The best vapour barrier tapes, compared.
Top pick: tesa 60077, 50 mm Best value: Ealyder polyethylene, 100 mm – Best value on the evidence: a long polyethylene roll, while the cheaper roll scores lower on UK membrane reviews. Updated October 2026.
Vapour barrier tape keeps an air and vapour control layer continuous on the warm side of insulation. In the UK that sheet is what Approved Document C calls a vapour control layer, and what makers now call an because it also limits air leakage. Judge a roll by whether it is specified for that sheet and whether it stays stuck on a clean dry lap, not by a duct-tape temperature claim. Who should skip each roll is on the [best vapour barrier tape](/hub/site-barriers/vapour-barrier-tape/sub/vapour-barrier-tape-best) page. Approved Document C, C2, requires walls, floors and roofs to resist interstitial and surface condensation. It does not approve a brand of tape.
Vapour barrier tape keeps an air and vapour control layer continuous on the warm side of insulation.
14 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you sealing?
tesa 60077 is a green 50 mm by 25 m roll at £30.84, the highest shelf price in this set, with 4.9 from 55 on amazon.co.uk. The title calls it vapour barrier tape for indoor and outdoor use on concrete, metal, plastic and wood. tesa’s UK note describes a polyethylene tape at this width and a method for cable collars, which is a lap and a small penetration rather than a duct joint. The star line is the strongest here, but the written reviews stored with this ASIN are not marked United Kingdom, so you cannot read how it behaved on a UK loft sheet. Hand tear is not stated, and the specification block does not name the adhesive. At about £1.23 a metre, as a rule of thumb, it costs more per metre than the Tyvek roll. The DIN 4108-11 line in that note is a German reference, not an approval in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A named vapour-barrier tape when you accept that the written reviews stored with this listing are not UK reviews
Less suitable: Anyone who wants UK reviewer comments on this exact ASIN before they buy
Specifications
Common questions
What is this tape made of?
The specification line says plastic. It does not name the adhesive. The title is tesa 60077 green vapour barrier tape, 25 m x 50 mm.
Can it be used outdoors?
Recommended uses on the listing include indoor and outdoor. The file does not give a UV or outdoor-life figure.
Are the reviews from the UK?
The star line is 4.9 from 55 on amazon.co.uk. The written reviews in the raw file are marked Germany and other countries, not the United Kingdom.
The Tyvek AirGuard 1310V is a 60 mm by 25 m single-sided roll at £28.00, with 4.7 from 87 reviews marked United Kingdom. Buyers report sealing a vapour layer and a waterproof membrane, and the listing names it as an internal AVCL tape for AirGuard sheets, timber, uPVC and metal. DuPont’s UK data sheet for 1310V recommends that internal use, with installation above −5°C. Reviewers call the tape stretchy and say it stays in the weather, and the listing says it is hand-tearable. The liner is fiddly if your nails are short, and once it grabs it is hard to lift. At about £1.12 a metre, as a rule of thumb on that shelf price, a small loft can still need a second roll. The Amazon material line only says UPVC.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An internal AirGuard or similar AVCL lap, where the listing and the UK reviews both describe tape on a sheet
Less suitable: A tight budget measured per metre, or a joint you expect to peel up and restick
Specifications
Common questions
Is this for an internal vapour control layer?
The bullets call it a flexible high-performance airtight internal AVCL tape and name DuPont AirGuard membranes. That is the listing text, not a lab report.
Can you tear it by hand?
The listing says it is hand-tearable. UK reviews still mention a fiddly liner and tape that sticks to your hands.
Will it stick to timber and metal?
The bullets include timber substrates and metal frames. The surface line also names metal and plastic. One UK reviewer used it to seal a vapour layer.
The Ealyder roll is £17.99 for 54.8 m at 100 mm wide, about £0.33 a metre as a rule of thumb, with 4.1 from 28 reviews. The listing says polyethylene for the backing and the adhesive, and the bullets say it seals vapour barrier seams, overlaps and joints. Only four of the stored reviews are marked United Kingdom. One of those buyers called the stick very strong when the sheet was tight against a hard surface, clean and dry. Two of the four say it let go: the next day on membrane edges under cladding, and where the membrane flexed. A loft lap can come off one roll, though 100 mm is clumsy around pipes and the listing does not say the tape is hand-tearable. Crawl-space wording on the page is not a description of a UK loft.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A long roll for clean, tight polythene laps when you have checked a test strip and can press it hard
Less suitable: A sheet that moves, or a cladding edge where a UK buyer already saw it let go overnight
Specifications
Common questions
What is the tape made of?
The listing says polyethylene for both the material and the adhesive. The size is 100 mm x 54.8 m.
Does it stay on a moving sheet?
One UK buyer says it holds if the membrane is tight against a hard surface, clean and dry. The same review says it came unstuck where the membrane flexed.
Is the width awkward?
The roll is 100 mm. Reviews in the file disagree: some like the cover, one calls it too wide to handle. The listing does not say it is hand-tearable.
The XFasten roll is the lowest shelf price in this set at £11.99 for about 76 mm by 55 m, with 3.8 from 397 reviews. The title names vapour barrier and house envelope, and a bullet states −20°C to 95°C and weather resistance. UK reviews in the file do not support that membrane claim. One says it does not stick to an exterior vapour barrier, one says it rolled off after being pressed, and one found it detached from a new breathable membrane overnight. Another comment says it peeled at the first drop of water, while one buyer reported it stuck to wet brick, which is a different surface from a polythene lap. The title says a polymer coating and the specification line says Foam, so the material is not settled on the listing. At about £0.22 a metre, as a rule of thumb, it looks cheap until the tape lets go after the plasterboard is on.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A non-membrane job the reviews actually support, such as a temporary coating, if you have tested a strip
Less suitable: The airtightness line on a vapour barrier or breather membrane
Specifications
Common questions
Will it stick to a vapour barrier?
