Aluminium foil (or
aluminum foil), often referred to with the
misnomer tin foil, is
aluminium prepared in thin
metal leaves with a thickness less than ; thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. In the United States, foils are commonly gauged in thousandths of an inch or
mils. Standard household foil is typically thick, and heavy duty household foil is typically . The
foil is pliable, and can be readily bent or wrapped around objects. Thin foils are fragile and are sometimes
laminated to other materials such as
plastics or
paper to make them more useful. Aluminium foil supplanted
tin foil in the mid 20th century.