Scotch / 3M Blank Cassette Tapes

The Scotch brand is the magnetic tape division of 3M - the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company - and represents the longest continuous history in magnetic recording tape of any brand in the world. In June 1947, 3M's Scotch brand supplied the first commercially produced magnetic audio tape (Sound Recording Tape No. 100, paper-based) to the American market, establishing the foundation of the domestic professional recording industry. Scotch magnetic tape became standard equipment at radio networks and recording studios, used alongside Ampex recorders throughout the golden age of studio recording.

3M's key formulation contribution came in 1971, when the company invented the cobalt-doping technique for ferric oxide - producing the High Energy tape, the world's first cobalt-modified Type I cassette. This development preceded TDK's Avilyn process and established 3M as a formulation innovator, not merely a supplier of standard ferric tape.

The Scotch cassette lineup included the High Energy (Type I cobalt), Master I and Master II series, XS-II high-bias, and the premium Metafine Type IV metal tape. Scotch cassettes were manufactured in the United States at 3M's facilities and are recognizable by the distinctive plaid tartan design - a reference to the Scottish heritage of the Scotch brand name, introduced in 1945.

Note: 3M's cassette tape business was later sold and the Scotch brand in tape products has passed through several owners. The NOS sealed vintage Scotch tapes in our inventory are original 3M production from the brand's peak manufacturing years.