How Much Tape Does It Take to Tape a Hockey Stick?

No tape maker publishes a “jobs per roll” figure we could verify, so this article does the maths in the open. You can check every step and swap in your own numbers.

The inputs

• Blade size. NHL rules cap a player’s blade at 12.5 in long and 3 in wide (tall). A goalie blade can be up to 15.5 in long and 3.5 in tall, or 4.5 in at the heel. Most blades are smaller than the maximum, especially near the toe, so maximums give you a high estimate.
• Tape per pass. One pass around a 3 in tall blade covers the front, the back and the bottom edge: a little over 6 in of tape. We use 6.5 in.
• Overlap. HockeyMonkey’s guide suggests overlapping each wrap by a little less than half. The hockeytape.ca tutorials range from about a quarter for a forward to nearly half for a defenceman. We show a third and a half.
• Roll length. Howies lists its 1 in black cloth tape at 24 yd (864 in, about 22 m) and a 1.5 in roll at 15 yd (540 in, about 13.7 m).

One player blade, full coverage

With 1 inch tape, each pass moves you along the blade by the part that does not overlap.

Tape and overlap	Moves per pass	Passes for 12.5 in	Tape used
1 in, one-third overlap	2/3 in	about 19	about 124 in (3.1 m)
1 in, half overlap	1/2 in	25	about 163 in (4.1 m)
1.5 in, one-third overlap	1 in	about 13	about 85 in (2.2 m)

Wide tape needs fewer passes, so it uses less length per job. Each pass is the same length either way.

How many blade jobs per roll?

• A 24 yd roll of 1 in tape: about 7 jobs at a one-third overlap, or about 5 at a half overlap.
• A 15 yd roll of 1.5 in tape: about 6 jobs at a one-third overlap.

These counts are for the blade only. A knob takes more, and how much depends entirely on how big you build it. A big goalie knob can use a large share of a roll. If you tape the knob from the same roll, expect fewer blade jobs.

Goalie sticks

Using the NHL maximums of 15.5 in long and 3.5 in tall, one pass is about 7.5 in. With 1 in tape and a one-third overlap, the blade alone takes about 24 passes, or about 180 in (4.6 m). Then you add the paddle, the blocker grip and the knob. That is why the goalie tutorial calls for one to two rolls.

How long does a roll last?

That depends on how often you retape, and players differ widely.

• Sidney Crosby tapes his stick at the same time before every game, CBS Pittsburgh reported.
• Dawson Mercer told NJD.tv in 2022 that he rarely retapes and only starts over if the tape job comes loose.
• HockeyMonkey’s rule of thumb is to retape when a significant part of the blade shows through cut or worn tape.

To estimate your own, divide the jobs per roll by how many times you retape per week. If you get 7 blade jobs from a roll and retape twice a week, one roll lasts about three and a half weeks. If you retape before every game and practice, you will go through rolls much faster. See how often to retape.

Ways to make a roll go further

• Tape only the part of the blade that touches the puck. See full blade vs mid-blade.
• Keep your overlap consistent. Big, uneven overlaps waste tape.
• Wax the tape so it stays dry and lasts longer. See stick wax.
• Store rolls where they will not get crushed, so the edges do not shred.