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Aluminium foil is aluminium prepared in thin metal leafs, with a thickness less than 0.2 mm / 0.008 in, although much thinner gauges down to 0.006 mm are commonly used. Foils are commonly gauged in Mils. The foil is extremely pliable, and can be bent or wrapped around objects with ease. However, thin foils are fragile and easily damaged, and are often laminated to other materials such as plastics or paper to make them more useful. It replaced tin foil in the mid 20th century. Annual production of aluminium foil was approximately 800,000 tonnes in Europe and 600,000 tonnes (1.3 billion lbs) in the USA in 2003. Approximately 75% of aluminium foil is used for packaging of foods, cosmetics, and chemical products, and 25% used for industrial applications (eg. thermal insulation, cables and electronics). In North America, aluminium foil is known as aluminum foil, and sometimes alternatively as al-foil or alu-foil. It is also often called Reynolds wrap after Reynolds Metals, the leading manufacturer in North America. Metallised films are sometimes mistaken for aluminium foil, but are actually polymer films coated with a thin layer of aluminium sheet. |
