Detectable tape is a conductive tape typically applied over buried utilities made of non-conductive materials such as plastic, fiberglass, or cement. It is used because most utility location methods work best on conductive objects, and hence may easily miss structures made of non-conductive materials.
The tape also serves as a physical warning. If uncovered during digging, it alerts the user to an underground object that might be damaged by further excavation. To aid in this, it is typically colored to reflect the nature of the buried object that it is protecting.
