Are you wondering Why Is Aluminum Foil Called Tin Foil? This article will explain the details about this question and let you know more about these two material for food packaging.
History of Tin Foil
Tin foil was created earlier than aluminium foil and it mainly consisit of tin and aluminum alloy.
Before World War II, aluminum was very costly to make.
Instead, people used tin to make kitchen foil.
Tin is tough against corrosion by water and food and was fairly cheap, so in the 1800s people began using it in the kitchen.
They came up with the idea of "tin cans" that had a steel can covered with tin inside so the steel wouldn't mix with what was inside.
Kitchenware like "muffin tins" and "tin cups" were also made with tin.
History of Aluminium Foil
In 1907, Swiss inventor Schimmel invented the first aluminum foil.
At that time, he hammered aluminum into thin sheets, then stretched the sheets through a roller machine to finally make aluminum foil.
Due to the characteristics of aluminum foil being light, waterproof, and oxygen-isolating, it was soon widely used in food packaging and other fields.
Aluminum foil can effectively prevent oxidation, bacteria and corrosion, which significantly increases the shelf life of food.
In addition, aluminum foil can also prevent fire, keep heat and shield electromagnetic interference.
Why Is Aluminum Foil Called Tin Foil
Although aluminum foil has replaced tin foil, it is still called tinfoil.
This name comes from the habit of people using tinfoil to wrap food in the early days and the appearance of aluminum foil is very similar to tinfoil, so it is easy for people to confuse them.
Just like the refrigerator, some people still called it ice box due to the history and habit.
Difference between tin foil and aluminium foil
There are some difference between tin and aluminum foil as follows.
The density of tin foil is 7.31 g/cm³ while aluminum density is 2.7g/cm³.
The melting point of tin foil is 231.89℃, and the melting point of aluminum foil is 660.4℃.
Tin foil is primarily made of tin, while aluminum foil is primarily made of aluminum
Aluminum foil is lighter, thinner, softer, easier to bend and pack tightly than tin foil, and is also more resistant to moisture, oxidation and pollution than tin foil.
Aluminum foil is widely used in packaging of airline food, meat, cigarettes, and construction field.
Tin foil is often used to wrap food, which can keep food fresh and warm, but it melts easily at high temperatures, so it is not suitable for high-temperature cooking.
Is tin foil better than aluminium foil for the food packaging?
No, tin foil can not bear high temperature in long time and it will be melt if you cook food above 231.89℃.
Instead, it is recommned to use aluminium foil for high temperature baking due to the aluminum has higher temperature resistance.
To sum up, we advise to use aluminum foil for food packaging in various applications.
Actually aluminum foil is more popular these days and there are many aluminium foil suppliers in the market to let you wholesale food aluminum foil at cheap factory price.
