Four materials get called “metallic paper”. They are made in four different ways, they deliver four different levels of barrier, and they are not interchangeable in a specification. Most supplier comparisons never separate them — which is why so many first quotations turn out to be for the wrong material.
This page separates them, then sets out what to compare on a quotation, with published figures from actual suppliers so you can see what a complete specification looks like. Every figure is sourced from the supplier’s own published material. Where a supplier does not publish a number, the table says so.
Who this guide is for
This guide is written for buyers of finished, converted material — brand owners, packaging buyers and label buyers who need the material printed, laminated, embossed and slit to a width their line can actually run.
If you are a printer or converter looking to buy unprinted base stock in jumbo reels, you need a mill, not a converter. The two are mixed up constantly, and it is the single most common cause of a wasted enquiry. Every supplier below is identified as one or the other, so you can tell which is which before you write to anyone.
To be explicit about where we sit: kayupackaging is a converter. We buy base material and finish it. We do not sell unprinted base stock. If that is what you need, tell us and we will point you to a mill rather than quote you for something we do not make.
The four material families — and what each is actually for
1. Direct (vacuum) metallized paper.
Aluminium is evaporated directly onto a coated paper surface in a vacuum chamber. A thin base varnish seals the paper pores first, and a post-coating adds abrasion resistance and a printable face. The metal layer is measured in nanometres — around 30 nm in one published example. The result is a bright metallic surface with light barrier and partial moisture resistance, at the lowest material cost of the four. It is the family to specify when the metallic appearance is the main requirement and full barrier is not.
2. Transfer metallized paper.
A PET carrier film is metallized first; the metal layer is then transferred onto the paper with adhesive and the carrier film is removed and not left in the finished material. Because the carrier does the optical work, transfer metallizing produces a smoother, more mirror-like surface than direct metallizing — and because no film remains, the finished sheet can still qualify as a mono-material for recycling. It can be applied to coated, uncoated and recycled papers, and to board. This is generally the family to specify for premium cartons and labels where both appearance and recyclability are specified.
3. Aluminium foil laminate.
An actual aluminium foil — typically 6 to 9 µm thick, roughly 200 times thicker than a metallized layer — is laminated to paper, usually in a multi-ply structure with PE or a heat-seal layer. This is the only family of the four that delivers a genuine barrier layer, and it is the one to specify where moisture or aroma retention is a performance requirement rather than a cosmetic effect. It costs the most and is the least recyclable, because the structure is a composite by design.
4. Film-covered metallized paper.
Metallized PET or BOPP film is laminated onto paper or board. It gives a very high gloss and a wide colour range, but the film stays in the finished material, so the sheet is not recyclable as paper. Best used where gloss and colour range outweigh the end-of-life requirement.
The single most common sourcing error is specifying a metallized paper where the pack has a real barrier requirement, or paying foil-laminate prices where only appearance was ever needed. Deciding the family first removes most of the cost risk before any supplier is contacted.
Mills vs converters — know which one you are buying from
This distinction causes more quotation confusion than any technical parameter, and it is rarely explained.
A mill makes the base metallized paper or board. It sells the material as it comes off the metallizer: unprinted, unslit to your width, in jumbo reels. Its customers are printers and converters. If you are a printer buying substrate to print in-house, you want a mill.
A converter buys the base material and finishes it. It prints (gravure, flexo, offset, digital), laminates, coats, embosses, slits to your roll width, and re-winds to your core and roll length. Its customers are brand owners, packaging buyers and label buyers — and sometimes printers who need overflow capacity. If you need printed, embossed and slit-to-width material delivered ready for your line, you want a converter.
The failure mode: a buyer requests “metallized paper” from a mill, receives an unprinted jumbo reel, and then discovers the roll will not fit the press without slitting, whereupon a second supplier has to be found. Or the reverse: a buyer asks a converter for a base-paper price and compares it against a mill’s price for unprinted material, and concludes the converter is expensive. Two different products are being priced.
