In the pursuit of efficient thermal insulation material selection, aluminum foil thermal insulation cotton and tin foil thermal insulation cotton often appear in people’s field of vision. Many people may be confused about these two seemingly similar materials. What is the difference between them?
Material nature: From the name, aluminum foil thermal insulation cotton is made of aluminum foil as the main thermal insulation reflective layer and composited with thermal insulation cotton. Aluminum foil is a thin sheet made of aluminum with good ductility and thermal conductivity. Tin foil thermal insulation cotton is a composite of tin foil and thermal insulation cotton. However, in the actual market, “tin foil” is actually aluminum foil in most cases, because the cost of metal tin is higher and the ductility is not as good as aluminum, so the real tin foil thermal insulation cotton is relatively rare.
Performance characteristics: In terms of thermal insulation performance, both rely mainly on reflecting heat to achieve thermal insulation. The aluminum foil in aluminum foil thermal insulation cotton can effectively reflect infrared rays and prevent heat transfer, and its reflectivity can usually reach more than 90%. Although nominal tin foil also has good reflective properties, if it is real tin foil, its thermal conductivity is slightly lower than that of aluminum. While reflecting heat, it absorbs heat and transfers it relatively slowly. However, since most of the so-called “tin foil” on the market is actually aluminum foil, there is not much difference between the two in terms of actual thermal insulation performance. In terms of durability, aluminum foil is relatively more corrosion-resistant, not easily oxidized in the air, and can maintain good thermal insulation performance for a long time. Tin may be more prone to chemical reactions in certain environments, affecting its service life. But if it is the common “tin foil” that uses aluminum instead of tin, the difference in this regard is not obvious.
Application scenarios: Aluminum foil insulation cotton is widely used. In the construction field, it is often used for insulation of roofs, exterior walls and other parts, which can effectively reduce indoor temperature and reduce air conditioning energy consumption. In the automotive industry, it can be used for engine compartment insulation to protect surrounding components from high temperatures. Aluminum foil insulation cotton is also often used in the thermal insulation protection of some industrial equipment. Since most of the “tin foil insulation cotton” on the market is made of aluminum foil, its application scenarios are basically the same as those of aluminum foil insulation cotton. However, if it is real tin foil insulation cotton, due to its high cost, it may be used in some special fields that require extremely high insulation and material stability, such as thermal insulation shielding of high-end electronic equipment.
Price cost: Since the price of metal tin is much higher than that of aluminum, if it is really tin foil insulation cotton, its cost will be much higher than that of aluminum foil insulation cotton. However, among common market products, since most of them are aluminum foil pretending to be “tin foil”, the price difference mainly depends on factors such as the material, thickness and production process of the insulation cotton, and is not dominated by the material difference between aluminum and tin.
