China and Germany ranked first and second, respectively, among the world’s largest exporters of aluminum foil in 2021.
Fairly, both countries comprised 49.4% of global exports of these products: China with 39.6% and Germany with 9.8%, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) data.
The product in question is unsupported, since it does not include other materials attached to it, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, adhesives or glues; and it is simply laminated because it does not undergo any type of process in addition to lamination, such as printing or any mechanical work, for example, painting.
It also serves as an input in the manufacture of a variety of products, such as aluminum foil for use in cooking, cosmetics, flexible packaging (food, beverages, cigarettes and medicines), for use in household adiabatic materials (preventing heat transfer), as well as in decoration, stationery printing and light industrial products.
Exporters of aluminum foil
While the main inputs for its production are aluminum, internal alloy scrap, electricity and gas, the production process basically consists of the following stages: aluminum smelting and refining, casting and rolling.
Other outstanding aluminum sheet exporters in 2021 are: Turkey ($417 million), the United States ($365 million), South Korea ($353 million), Italy ($317 million), Greece ($305 million), Japan ($208 million), Belgium ($180 million) and Luxembourg ($138 million).
The generic, commercial and/or technical name by which the product is known is aluminum foil, foil, industrial aluminum foil, food aluminum foil, packaging aluminum foil, household aluminum foil, natural foil and aluminum foil.
In terms of composition, the product is made from aluminum alloys containing more than 92% aluminum, commonly using alloys of the 1000 (99% or more aluminum by weight), 3000 (the main metal in the alloy is manganese) and 8000 series (includes metals such as nickel and tin).
These alloys do not have a significant cost impact and only impact the hardness and other mechanical properties of the product.
The main importers of aluminum foil in 2021 are: United States, Italy, Germany, Thailand and Mexico.