Practical rule: decide which one you are before you send the enquiry, and state it in the first email. Both types of supplier look identical in a search result.
The eight lines to compare on a quotation
1. Material family and structure. Which of the four families, and how many plies. Ask for the structure written out (e.g. paper / PE / foil / PE), not just a trade name.
2. Barrier layer. Either a foil gauge in µm, or a metallized layer in nm. A quotation that says “metallic layer” without a figure has not specified anything.
3. Base paper grammage and grade. Grammage drives stiffness and print behaviour. Grade matters just as much: LWC, C1S, FBB, wet-strength, virgin or recycled. Wet-strength grades exist specifically for labels that spend time in ice or condensation.
4. Surface finish and optical effect. Silver, gold, holographic or diffraction; brushed, linen, pinhead or high shine; matte versus gloss; single or two-sided coating. Ask for the gloss value at 45°, and whether embossed and plain surfaces carry different specifications — they usually do.
5. Print method compatibility. Offset, flexo, rotogravure, letterpress and digital do not all run the same substrate. Confirm the methods the supplier has actually qualified the material on, and ask about ink adhesion.
6. Converting performance. Lay-flat and curl, moisture stability, creasing and die-cutting, gluing, embossing and twisting. This is where a paper that passes on the test bench fails on the press — and it is the factor least often published.
7. Recycling and food-contact compliance. For a mono-material claim, confirm no carrier film or laminating film remains in the finished sheet. For food contact, ask which regulatory framework was used and whether the supplier holds third-party certification. RoHS and REACH statements are also worth requesting in writing.
8. Supply format and commercial terms. Roll width, core diameter, outside diameter, roll length, sheet size; MOQ by SKU; lead time; and what is retained after approval to hold repeat orders to the same specification.
Published specifications, compared
Compiled from suppliers’ own published product information, October 2026. Where a field reads not published, the supplier does not state that figure publicly.
Metallized paper and board producers (mill level)
| Supplier | Base | Published material families | Published grammage | Published width / format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissha Metallizing Solutions | Belgium (Genk); plants in Italy, Germany, USA and Brazil | Metallized paper for packaging and labelling; printed metallized paper | 40–70 gsm | Rolls and sheets | States approximately 300 printing companies and converters served across 80 countries; custom finishes including brushed, linen, pinhead and shine; holographic; two-sided coating; gravure; aluminium layer published as approximately 30 nm; presented as recyclable |
| Amsterdam Metallized Products (“Valvac”) | Netherlands (Amsterdam) | Transfer metallized paper, board and film; laminates | Base materials from 30 gsm paper to 700 gsm board | Reels and sheets | States no PET remains in the finished material, qualifying it as mono-material; silver, gold and holographic finishes; FSC and PEFC substrates available; states ISGA approval for direct food contact; also laminates 6–12 µm ultra-thin aluminium foil; 60 employees |
| Shanghai Ruitu New Materials | China (Shanghai) | Metallized paper and board; film-covered metallized paper and board; holographic; 3D nano-optical | 87–357 gsm (film-covered constructions 120–375 gsm) | Sheet or roll; width up to 1,030 mm; OD 1,000 / 1,500 / 1,800 mm; cores 3", 6", 12" | ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018; RoHS and REACH; base papers from IP Sun, APP and Asia Symbol; rotogravure, offset, flexo and UV; states 100,000 t/year capacity |
| Weifang Meijia Package | China (Shandong) | Direct vacuum metallized paper; transfer metallized paper and board; holographic; film and foil laminated paper and board | 68–73 gsm standard | Roll; 270 mm published width | Publishes a complete test table — grammage, gloss at 45°, tensile MD/TD, wet strength, COBB, aluminium firmness, adhesion grade; ISO 9001 and ISO 14000; SGS; TÜV Rheinland audited; states 20,000+ t/year |
| Spick Global | India (Faridabad) | Metallized paper and board; holographic metallized paper | 40–350 gsm | Jumbo rolls and sheets; width 100–1,650 mm | States 0% plastic content, 100% recyclable and compostable; offset, flexo, rotogravure, letterpress and digital; MOQ 1 tonne |
