Hang Tabs are usually clear pieces of plastic with a hanging hole at the top and an adhesive section on the bottom. The hanging hole is usually one of four popular shapes; Euro Slot, Delta Slot, Round Hole or a Hook.
Hang Tabs are a quick and efficient way to add a hanging option to products. Products in need of hang tabs include those where a hanging hole is not already in the packaging , where a hanging hole cannot be incorporated into the packaging (a common example might be a box of Condoms) or when the product does have a hanging hole but that hole needs to be repaired or reinforced.
Hang Tabs or self-adhesive hooks are most often supplied in sheet form and in roll form. In the sheet format there may be anywhere from 4 Hang tabs to 20 hang tabs supplied on a sheet of backing paper. Then many sheets are packed into a bag or a box. Sheet form is really the most basic format of hang tabs supply and is often the cheapest format. Hang Tabs are often also supplied in Roll form. The roll format is useful when using a mechanical or electrical applicator in very high volume applications. In any other type of application the roll format sticky hook can be a clumsy format to use in a store or production line; it may be the only format available from some smaller hang tabs suppliers.
A third format of Hang Tabs is the Pad form hang tab. This clever format of Hang Tabs involves a “stack” of 5 to 10 pieces of Hang Tabs one on top of the other. The Top hang tabs is peeled off the stack and applied to the product. The hang Tab below becomes the next Hang Tab to be peeled off and applied; repeated until the bottom/last hang tabs is peeled off a common backing paper. This Pad format hang tab probably inspired the brand name “scotchpad”. Hang Tabs are sometimes referred to as do its associated to the products development by a company called Do-It. There are “Do-its” that are also Pad format.
The pad format allows for easy staff distribution and is a very useful format when shop floor staff needs to repair hanging products or look for innovative ways to lift the visibility of products by taking them to eye level using sticky hooks and perhaps Hang Strips. It is quite possible to comfortably carry 200 hang tabs on your pocket –something not very practical when considering the sheet or the roll form options.
In very high volume Pad Form hang tabs can work out to be the most cost competitive format as the amount of backing paper for the hang tabs is shared by the “Stack”. This can mean a PAD form hang tabs like the scotchpad range can have one piece of backing paper for 10 Hang Tabs. In Sheet format or roll format EVERY hang tab has to have its own area of backing paper. Also the manufacturing process of the Pad format can lead to longer lasting expensive die cutting moulds and this can be passed on to clients.
The pad format hang tabs is usually a “flexible hang tab”. A Flexible hang tabs has a rigid PET hanging hole section and a flexible lower sticky section. It is commonly know that when comparing the same size rigid hang tabs with the flexible hang tabs the maximum holding weights and endurance for holding weights is less for a flexible hang tabs (perhaps 25% less than a rigid hang tab). Making up for this loss in holding power is the Flexible Hang Tabs ability to fold down for packing. For example, a manufacturer adding the option of hanging their product using a flexible Euro Slot hang tab may not need to change their shipping cartons at all – given his products can be have the hang tab fold over the top of the product as it is put into the original shippers used in their packaging operation.