Foil (metal)

{{Short description|Thin sheet of metal}}

File:Aluminio.jpg|alt=Refer to caption]]

A foil is a very thin sheet of metal, typically made by hammering or rolling.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopædia. "foil". Encyclopædia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2008, [https://www.britannica.com/technology/foil-metallurgy. https://www.britannica.com/technology/foil-metallurgy.] Accessed 11 September 2022.{{Cite web |date= |title=METAL FOILS |url=https://www.nanoshel.com/metal-foils |access-date=11 September 2022 |website=Nanoshel}} Foils are most easily made with malleable metal, such as aluminium, copper,{{cite news |title=A shortage of copper foil will drive up prices for the red metal |url=https://metals-news.com/base-metals/a-shortage-of-copper-foil-will-drive-up-prices-for-the-red-metal/}} tin, and gold. Foils usually bend under their own weight and can be torn easily. For example, aluminium foil is usually about {{convert|1/1000|in|mm}}, whereas gold (more malleable than aluminium) can be made into foil only a few atoms thick, called gold leaf. Extremely thin foil is called metal leaf. Leaf tears very easily and must be picked up with special brushes.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}