8011, 1235 or 3003: which alloy should your foil be?
Three alloys account for almost every roll of foil you will ever buy or sell. They look identical, weigh nearly the same, and behave quite differently in the hand — which is the only place it matters.
8011-O is the default for household and general wrapping foil — soft, strong enough, wraps tightly. 1235-O is the cheaper alternative for very thin gauges and price-driven retail packs. 3003-O is the Al-Mn alloy you specify when the foil has to survive heat, load or repeated handling: oven liners, containers, heavy catering use.
Alloy selection is the first decision in any foil specification and the one buyers most often leave to the supplier. That is a mistake, because the alloy determines the failure mode — whether the roll tears at the fold, sags over a tray, or pits in a humid warehouse.
What the numbers actually mean
| Property | 8011-O | 1235-O | 3003-O |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alloy family | Al-Fe-Si | Commercially pure Al (99.35%) | Al-Mn |
| Tensile strength | ~110–140 MPa | ~90–120 MPa | ~140–180 MPa |
| Elongation | Good | Very good | Moderate |
| Formability | Good | Excellent | Moderate |
| Heat resistance | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| Corrosion resistance | Good | Good | Better |
| Relative cost | Baseline | Slightly lower | Higher |
| Typical use | Household, catering wrap | Thin gauge, promo packs | Oven, containers, heavy duty |
The figures are indicative ranges and move with gauge and temper — a 10 μm 8011 is a different material from a 20 μm 8011. What holds regardless is the ranking: 3003 is the strongest, 1235 is the most formable and cheapest, 8011 sits deliberately in the middle and is there because the middle is where most foil is sold.
8011-O: the default, and why
If you order "aluminium foil" without specifying, you will get 8011. It became the standard because it solves the actual problem of household foil: it must be thin enough to be cheap, strong enough not to tear when pulled across a dispenser edge, and ductile enough to fold and hold.
The iron and silicon additions do the work. They refine the grain, which raises strength without much loss of ductility — the combination that lets a 12 μm sheet survive being wrapped around a sandwich.
Specify 8011 when: household retail rolls, catering wrap, bakery tray covers, general food service. That covers most of what our own plant runs.
1235-O: the commercial choice for thin gauge
1235 is essentially pure aluminium with a tightly controlled iron and silicon ceiling. It is softer, more formable and slightly cheaper, and it is the standard for very thin foil — 9 to 12 μm — where strength matters less than the ability to roll thin without pinholes.
It is also where discount retail lives. A 10 μm promo roll in a shrink pack, sold on price in a West African market, is usually 1235 and usually correct. The customer is buying metres of cover, not a premium kitchen experience.
1235 tears more readily at the dispenser edge and holds a fold less firmly than 8011. In a market where the end user wraps food twice a day for a year, they will notice. In a market where the roll is a promotional item, they will not.
3003-O: when you actually need it
Manganese is the difference. 3003 carries around 1.0–1.5% Mn, which raises strength substantially and improves corrosion resistance. The practical consequences:
- It sags less when heated, so it works as a loose oven liner
- It resists puncturing, which matters for containers and trays
- It survives repeated handling better in a busy kitchen
- It pits less in humid storage and in contact with salty food
It also costs more, and it is stiffer in the hand — which some end users read as "less fresh". That is a real commercial consideration: in retail, 3003 can feel wrong even when it performs better.
Specifying 3003 for household retail foil to "improve quality". It raises cost, stiffens the roll, and does not address the failure the customer actually experiences — which is tearing, and that is a gauge and slitting-quality problem, not an alloy one.
How to tell them apart
You cannot identify alloy by eye. Three practical checks, in increasing order of reliability:
- The fold test. Fold a strip sharply five times. 1235 cracks first, 8011 later, 3003 usually survives longer. Indicative only.
- The hang test. Suspend a fixed length with a fixed weight at 200 °C. 3003 sags measurably less over ten minutes.
- The certificate. The mill test certificate states alloy and mechanical properties. This is the only definitive answer, and the reason to insist on one.
Frequently asked questions
Which alloy is best for household foil?
8011-O for own-brand and premium retail, because it balances strength and formability and is what consumers are used to. 1235-O for discount and promotional packs where price position dominates. Both are correct — for different shelves.
Can 3003 replace 8011 in a catering roll?
It can, and it is worth it where the roll is used for oven lining, grill work or heavy tray covers. For plain wrapping and portioning it adds cost without adding benefit, and the stiffness makes it harder to work one-handed during service.
Does alloy affect the price much?
Less than thickness does, more than width. Moving from 8011 to 3003 typically adds a few percent; moving from 12 μm to 18 μm adds far more, because you are buying 50% more metal. See what moves a foil price.
Sources
- EN 573-3 — Aluminium and aluminium alloys, chemical composition and form of wrought products.
- EN 546-2 — Aluminium foil, mechanical properties.
- Related: Thickness guide.