Aluminum foil, also known as aluminium foil in British English, is a thin sheet of metal made from aluminum.

Aluminum foil is extremely thin, usually ranging from 0.005 mm to 0.2 mm in thickness. It is highly pliable and can be easily bent, folded, or wrapped around objects, making it suitable for various packaging and shaping needs.

Aluminum is a lightweight metal, and رقائق الألومنيوم inherits this property, adding minimal weight to the items it is used with, which is beneficial for transportation and handling.

Pure aluminum is non-toxic, making aluminum foil safe for direct contact with food and other items. It does not leach harmful substances into the contents it wraps or stores.

Recently, the Indian government has taken a bold step by implementing five-year anti-dumping duties on aluminium foil from Russia, China and Taiwan. The duties are imposed under the finding of unfair trade practices that are poised to hurt the domestic industries, following the Indian aluminium extrusion industry’s demand to implement safeguard measures to protect the underutilised domestic units from potential overdumping by Free Trade Agreement countries. With the anti-dumping duties for the next five years, where is the Indian aluminium foil industry heading?

Back in March 2024, India launched a probe into aluminium foil imports from China to safeguard the interest of the domestic industries. This was initiated in response to the complaint filed by key domestic players like Hindalco, Shyam Sel & Power Ltd. and others. 

Fast-forward to March 2025, the Indian government imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on the aluminium foil imports from China ranging between USD 619 and USD 873 per tonne. The provisional anti-dumping duties were imposed after the probe was concluded, resulting in the influx of low-priced Chinese aluminium foil inflicting material injury on India’s domestic producers. 

At present, the action to implement definitive anti-dumping duties on aluminium foil for the next five years has stemmed from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies’ investigation unveiling Russia, China and Taiwan’s engagement in unfair trade practices by selling aluminium foil at lower prices, damaging the homegrown industries. 

The duty, set between USD 479 and USD 721 per tonne, applies to products across multiple tariff categories, excluding certain technical grades like capacitor and insulation foils.

Aluminium foil market in Asia Pacific region, including India 

According to AL Circle’s report “Aluminium Foil and its End Uses – Current Trends and Forecast till 2028”, the Asia Pacific region is expected to account for 15 per cent of the world’s total aluminium foil usage by 2028, which in 2023 was 14 per cent.  Previously trailing Europe by 2 percentage points in usage share, Asia-Pacific is now expected to catch up and reach parity with the region.

The demand for foil in Asia Pacific, encompassing Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia, is expected to grow at an average of around 4 per cent per annum during the next five years. Particularly, in India, the demand is projected to grow at about 5.9 per cent during the period.

India’s foil imports

China is the major producer and exporter of aluminium foil to the world, including India. Although the country’s export volumes have decreased since the early 2000s yet continues to top the list of leading exporters. In 2022, China exported 1.46 million tonnes of aluminium foil to countries across the world, recording an increase at a CAGR of about 8.4 per cent during the last 10 years. The major importers were Thailand, India, Indonesia, UAE, South Korea, Mexico, USA, and Saudi Arabia.They together accounted for 49 per cent of the total Chinese foil exports.

India alone accounted for 8 per cent of the Chinese exports, compared to 6 per cent by Indonesia and UAE each or 5 per cent by South Korea, Mexico, and USA each. Two years later in 2024, China’s foil exports grew to 1.56 million tonnes,with India’s share increasing to 10 per cent, said the BofA analysts, citing Shanghai Metal Market data. This surge was more than domestic anticipation. In the first eleven months of 2024, India imported 140,234 tonnes from China, marking a 15.64 per cent increase compared to the same period in the previous year. 

Future plan: India’s aluminium foil production 

• Hindalco, a leading Indian aluminium manufacturer, will end the in-house production of aluminium battery foil by the end of October 2025, aiming to reduce import dependency 
• Inauguration of a new aluminium foil plant by SRP Limited in Jetapur, Madhya Pradesh, featuring state-of-the-art European machinery and ancillaries with precise process control

India’s foil usage 

In 2022, India’s total foil usage stood at 285,000 tonnes, which in 2023, grew to 300,000 tonnes. India’s aluminium foil consumption is anticipated to reach 400,000 tonnes by 2028 with a CAGR of 5.9 per cent. Major sectors driving the surge in demand include food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, SRC, household foil and others.