Spike Tape and Colour-Coded Stacks: Stage Marking Explained

Two different jobs

Spike tape does one job on the deck and a very different one in the control room.

On stage: 1/2″ × 45 yds

Matte and fluorescent spike tape in the half-inch, 45 yard roll is the working format for spiking and positioning — marking where furniture lands, where an actor stands, where a rostrum returns to after a scene change. Narrow enough to be precise and to disappear from the audience, long enough to mark a full production without changing rolls.

In the control room: the colour stacks

The 1/2″ × 20 yds and 1″ × 20 yds stacks — four or five fluorescent colours bundled together — are used differently. They are for colour matching between the stage and the desk. That is the use most people never think of, and it is what the stacks exist for.

The control-room trick

Colour-matching microphones to faders.

A sound operator sits a long way from the stage, often in a booth at the back of the house. In low light, at that distance, one radio mic looks exactly like another and one fader looks exactly like the next.

So you tape the mic and its fader in the same fluorescent colour. Pink on the lead performer's pack, pink on the channel strip. Yellow on the second, green on the third. Now the operator can look up at the stage, see who is speaking, and reach for the right fader without reading a label or counting across the board.

This is why the tapes come as a stack of four or five distinct fluorescent colours in short 20 yard rolls: you need several colours at once and only a little of each, not 45 yards of one colour. The fluorescent finish is what makes it readable under low stage-side light and from a distance.

One colour per performer or source — mic body or belt pack, and the matching fader.
Keep the same colour convention across the run so a relief operator inherits it.
1″ width on the desk where it has to read from further away; 1/2″ on the mic where space is tight.
Same clean-removal adhesive as Pro Gaff, so it comes off a mic body and a console without residue.

Published technical data

Same construction as Pro Gaff, narrower format.

Pro Spike — Spike Tape (Standard & Fluorescent)

Backing	Cotton cloth
Adhesive	Synthetic rubber
Tensile strength	45 lbs/in
Elongation	5%
Thickness	11 mils
Adhesion to steel	80 oz/in
Service temperature	10°C–93°C (50°F–200°F)

Fluorescent colours are UV friendly for high visibility. 18 colours available.

Pro Spike Stack, four fluorescent colours

Pro Spike Stack — 4 and 5 Colour

Construction	Identical to Pro Spike
Roll length	20 yds
Widths	1/2″ and 1″
4-colour stack	Fl. Pink, Fl. Yellow, Fl. Green, Fl. Orange
Adhesion to steel	80 oz/in
Use	Colour coding across positions and equipment

Figures are Pro Tapes published technical data sheet values for products Artstag supplies. Typical values — not for use in writing specifications.

Choosing a roll length

Weight matters more than you would expect.

45 yds, 1/2″ — stage spiking and positioning for a full production.
20 yds stacks — colour coding mics, faders, cases and cabling. Several colours, small quantities.
25 yd black gaff — filming crews carry it precisely because it is short. A camera assistant works out of a pouch all day, and roll weight is a real consideration.
55 yd black gaff — venue and installation work. Some stages run around 30 metres, and a single run should not need a roll change halfway.

Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is spike tape used for?

Spike tape marks positions on a stage — where furniture, rostra and performers need to land, scene after scene. It is a narrow matte or fluorescent cloth tape, usually 1/2 inch wide, with the same clean-removal adhesive system as gaffer tape so it lifts off a stage floor without residue.

Why do spike tapes come in stacks of four or five colours?

Because the job needs several colours in small quantities rather than one colour in bulk. The stacks are used for colour coding — most usefully, taping a microphone and its matching fader on the console in the same fluorescent colour, so the operator in the control room can identify which channel belongs to which performer at a distance and in low light.

What is the difference between spike tape and gaffer tape?

Construction is the same: cotton cloth backing, synthetic rubber adhesive, 45 lbs/in tensile, 11 mils thick, 80 oz/in adhesion to steel. Spike tape is simply supplied in narrow widths and a fluorescent colour range intended for marking and coding rather than holding.

Should I buy 25 yard or 55 yard rolls?

It depends on whether weight or reach matters more. Filming crews often prefer 25 yard rolls because they are carried all day. Venue and installation work usually calls for 55 yards, since a stage can be around 30 metres and a single run should not need a roll change partway.

Need the right tape for your job?

Artstag supplies Pro Tapes products direct across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Tell us the surface, the environment and how long it needs to hold, and we will point you to the right product.

Request a quote · Ask a question · All guides

Spike tape, and what the colour stacks are really for.