Aluminum Foil Wrap Background
Almost all US foil manufacturers run their aluminum foil rolls with aluminum alloy #8011. The process starts out with a massive, flat aluminum alloy slab which is progressively cut thinner and thinner until it forms the jumbo rolls from which the smaller food service rolls are cut. There are essentially two categories of foil thickness; standard duty and heavy duty, the latter being more sturdy because it came from a thicker roll of foil, therefore making it significantly more expensive. The quality of foil wrap is primarily determined by its thickness or heaviness, which can accurately be measured by its “gauge”. The metric term for this is “micron thickness”.
Aluminum Foil Thickness and Gauge
Standard (SD): In the US, a true standard foil will be 0.00065 gauge. Rounded up, this is commonly known in the industry as 0.0007 gauge foil. This standard foil gauge translates to at least 16 microns in thickness and is the most widely used gauge of commercial foil wrap today. An economy gauge foil is only 0.00055 gauge or 14 microns.
Heavy Duty (HD): A true heavy duty foil wrap measures in at 0.00087 gauge, commonly rounded up to 0.001 gauge, equivalent to 23.5 microns. 0.001 is most widely used heavy duty gauge within the food service industry. An economy gauge heavy duty foil is only 0.00082 gauge or approximately 20 microns thick.
Extra Heavy Duty (XHD): There isn’t a stronger foil commercially available than this, however it is possible some manufacturers can custom make a thicker foil but it would cost exceptionally high. Extra heavy duty foil comes in at 0.0015 gauge or 35 microns in thickness.
Which Aluminum Foil Roll Should I Buy?
Most US foil manufacturers make a premium brand foil as well as an economy “cheater gauge” version of the same foil. The economy version is for distributors who’d like to reduce costs and pass on those savings to you, but remember you get what you pay for. Unless you’re on a tight budget, it’s wise to avoid the economy brands. There are several reasons for this, the first being that they’re simply not as good as the premium brand version. For example, it might not sound like a big difference between 0.00065 gauge 0.00055 gauge in the standard gauge versions, but you will immediately notice how much thinner the economy brand is in comparison to the premium brand. Economy foil will rip and tear much more easily, and not dispense as smoothly. Will it usually get the job done? Yes, but not always. Is it worth the extra hassle and occasional aggravation? Probably not. Therefore, stick with the good stuff!
For wrapping small food items such as tacos, sandwiches, potatoes, etc… standard aluminum foil is all you need. It isn’t necessary to spend the extra money on heavy duty foil. Standard foil will also work well to cover small containers and cups. However, there are some jobs that heavy duty will work best for. For wrapping large trays, pans, and large food items, then its best to go with a heavy duty foil wrap that’s at least 18 inches long. If you’re using aluminum foil as an oven liner or burner bib, then use heavy duty. Covering your back-splash or grill areas? HD foil. Wrap to cover food in oven/broiler? HD foil. As you can see, heavy duty foil is much more versatile in your kitchen than standard, but try using it only where standard foil isn’t adequate for the job. For that reason, many restaurants stock both standard and heavy duty foil in their kitchens. Extra heavy duty foil is usually used on outdoor grills when food such as ribs or brisket is being slow smoked or grilled. The reason for this is that the thinner it is, aluminum foil will eventually lose its integrity when exposed to intense heat such as an outdoor barbecue grill or smoker. Standard foil will start browning (due to oxidization) and crumble rather quickly. HD foil will hold up much better on the grill or in the smoker, but Extra-Heavy foil will last for hours before it gives way.
Common Size Foil Rolls on the Market
12″ Rolls
18″ Rolls
24″ rolls
Uncommon Size Rolls
Which Foil Brand is the Best?
During numerous tests and via customer feedback, we found that all of the foil manufacturers listed below make a great premium brand foil wrap. However, the foil itself is only one aspect in determining quality, the second is the quality of the packaging. Packaging is critical. Commercial food service foil will not hold up in your ordinary supermarket type of dispenser box. They are housed in bigger, stronger corrugated cutterboxes and dispensed off of hard plastic rollers. The sturdier the box, the longer it will last in your restaurant kitchen. If a cutterbox isn’t made strong enough, it will rapidly weaken and fall apart in harsh kitchen environments due to grease, moisture, heat, and by wear and tear. However, 2 brands stood out from the pack both in terms of quality of foil and superb overall packaging. Durable and Wilkinson brands make excellent reinforced corrugated cutterboxes, which do not easily dent or bend, or fall apart, thereby allowing for continuous easy foil dispensing. Surprisingly, Reynolds was at the bottom of the pack. While they make the great supermarket brand in Reynolds Wrap, Reynolds food service cutterboxes ranked dead last in our testing as they seem to be on the flimsy side. Pactiv would be our third choice, followed by HFA and Western Plastics.
Manufacturer Product Reference Guide
Item Description………………..Durable…………..Pactiv………….Wilkinson…………Reynolds………..HFA……………Western
12″ x 500′ Standard………………61205………………W11……………125S…………………………………….51205……………..225
12″ x 500′ Heavy Duty……………91205………………W26……………125HD………………..620…………….51208……………..226
12″ x 1000′ Standard…………….61210………………W12…………….121S………………….611…………….11205……………..221
15″ x 1000′ Standard…………….61510………………W14………………………………………613……………11505……………..251
18″ x 500′ Standard………………61805………………W18…………….185S………………….614……………51805……………..285
18″ x 500′ Heavy Duty……………91805………………W28…………….185HD………………..624……………51808……………..286
18″ x 1000′ Standard…………….61810………………W17…………….181S………………….615…………….11805……………..281
18″ x 1000′ Heavy Duty………….91810………………W23…………….181HD………………..625……………11808……………..282
24″ x 500′ Heavy Duty……………92405………………W35……………………………………..627……………52408……………..246
24″ x 1000′ Heavy Duty………….92410………………W25……………………………………..633…………….12408……………..242
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