MonoKote is commercially available light weight plastic shrink wrap film available in various color schemes with an adhesive on one side, used to cover and form the surfaces of a model aircraft

Model aircraft

Model aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...

. The material is cut to size and applied to the airframe surfaces using a hobby iron or heat gun. TopFlite Monokote covering film is made by General Formulations in Sparta MI 49345 and is exclusively sold and/or distributed by Hobbico Inc 2904 Research Road, Champaign, IL 61822 and their subsidiaries.

The name MonoKote, a registered trademark of golfball manufacturer Top Flite, alludes to monocoque

Monocoque

Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...

, a type of stressed skin airframe construction. The patent for Top Flite Monokote is held by Sidney Axlerod

Monokote is also a type of fireproofing

Fireproofing

Fireproofing, a passive fire protection measure, refers to the act of making materials or structures more resistant to fire, or to those materials themselves, or the act of applying such materials. Applying a certification listed fireproofing system to certain structures allows these to have a...

 material, which is gypsum

Gypsum

Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...

-based and is spray-applied.