| Kuwer Industries | India (Noida) | Transfer metallized paper; vacuum metallized paper; wet-strength metallized paper; gold metallized paper | 50–250 gsm; wet-strength grades under 80 gsm | Roll; width up to 1,250 mm; 610 mm published standard | Chromo and wet-strength base papers; rotogravure, offset and flexo; MOQ 500 kg |
Converters and laminate suppliers
| Supplier | Base | Published material families | Published foil gauge | Published width / format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianhong New Material | China (Anhui, Shandong) | Aluminium foil laminated paper; PE-coated paper; multi-ply laminates | Aluminium 18 g ≈ 7 µm | Roll; width 30–1,700 mm; core 76 mm | Paper 30–85 gsm; four-layer constructions published at 73, 103, 106, 110 and 125 gsm; ISO 9001 and ISO 13485; MOQ 500 kg |
| Qingdao Glory Packaging | China (Qingdao) | Aluminium foil laminated paper; 2-, 3- and 4-ply laminates | Foil 6.5–7 µm | Roll; width 30–1,100 mm; core 76 / 152 mm | Paper 30–180 gsm; PE 10–25 gsm; flexo printing up to 6 colours; states 1,500 t/month; MOQ 500 kg; ISO, QS and SGS |
| kayupackaging | China | Printed, laminated and slit metallized and foil laminates; converted barrier laminates; roll labels — converted material only, no unprinted base stock | On specification | Reel, slit to customer width; core diameter on specification | Specification agreed in writing before production and retained against repeat orders; specimen data available on request, including gloss, lay-flat and curl, ink adhesion and residual solvent reporting |
The suppliers, one by one
Nissha Metallizing Solutions (Belgium; plants in Italy, Germany, USA, Brazil).
Nissha is the largest metallized paper producer in this comparison, headquartered in Genk, Belgium, with the business tracing back to 1984. Its published product outline describes metallized paper for packaging and labelling of beverages, foods and daily necessities, and it states that it supplies approximately 300 printing companies and converters across 80 countries. The published weight range is 40–70 gsm, with custom finishes including brushed, linen, pinhead and shine, plus holographic options and two-sided coating. The metallized aluminium layer is published as approximately 30 nanometres, which is the figure to hold against a foil laminate when you are comparing barrier claims. Gravure is the stated print method, and the material is presented as a recyclable alternative to film and foil. Its size makes it the natural comparator for any premium-label or carton project.
Amsterdam Metallized Products — “Valvac” (Netherlands).
A specialist transfer-metallizing house of around 60 employees based in Amsterdam. Where most suppliers in this list publish a grammage band, Amsterdam Metallized publishes a very wide substrate envelope — base materials from 30 gsm paper to 700 gsm board — and supplies in reels and sheets. Its stated technical position is that no PET carrier film remains in the finished material, so it qualifies as mono-material and is completely recyclable; that claim is the main reason to shortlist it. Finishes are silver, gold and holographic or diffraction patterns, printable by offset-litho, letterpress, flexographic, screenprint, gravure and digital. It also states ISGA approval for direct food contact, FSC and PEFC substrate availability, and — worth noting for barrier work — that it laminates 6–12 µm ultra-thin aluminium foil to paper and board. For uncoated or recycled substrate requirements it publishes more flexibility than any other entry here.
Shanghai Ruitu New Materials (China).
Ruitu covers both direct and film-covered metallized paper, plus holographic and 3D nano-optical effects, across a wide 87–357 gsm band. It publishes a fuller compliance set than most Chinese suppliers in this category — ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, plus RoHS and REACH. Base papers are sourced from IP Sun, APP and Asia Symbol, and it supports rotogravure, offset, flexo and UV printing. Roll geometry is published in usable detail: width up to 1,030 mm, outside diameters of 1,000, 1,500 and 1,800 mm, and 3", 6" or 12" cores — enough to check against your own unwinder before enquiring. It states 100,000 t/year capacity, which is large for a converter-led operation.
