Rubber band Rubber band A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845, by Stephen Perry. Most rubber bands are manufactured out of natural rubber or, especially at larger sizes, elastomer, and are sold in a variety of sizes. Rubber bands are made by extruding the rubber into a long tube to provide its general shape, putting the tubes on mandrels, curing the rubber with heat, and then slicing it
Royal Mail rubber band that it used the following numbers of rubber bands in each of the three years from 2005/6 to 2007/8: According to the "Daily Record", costs for rubber bands in the 2007–08 period were £982,677. Figures obtained by "The Daily Telegraph" showed that between 2007 and 2011, spending on rubber bands increased by 40%. In 2009–2010, the numbers used equated to one rubber band being used for every 28 letters that the Royal Mail delivered. Complaint and comment on the theme of discarded rubber bands is a recurring focus of media interest. A "Times" story in 2006—"Posties' red rubber bands stretch