Not medical advice. This guide is general purchasing information only.
Short answer: Casting tape is sold by width, and the width you buy is the width your clinicians wrap. The three we stock for routine work are 2, 3 and 4 inches — 2 in for small hands, feet and pediatric limbs, 3 in for forearms and lower legs, and 4 in for upper arms, thighs and adult torso-level splinting. The standard length across those widths is 4 yards, so one roll of a wider tape covers more circumference per pass. Exact limb-to-width choices are your clinician's call; this page just keeps the purchasing straight.
The widths we carry
| Width x length | Common use | What we stock in that size |
|---|---|---|
| 2 in x 4 yd | Small extremities: children's arms and legs, hands, feet. | 3M™ Scotchcast™ Plus Purple, 2 in x 4 yd; Delta-Lite® Plus Black, 2 in x 4 yd. |
| 3 in x 4 yd | The workhorse: forearms, wrists, lower legs and ankles. | Scotchcast™ Plus Purple 3 in x 4 yd; Delta-Lite® Plus Red 3 in; Delta-Lite® Conformable Green 3 in. |
| 4 in x 4 yd | Larger segments: upper arms, thighs, and multi-layer reinforcement. | Scotchcast™ Plus White 4 in; Scotchcast™ Plus Purple 4 in; light-blue and green 4-in variants are also listed. |
| Splint rolls (not tape) | Pre-fabricated splints instead of rolled casting. | Ortho-Glass® Splint Roll, White, 2 in x 5 yd; 3M™ Scotchcast™ Quick-Step felt-padded splint, 4 x 30 in. |
The limb-to-width column above is a commonly stated rule of thumb, not a manufacturer specification. Colors (purple, white, green, red, black, light blue) are the manufacturer's own product-line coding, and we do not claim any color is equivalent to another. Buy the line your clinicians name.
What the product copy tells you about the tapes
- 3M™ Scotchcast™ Plus — water-activated resin that lets you control working time, high and early strength with weight bearing in 20 minutes, lightweight, stretches to conform, porous weave. Available widths: 2, 3 and 4 in x 4 yd.
- Delta-Lite® Plus — smooth finish, rigid support, good conformability, high lamination, 3–5 minute set time, weight bearing in 20 minutes; for primary and secondary casting.
- Delta-Lite® Conformable — low tack, so the adhesive does not stick to gloves; superior conformability and three-dimensional stretch; 3 in x 4 yd (also written as 3 x 12 ft).
How to choose the right sizes for your shelf
Count passes, not rolls. A 4-in roll covers a thigh in fewer wraps than a 2-in roll would, so a wide roll doesn't automatically mean fewer applications. If you serve mostly carpal-tunnel and pediatric work, 2 and 3 in will move fastest; a sports-medicine or ER-adjacent clinic will burn through 4 in.
Match the tape width to the stockinette and padding widths. Underlayers one width narrower than the casting tape wrap more cleanly. If you buy 4-in tape, you will also need 4-in padding; if 2-in tape is your volume seller, small-width stockinette has to be on the shelf too.
Set par levels by case mix. Track one week of applications by limb, convert to rolls at your own layer count, then buy to that ratio. A stocking ratio that looks balanced on paper but doesn't match your limb mix creates the same failure either way: a shelf full of the wrong width.
Buy splint rolls only if you use them. A 2 x 5 yd Ortho-Glass® splint roll and a 4 x 30 in prefabricated felt-padded splint solve different tasks; both sit unused in clinics that wrap casts. Check the pack counts for each SKU on its product page before placing standing orders.
What we stock
- 3M™ Scotchcast™ Plus Purple Cast Tape, 2 in x 4 yd
- 3M™ Scotchcast™ Plus Purple Cast Tape, 3 in x 4 yd
- 3M™ Scotchcast™ Plus White Cast Tape, 4 in x 4 yd
- Delta-Lite® Conformable Green Cast Tape, 3 in x 4 yd
- Ortho-Glass® Splint Roll, White, 2 in x 5 yd
- Splints & braces collection
Frequently asked questions
Is 3-inch tape really the most popular width?
For adult forearm and lower-leg work it is the width most clinics center on, because it balances coverage and conformability. But "popular" should come from your own usage counts, not from an article — pull a week of applications before you commit.
Do the different colors mean different strengths?
Performance is described by product line (Scotchcast™ Plus, Delta-Lite® Plus, Delta-Lite® Conformable), not by color alone. Read each product's description and compare lines on their stated features; we do not represent one color or brand as equivalent to another.
What length should I expect on a roll?
Our casting tapes come in 4-yard rolls (some spec lines show 12 ft). Ortho-Glass® splint rolls are 5 yards. For other SKUs, check the length on the product page before ordering cases.
Can the same widths be used for veterinary casting?
Smaller-animal work often uses the narrowest widths, but animal limb geometry is not human sizing. Our veterinary supplies collection is where to start, and the treating clinician sets material choice.
Does the 20-minute weight-bearing figure apply to every tape on this page?
It appears in the Scotchcast™ Plus and Delta-Lite® product descriptions, at the widths shown. It is a manufacturer statement about the material, not guidance for a patient — your clinician sets when anyone bears weight.
Not medical advice. This guide is general purchasing information only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and it does not replace the advice of your doctor, nurse or other qualified clinician or the manufacturer's instructions for use. Always follow their guidance for your situation.