Weifang Meijia Package (China).
Meijia’s distinguishing feature is disclosure: it publishes a complete material test table covering grammage, gloss at 45°, tensile strength in both directions, wet strength, COBB, aluminium firmness and adhesion grade — the level of detail that lets a buyer compare against a specification without asking for a data sheet. Standard published grammage is 68–73 gsm on a 270 mm width, on wet-strength and C1S base papers, with silver, gold and laser finishes. Production is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14000, SGS and TÜV Rheinland audit references are given, and capacity is stated at over 20,000 t/year. Note the narrow 270 mm published width: this is a label-stock specialist rather than a wide-web board supplier.
Spick Global (India).
Spick publishes a 40–350 gsm range, which spans from label stock right up through board, on widths from 100 mm to 1,650 mm in both jumbo rolls and sheets. Its stated environmental position is unusually strong for the category — 0% plastic content, 100% recyclable and compostable — and it lists offset, flexo, rotogravure, letterpress and digital as supported print methods. MOQ is published at one tonne. The wide width range is the reason to include it in a shortlist if your requirement crosses from label to board.
Kuwer Industries (India).
Kuwer is a metallized paper manufacturer in Noida publishing four distinct families: transfer metallized paper, vacuum metallized paper, wet-strength metallized paper and gold metallized paper. The overall range is 50–250 gsm, with wet-strength grades published under 80 gsm. Its wet-strength line is the relevant one if the label has to survive condensation or ice; that grade is usually specified 50–80 gsm on chromo base paper. Widths run up to 1,250 mm with a published 610 mm standard, on rotogravure, offset and flexo, with MOQ at 500 kg. The published range is narrower than Amsterdam Metallized’s or Ruitu’s, but the four-family split is clearly documented.
Tianhong New Material (China).
Tianhong is a laminate converter rather than a metallizer, so its specification is published in foil gauge rather than nanometres: aluminium at 18 g, approximately 7 µm, over 30–85 gsm paper, with four-layer constructions published at 73, 103, 106, 110 and 125 gsm. Roll width runs 30–1,700 mm on 76 mm cores. It holds ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 — the second is a medical-device standard, reflecting the medical and pharmaceutical wipe packaging it also serves. MOQ is 500 kg. Relevant where the requirement is a genuine foil barrier on paper at moderate grammages.
Qingdao Glory Packaging (China).
Glory publishes the most complete laminate structure information in this list: raw materials at paper 30–180 gsm, PE 10–25 gsm and aluminium foil 6.5–7 µm, with the structures written out in full (paper / PE / foil / PE, paper / PE / foil / CPP, BOPP / PET / PE / foil / PE, and others to requirement). Thickness is published at 50–220 gsm, roll width 30–1,100 mm, core ID 76 or 152 mm, and flexo printing up to six colours. Stated capacity is 1,500 t/month, MOQ 500 kg, with ISO, QS and SGS certification. The value of this entry is the structure disclosure — it shows what a fully specified foil laminate quotation looks like.
kayupackaging (China).
kayupackaging is a converter, not a mill — which means the material you receive arrives finished, in the format your line runs. We take base metallized and foil-laminate stock, then print, laminate, coat, emboss and slit it to your roll width and core, and supply it as converted roll stock, converted barrier laminates and roll labels.
We do not sell unprinted base stock, and we do not pretend to. If you need jumbo reels to convert in-house, use the mill-level table above and go to one of those producers.
What we do is hold the specification: material family and structure, base paper grade, foil or metallized layer, print method, surface finish and roll geometry are all agreed in writing before production, and the approved specification is retained against repeat orders so that batch four matches batch one. Specimen data is available on request, including gloss, lay-flat and curl, ink adhesion and residual solvent reporting. Tell us the material you already buy, or the specification you work to, and we will tell you plainly whether we can match it — and where we cannot.
