When sheet in coil form is rolled down to below 200 microns, it is called foil. Foils can be as thin as five microns but normally bulk usage is seven microns upwards.

The thicker gauges (100 microns upwards) are used in industries like cable wrap, pilfer-proof bottle caps, tagger and finstock. The medium gauge is mainly used by the pharmaceutical industry and thinner gauge is used for lamination purposes with paper, polythene or any other substrate. Kitchen foil and semi-rigid containers are normally used for food packaging.

An aluminium foil plant for producing different categories of foils, including house foils, and also an aluminium alloy wheels plant has been set up at Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. This has helped the Company to optimise capacity and enhance the share of value-added semi-fabricated products.

The 5,000 mtpa foil plant at Silvassa operates well above its capacity and is a significant step in ensuring increased value addition through forward integration. The 300,000 wheels per annum alloy wheel plant is progressively increasing production.

The unit at Kalwa, Maharashtra, has a 6,000 tpa capacity for foil rolling and converting and is equipped with the latest micro-processor based gauge control system, multi-colour printing, coater-cum-laminator, twin-head poly extruder and electronic engraver. Its foil and foil laminates serve a host of applications in the pharmaceuticals, processed foods, cigarette and dentrifice industries.

The 3,000 tpa foil plant located at Kollur, Andhra Pradesh, has one of the country's best universal rolling mills with specialised skill in the production of ultra light gauge foil.

As a market builder in this segment, Hindalco has in the recent years launched the kitchen foil brands 'Freshwrapp' and 'Freshpakk' (semi-rigid containers).