SIC 3497 Metal Foil and Leaf

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3497

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing gold, silver, tin, and other metal foil (including converted metal foil) and leaf. Also included are establishments primarily engaged in converting metal foil (including aluminum) into wrappers, cookware, dinnerware, and containers, except bags and liners. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing plain aluminum foil are classified in SIC 3353: Aluminum Sheet, Plate, and Foil.

NAICS CODE(S)

322225

Laminated Aluminum Foil Manufacturing for Flexible Packaging Uses

332999

All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Aluminum foil, the bulk of which is converted into food containers and packaging for food and other products, was a major component of this industry. About 43 percent of the industry's output consisted of laminated aluminum foil rolls and sheets for flexible packaging uses, especially foil-paper laminate. Another 30 percent of the industry's output consisted of converted, unmounted aluminum foil packaging products. As a consequence, the fortunes of the industry were closely tied to the prosperity of the food packaging industry.

The remaining 27 percent of the industry's output consisted of unconverted metal foil and leaf and converted foil for non-packaging applications, many of which were on the cutting edge of technology, especially in the field of electronics. The industry was thus divided between those facets producing everyday household products, such as aluminum foil popcorn containers, and high technology foils, such as ultra-thin (3 microns) copper foil, to answer industry demands for the miniaturization of electronic components.

Organization and Structure

The largest segment of the metal foil and leaf industry was served by the Aluminum Foil Container Manufacturers Association, headquartered in Savannah, Georgia. This association, founded in 1955, was comprised of 14 member companies. Its journal, Paper, Film and Foil Converter, provided information to producers in the industry.

Firms involved in the production of metal foil and leaf were not generally involved in the production of metals. As Hamilton Bowman wrote in his Handbook of Precision Sheet, Strip and Foil, a foil producer's "operations are generally confined to the cold rolling, heat treating, flattening, slitting, and edge conditioning of coils of...