How Much Should Hockey Tape Overlap on the Blade?

Overlap is how much of each new pass of tape covers the pass before it. It decides how thick your tape job is, how long it lasts and how much of the roll you use. There is no rule about it, so this is all about feel.

What guides recommend

• HockeyMonkey’s taping guide says to overlap each wrap by a little less than half and to keep the spacing consistent.
• GoalieMonkey’s guide says to overlap each wrap and aim for a consistent layer with no bubbles or creases.
• The hockeytape.ca tutorials use about a quarter for a forward, about a third for a goalie and nearly half for a defenceman.

What each amount does

Overlap	Layers on the blade	Feel	Tape used	Wear
Almost none	About one	Most direct	Least	Wears through fastest
About a quarter	Mostly one, thin seams of two	Direct	Low	Moderate
About a third	One to two	Balanced	Medium	Moderate
About half	About two everywhere	Most cushioned	Most	Lasts longest

The layer count follows from the geometry. The feel and wear columns are general expectations, not lab results. At half overlap, every point on the blade sits under two layers of tape. At no overlap, the blade gets one.

You can see the light and heavy versions side by side on the blade styles page.

How overlap changes tape use

More overlap means more passes to cover the same blade. With 1 inch tape on a 12.5 inch blade (the NHL maximum), a one-third overlap takes about 19 passes and a half overlap takes 25. That is roughly a third more tape for the heavier job. The full maths is in how much tape it takes.

Who might want what

These are starting points, not rules:

• Less overlap if you want the most feel for the puck and do not mind retaping more often.
• More overlap if you block shots, take hard passes all game or want the tape job to last longer.
• Somewhere in between if you are not sure. Start at a third and adjust.

How to keep it even

1. Angle the roll slightly toward the end you are moving to. The angle sets the overlap.
2. Keep steady tension. Tape pulled tight lies flat. Slack tape wrinkles and bubbles.
3. Watch the edge, not the roll. Line up each pass against the edge of the last one.
4. Do not stop and restart mid-blade if you can avoid it. A fresh start leaves a lump.

Overlap on the handle

The handle follows different logic. Howies tells you to stretch its grip tape gently as you wrap down until the grip is the thickness you want. On a goalie stick, the hockeytape.ca tutorial overlaps the blocker grip by half so the glove has more to grab. A candy cane knob uses gaps instead of overlap. See the knob styles.

Common mistakes

• Uneven spacing. Wide and narrow gaps on the same blade feel inconsistent.
• Ragged ends. Trim the tape clean at the toe and the bottom edge, and press the edges down.
• Wrapping over old tape. Strip the old job first so the new one lies flat. See removing tape residue.