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Why does aluminum foil have one shiny side and one with a matte finish?
(bookofjoe2.blogspot.com)
this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2026
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Fun blog post.
In Australia we call aluminium foil 'alfoil', and have for 40 years or more.
Do other English-speaking countries not?
Here, intellectuals call it aluminum foil. Doofers call it tin foil.
West coast of US.
Well I still think you're a doofus when you say "aluminum" instead of "aluminium"
I've seen something similar in Italian: some call it "carta stagnola" (roughly "little tin paper"), but the default is "foglio di alluminio" (aluminium sheet). Never saw it in Portuguese though, it's always "papel alumínio" (aluminium paper), even for the hats.
‘Alfoil’ is in a similar vein to ‘popper’ and ‘breville’. The names stuck because they’re associated with brands that first brought the things out that we used. That’s why you see all those pop top juices called ‘popper’ and toasted sandwiches sometimes called ‘brevilles’.
Alfoil came from Comalco Alfoil, their brand name for aluminium foil.
Huh, TIL. I've never heard toasties called brevilles before, but now I'll know 👍
Yeah it’s probably a state thing like straz as opposed to devon. But yeah heard it a few times from Queenslanders.
Thanks for the info, I've never heard of Comalco alfoil. Then again I also never hear kids drinks called 'poppers' (just pop-tops) nor toasties 'Brevilles' 🫠
Nope. Aluminum foil or Tinfoil in the US
Aluminium foil in the U.K.