How this list was compiled
This comparison was assembled from suppliers’ own published product information in October 2026. No supplier paid for inclusion, and no entry was ranked. Where a figure is not published, the table says not published rather than filling the gap with an estimate. Where a claim comes from the supplier’s own material — a market share, a capacity, a certification — it is attributed to the supplier rather than presented as verified fact.
Each entry is labelled as a mill or a converter, because that distinction decides whether the material arrives ready for your line or needs converting before it can run.
kayupackaging appears in this list because we convert these materials. We have not published figures we cannot yet evidence, because a comparison is only worth reading if every other row can be checked.
If you are listed here and a figure is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
Six questions to ask before you request a quote
1. Transfer metallized or direct metallized — and why?
Ask the supplier to state which family it is quoting and to explain the choice against your requirement. If the metallic look is the whole requirement, direct metallized material is usually the lower-cost answer. If the sheet has to be recyclable as paper, ask explicitly whether any carrier film remains — transfer metallizing is the route that removes it. If a genuine barrier is needed, neither metallized family is the right answer and you should be quoting foil laminate. A supplier who asks you this question before quoting is doing the work properly.
2. Will it print on our press, and convert on our line?
Ask which print methods the material is qualified for — offset, flexo, rotogravure, letterpress and digital are not interchangeable — and ask what ink systems have been tested. Then ask about conversion: lay-flat, curl, moisture stability, creasing, die-cutting, gluing and embossing. A sample that prints well but creases badly is a production problem you inherit.
3. How is the barrier actually verified?
For foil laminates, ask for the foil gauge in µm and the structure written out. For metallized materials, ask for the layer thickness — one supplier here publishes approximately 30 nm, and holding that figure against a 6.5–7 µm foil makes the difference in barrier class obvious. Then ask how the barrier is tested, and whether the data comes from a production batch or a single laboratory sample.
4. What happens at end of life?
If you need a recyclable claim, ask whether the finished material qualifies as mono-material and which regulatory framework was used to assess it. Ask whether the base paper is FSC or PEFC certified. For food contact, ask which approval is held and by whom. Get these in writing — a recycling claim that cannot be evidenced is a liability at the pack-design review, not at the supplier’s desk.
5. What is retained after approval, to hold repeat orders?
Ask what information is kept on file once a sample is approved: structure, grammage, foil gauge or metallized layer, gluing or laminating conditions, roll dimensions, surface finish, print artwork, colour reference and winding requirements. Then ask what the acceptance criteria are on the next batch. A material that passes on batch one and drifts on batch four is a problem you own, not the supplier.
6. Can you supply a trial quantity before we commit?
Ask what sample quantity is available and whether it is production-representative — 150–200 m is a commonly published trial length, and 500 kg is a commonly published MOQ, so ask what sits between the two. Then ask whether the supplier will review the trial results with you. A supplier who tracks curl, lay-flat and ink adhesion through a trial can hold a specification; one who cannot, cannot.
Shorten the list before you send a single enquiry
If you are comparing metallized paper and foil laminate suppliers, the fastest way to shorten the list is to compare specifications line by line rather than descriptions.
→ Request the laminate specification sheet — material families we convert, base paper grades we work to, foil gauge and metallized layer, roll geometry, print methods and the test methods behind each figure. Tell us the material you currently buy and we will send the closest match, or say plainly that it is out of range.
→ Send us your specification — roll width, core diameter, structure, print method or finish. Send the requirement and we will come back with the closest specification we can produce, plus a structure drawing.
→ Ask about a trial quantity — tell us the material you currently buy, or the specification you work to, and we will tell you whether we can match it, and where we cannot.
→ Need unprinted base stock instead? Tell us and we will point you to a mill-level producer rather than quote you for something we do not make.