The title says it will. UK reviews in the file say it did not stay on an exterior vapour barrier and rolled off after being pressed. Test a strip before you rely on it.
Is it for a breather membrane?
One UK buyer applied it to a new breathable membrane on a timber frame. It seemed stuck, then was detached the next day. Another said it peeled at the first drop of water.
What is it made of?
The title says a polymer coating and flashing tape. The specification material line says Foam. Both are recorded. The adhesive is not named.
Four amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the stored UK shelf prices, star lines, and review files. There was no laboratory peel test and no Building Regulations approval. The amazon.co.uk star line is damped when the written reviews stored with the listing are not marked United Kingdom. Shelf price in GBP does not raise the score. Price decides the value badge only. The three weights below sum to 100.
Amazon star line, damped for review origin
40%The amazon.co.uk star line is the starting point. It is damped when the written reviews stored with the listing are not marked United Kingdom, and when the UK sample is very small.
Match to an internal AVCL
30%Points follow whether the listing matches an internal air and vapour control layer, using the UK data sheet where one exists. An internal tape and an external breather-membrane tape are different jobs.
Membrane review sentiment
30%Lift-off, next-day release, and a fiddly liner reduce the score. A material line that conflicts with the title is also a deduction. UK reviews that describe the tape leaving a vapour barrier or a breather membrane are weighted against the listing claim.
Choose the roll that matches the sheet, then the lap, then the evidence you can actually read. A longer cheap roll is only cheaper if it is still stuck when the plasterboard goes on. Prices below are the four amazon.co.uk shelf prices in this set, not a market average.
Vapour barrier tape keeps an air and vapour control layer continuous on the warm side of insulation. In the UK that sheet is what Approved Document C calls a vapour control layer. Makers now call it an AVCL because it also limits air leakage. Approved Document C, Requirement C2, requires walls, floors and roofs to resist interstitial and surface condensation. It defines a vapour control layer. It does not approve a brand of tape.
Aluminium foil HVAC tape was removed from this set. A temperature line on a duct tape does not show that the adhesive will stay on a vapour control layer. Some systems use a metallised cover tape over butyl. That is a different product from duct foil tape.
Internal AVCL tape and external breather-membrane tape are different. Tyvek’s UK data sheet for 1310V recommends internal use. UK reviews on the red coating tape include next-day release from a new breathable membrane and peel at the first drop of water.
Novia specifies butyl in a 150 mm lap, then a single-sided cover tape, and staples through the butyl. A single-sided roll on the face does not close the hole from behind. Dust, damp, a flexing sheet, or a joint left in tension are the other reasons a lap lets go.
Start with the sheet, not the colour of the roll. Internal AVCL tape and external breather-membrane tape are different. Tyvek’s UK data sheet for 1310V recommends internal use with AirGuard AVCLs, and installation above −5°C. The amazon.co.uk listing names that roll as an internal AVCL tape for AirGuard sheets, timber, uPVC and metal. tesa’s UK note describes a polyethylene tape at 50 mm and a method for cable collars, which is a lap and a small penetration rather than a duct joint.
A 50–60 mm tape covers a lap if the overlap itself is 100–150 mm. Tyvek is 60 mm by 25 m. tesa 60077 is 50 mm by 25 m. Ealyder is 100 mm by 54.8 m, which covers more of a wrinkled joint and is clumsier around pipes. XFasten is about 76 mm by 55 m. Proctor Group says about 5°C to 30°C, on a clean dry surface, pressed with a roller. Cold lofts need a warmed roll. A joint left in tension, or a sheet that flexes, is where UK reviews already describe release.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You need a tape that holds on the sheet until the boards go on, and a stop if the roof ventilation is unclear. The Tyvek listing and the UK reviews both describe an internal membrane job. A small loft can still need a second 25 m roll.
You need the membrane maker’s tape, a roller, and butyl where staples puncture the sheet. Tyvek’s UK data sheet for 1310V recommends internal use with AirGuard AVCLs. A single-sided roll alone does not seal staple holes from behind.
You want length against the shelf price, and you have read the UK failure notes on the red tape and the mixed notes on the long polyethylene roll. Ealyder is the best value on that evidence. It is not the £11.99 roll.
Tyvek AirGuard 1310V scores 86 and is the top pick: the listing and the UK reviews both describe an internal AVCL tape, at about £28.00 for 60 mm by 25 m. Ealyder, at about £17.99 for 54.8 m, is the best value on the evidence, not the lowest shelf price. The XFasten roll at about £11.99 scores 58 because UK reviews report membrane failure. tesa 60077 scores 82 and has no badge, because the written reviews stored with that listing are not marked United Kingdom. These scores are editorial. They are not a laboratory peel test and not a Building Regulations approval.
Ealyder polyethylene, 100 mm
Best value on the evidence: a long polyethylene roll, while the cheaper roll scores lower on UK membrane reviews.
Editorial
Products Compared publishes British-English buying guides based on amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources. We do not run a lab and we do not invent test scores.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines stored with these four ASINs. Page updated October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk with the tag pcuk26-21. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars, and review counts are the UK listing lines stored for these four ASINs. We did not run a lab test.
