Guide · glue boards
Glue board sizes & adhesive types how to specify a glue trap, sticky card or fly paper
Every glue product — glue traps, sticky cards, fly paper — comes down to the same handful of choices: size, substrate, glue type, glue amount and finish. This guide explains each one so your RFQ gets an accurate quote from TrapForge the first time.
- Size: think target pest and placement first
- Substrate: paperboard, PP sheet, PET film or molded tray
- Glue: hot-melt vs polybutene, coat weight, tack, scent
- Environment: heat, cold, humidity and UV
Sizes: start from the pest and the placement
There is no single “standard” glue board size — retail ranges cluster around a few familiar footprints, and PCO insert boards are cut to the housing. A practical way to brief size:
- Insect / spider boards — small, low-profile boards or strips that fit along baseboards and under appliances.
- Mouse boards and trays — palm-to-hand-sized boards or trays; folding tunnels around the same footprint.
- Rat boards and trays — larger, with a deeper glue layer and raised edges.
- Scorpion boards — large, flat boards for floors and garages.
- Sticky cards — card sizes for greenhouse and houseplant use; rolls for growers.
- Station inserts — cut to the inside dimensions of the station housing.
Send a drawing, a sample or the target dimensions and we confirm what our tooling supports.
Substrates
- Coated paperboard — the default for boards, fly paper and folding traps; prints well and ships flat.
- Kraft paper — for ribbons and budget formats.
- PP sheet — moisture resistant for damp basements, greenhouses and outdoor use; used for sticky cards.
- PET film — transparent for window fly traps and clear boards.
- Molded PP or pulp trays — for deep-glue rodent trays.
Glue types
Hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesives (typically synthetic rubber based) are the most common glue for traps: they are applied hot, stay tacky at room temperature and do not dry out. Polybutene-based glues are softer and very tacky, often used in thicker layers and for certain insect products. Within each family we specify:
- Coat weight / thickness — light for insects, heavier for rodents.
- Tack and flow — how aggressively the glue grabs and whether it creeps at high temperature.
- Temperature window — glues for hot attics vs cold storage.
- UV stability — for outdoor and greenhouse boards.
- Color and clarity — clear, amber, gray, black or tinted.
- Scent — unscented or a food-grade odor; any attractant is configured to comply with your market’s regulations.
Liners, print and finishing
Glue panels are protected with a silicone release liner or interleaf; folding traps may use a peel-off strip. Print goes on the substrate (logo, grid, date panel, instructions) and on the packaging. Edge-free glue margins make handling cleaner. Finished boards are stacked with liners and shrink-wrapped, then packed per the packaging & MOQ guide.
Glue board RFQ checklist
- Target pest and placement (indoor, attic, cold storage, outdoor, greenhouse).
- Format and size (drawing or sample if fitting a housing or fly light).
- Substrate preference.
- Glue type if known, thickness expectations, scent, color.
- Print content and languages.
- Pack counts, packaging and quantities per SKU.
Glue board specification at a glance
| Choice | Common options | Driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Board, tray, fold / tunnel, card, roll, ribbon | Pest, channel, placement |
| Substrate | Paperboard, kraft, PP sheet, PET film, molded tray | Moisture, transparency, cost |
| Glue family | Hot-melt PSA, polybutene-based | Tack, thickness, temperature |
| Coat weight | Light (insects) → heavy (rodents) | Target pest |
| Finish | Scent, color, UV stability, liner | Environment and brand |
A guide to specifying — not performance data.
No registration, certification or efficacy claimed. We supply trap hardware — trap bodies, glue boards, sticky cards and station housings. We do not claim EPA or state pesticide registration, certifications, test results, efficacy or catch/kill rates, and we do not supply rodenticides. Lures, attractants and baits can be configured to comply with the buyer’s market regulations; registration and labeling obligations stay with the brand owner.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard glue board size?
There isn’t one universal size; retail formats cluster around familiar footprints and professional inserts are cut to the housing. Send your target dimensions or a sample.
Which glue lasts longest?
Longevity depends on glue type, coat weight, dust and temperature. We specify glue for your environment but do not publish lifetime claims.
Are your traps EPA registered, certified or tested for catch rates?
We supply trap hardware — trap bodies, glue boards, sticky cards and station housings. We do not claim EPA or state pesticide registration, certifications, efficacy or catch/kill rates. Where a lure, attractant or bait is part of the finished product, it can be configured to comply with the buyer’s market regulations; registration and labeling obligations for any pesticidal component stay with the brand owner. Test reports can be discussed on request where available — ask on the inquiry form.
Related pages
Have a glue board spec to quote?
Send the checklist items above — we reply with a quotation and sample plan.