0 items - $0.00
No products in the cart.
Aluminium Foil Tape – What Is It Used For
Aluminium foil tape is pure aluminium foil with an adhesive backing. What is foil tape used for? Sealing joins, patching torn foil insulation, and reflecting radiant heat off the parts near it. You will find it in workshops, van builds, sheds and ducting.
This guide covers what it does, which thickness to buy, how to apply it so it stays stuck, and when to step up to a heavier tape. Browse the full heat resistant tape range for the heavier options.
What Is Foil Tape?
It is a thin sheet of pure aluminium with adhesive on one side. There is no fabric, no scrim and no insulating layer. The aluminium does two things: it reflects radiant heat, and it forms a continuous metal skin over a join, which keeps the reflective layer and the moisture barrier intact.
That is the whole product. Everything it is good at and everything it is not comes from those two properties.
What Foil Tape Is Used For
- Sealing joins in foil insulation. Taping every join keeps the reflective layer and the moisture barrier continuous. An untaped join is a hole in both.
- Patching torn foil. A tear in foil bubble insulation or a foil-faced board is a five-minute fix.
- Sealing the cut edges of a heat shield. Every cut edge and join on an adhesive heat shield sheet wants a strip of foil tape over it, so water cannot creep underneath.
- Reflecting heat off intake pipes and small parts. It is not an insulator, but a reflective skin on a pipe near a heat source still helps.
- Van and camper builds. Taping the joins in foil bubble insulation and van liner is most of what foil tape does on a build.
Which Thickness: 0.03mm or 0.07mm?
Kool Wrap standard aluminium foil tape comes in two thicknesses, both 50mm wide, in 10m, 25m and 50m rolls.
| Thickness | Which One | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 0.03mm | The thinner of the two | Foil insulation joins, patching, general sealing |
| 0.07mm | The heavier of the two | Larger patches and joins that get handled |
If you are taping the joins on a van build, the thinner tape is easier to work with around ribs and corners. If you are patching something larger, take the heavier one.
How to Use Foil Tape
- Clean the surface. Foil tape bonds to clean, dry metal or foil. Dust, oil and moisture are why it lifts.
- Cut the length you need before you peel the liner. Foil tape grabs on contact and does not reposition cleanly.
- Peel back a short section of the liner rather than the whole strip.
- Lay the first edge down, then work along, peeling as you go and smoothing the tape ahead of the liner so the air is pushed out.
- Press the whole strip down firmly and rub it flat with a cloth or a roller. Pay attention to the edges, because edges are where lifting starts.
- Overlap each strip where you are running several in a row, so the metal skin stays continuous.
When Foil Tape Is Not Enough
Foil tape reflects. It does not insulate. If the part you are protecting is still getting hot through the tape, the tape is not the problem, the product choice is.
- For hoses, wiring looms and intake pipes near heat, step up to reinforced foil tape, which laminates the foil to fibreglass at 0.2mm and is rated up to 600°C.
- For airboxes, intake tubing, fuel lines and firewall patches, step up to fibreglass-backed aluminium tape at 1.2mm, which withstands up to 454°C radiant heat and reflects 95% of radiant heat.
- For the thickest version of that tape, see the extra-thick silver aluminium tape.
- For the exhaust pipe itself, no tape is the right answer. Use exhaust heat wrap.
- For a whole panel, use an adhesive heat shield sheet and seal its edges with foil tape.
Our guide to choosing heat resistant tape for cars compares all three tapes side by side.
Foil Tape FAQs
What Is Foil Tape Used For?
Sealing joins in foil insulation and ducting, patching torn foil, sealing the cut edges of heat shield sheets, and reflecting radiant heat off nearby parts. It is a sealing and reflecting product rather than an insulating one.
What Is Foil Tape?
A thin sheet of pure aluminium with adhesive on one side, with no fabric or insulating layer behind it. Kool Wrap sells it in 0.03mm and 0.07mm, 50mm wide, in 10m, 25m and 50m rolls.
How Do You Use Foil Tape?
Clean and dry the surface, cut the length before peeling the liner, then lay one edge down and work along, peeling as you go and smoothing ahead of the liner. Press the whole strip flat, roll the edges, and overlap each strip so the metal skin stays continuous.
Can You Use Foil Tape on a Stove Pipe?
No. Foil tape is for sealing joins and reflecting heat, not for direct contact with something that gets very hot. Kool Wrap does not publish a temperature rating for the standard foil tape, and none of our tapes are made for direct contact with a flue or stove pipe. Follow the appliance maker’s instructions and use the sealant or collar they specify. If what you are protecting is a surface near the flue rather than the flue itself, call us on 1300 44 33 34 and we will tell you what suits.
Can You Use Foil Tape on a Dryer Vent?
Foil tape is commonly used to seal joints in metal duct, and it holds on longer than a cloth-backed tape does. Kool Wrap sells it for sealing foil insulation joins and repairs rather than as an appliance part, so check your appliance instructions for the duct type you have. Clean the duct, cut the strip to length, and press it firmly over the joint with the edges rolled down.
Where Can You Buy Foil Tape in Australia?
Kool Wrap ships aluminium foil tape Australia-wide. Order from the aluminium foil tape range or call 1300 44 33 34.
Need Help Choosing?
Not sure whether plain foil tape is enough for your job? Tell Kool Wrap what you are sealing and how hot it gets. Call 1300 44 33 34, or compare every roll in the heat resistant tape range.
