in USA, every roll, every color. Several other lines in the same catalogue, including its bookbinding and write-on console tapes, are labelled American-made.
St. Petersburg, Florida
The company runs offices in St. Petersburg, Florida and in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Florida operation is the commercial and distribution center for a tape line sold into film, theater, live events and the general trade.
A widened line
Gaffer Power Inc. acquired Teegan Tapes in 2018, adding adhesive products well beyond the single roll of black gaffer tape it launched with. The catalogue now spans spike and console tape, floor and cord tape, butyl seal tape, clear repair tape and bookbinding tape.
Gaffer Power publishes a made-in-USA claim for its gaffer tape and labels several other lines — bookbinding and write-on console tape among them — as American-made. It does not publish a single blanket origin statement covering every item in the expanded catalogue, and it also maintains an office in Vancouver, British Columbia. This profile therefore carries an American Manufacturing mark rather than a full Made in USA mark. Buyers with Buy American procurement requirements should request country-of-origin documentation for the specific SKU.
The story
Gaffer Power’s founders came out of the filmmaking world, and the journey started in January 2012 with a single product: one roll of black gaffer tape.
The idea was straightforward. Gaffer tape was already indispensable on set — matte so it will not reflect on camera, strong enough to hold down a cable run, and able to tear by hand and come away without leaving residue — but it was largely a trade secret outside the arts industry. The company set out to share it with everyone else.
From there the line widened by color and width, then by type: spike tape for marking positions on a stage floor, write-on console tape for lighting boards, floor tape for cord runs, and clear repair and butyl seal tapes.
In 2018 Gaffer Power Inc. acquired Teegan Tapes, which broadened the adhesive range further and opened new markets. The company still describes the business the way it did at the start — premium-grade products merged with an amazing level of customer care, and an invitation to test them on it.
Why they matter
Tape is the kind of unglamorous consumable that quietly went offshore. Most rolls on a hardware shelf are imported, and the difference between a US-produced gaffer roll and a cheap import shows up the first time a crew tries to pull it off a painted floor.
Professional users are a demanding audience. A gaffer, a stagehand or a rigger buys the same roll hundreds of times a year and will not tolerate residue, tearing failures or adhesive that lets go under stage-light heat. Holding that business with domestically produced tape is a real test of an American converter’s quality.
Gaffer Power is also an example of a small brand growing by acquisition rather than by moving production. Buying an established tape line in 2018 expanded the catalogue without abandoning the US-produced core the company built its name on.
Shop Gaffer Power products
Browse Gaffer Power gaffer tape, spike tape and console tape available now in the Buy American store.
Shop all Gaffer Power products → Visit Gaffer Power website →
Frequently asked questions
When was Gaffer Power founded?
January 2012. The company was started by people who came out of the filmmaking world, and it launched with a single product: a roll of black gaffer tape.
Where is Gaffer Power based?
St. Petersburg, Florida, with a second office in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Is Gaffer Power tape made in the USA?
The company states that its gaffer tape is proudly produced in the US and markets it as made in USA on every roll and every color. Several other lines, including its bookbinding and write-on console tapes, are labelled American-made. Gaffer Power does not publish a blanket origin claim covering the entire catalogue.
What is the difference between gaffer tape and duct tape?
Gaffer tape is a cloth tape with a matte finish that will not reflect light on camera, tears cleanly by hand and is designed to come off without leaving adhesive residue. Duct tape is glossy, uses a more aggressive rubber adhesive and typically leaves residue behind — which is why it is not used on stage floors, lenses or cable runs.