The Middle East is the world's largest shisha (hookah) market, and behind every foil pack on a café table sits a specialised aluminium foil supply chain. Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Iraq all support large domestic repacking industries that convert jumbo aluminium foil into consumer shisha rolls.
This guide covers the specification that actually works for that market, the compliance points that trip up new suppliers, and the practical details - width, core, roll diameter - that decide whether a shipment runs smoothly on a repacking line.
Why 8011 Is the Standard Alloy for Shisha Foil
Almost every serious shisha foil specification in the Gulf calls for 8011 in O temper. The reasons are practical rather than fashionable:
- Strength at thin gauge. The iron and silicon content in 8011 gives it more strength than 1050 or 1235 at the same thickness, so 0.033mm foil resists pinholes and tearing in the user's hands.
- Food contact acceptance. 8011 is a long-established food contact alloy, accepted in foil for food packaging and widely recognised in Gulf import practice.
- Clean surface. 8011 rolls to a smooth, bright surface, which matters for a product the end user sees and handles directly.
- Dead-soft O temper. Fully annealed foil wraps without springback around the bowl and tears cleanly along a perforated edge - the tactile experience shisha users expect.
1235 and 8079 are also produced for food contact work; 8079 offers higher strength for very thin gauges. For shisha foil in the 0.025mm-0.04mm band, 8011-O remains the default. See the full aluminium foil roll range.
The Specification That Works: 0.033mm, 120mm and 265mm
Shisha foil is not a single format. Repackers typically run two or three widths on the same line, and the width mix is driven by the retail pack they sell.
| Parameter | Typical Value | What It Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Alloy / Temper | 8011-O | Strength at thin gauge plus dead-soft hand feel |
| Thickness | 0.033mm (range 0.025mm-0.04mm) | Pinhole resistance vs material cost per sheet |
| Width | 120mm and 265mm | Matched to the repacker's cutting and packing format |
| Core | 75mm (3 inch) | Fits standard unwinding shafts; 152mm for jumbo |
| Roll OD | 500-600mm | Run time between roll changes vs machine cradle size |
| Surface | Bright, oil-free, no stain | No odour or transfer to tobacco |
| Packing | Individual carton with end caps, wooden pallet | Edge damage and telescoping in sea freight |
A 120mm roll is the single-sheet format used for one-bowl wrapping; 265mm covers larger sheets and multi-layer packs. Because both widths come from the same parent coil, gauge and temper stay consistent across the whole order - which is exactly what a repacker needs to keep yield stable.
Food Contact Compliance: The Part New Suppliers Underestimate
Shisha foil sits against tobacco that goes into the mouth and is handled bare-handed, so it is treated as a food contact material in practice. Buyers in the Gulf increasingly audit for:
- Food grade alloy declaration with controlled heavy metal content
- Residual rolling oil removed - no odour, no transfer, no staining
- Migration test reports for the customer's own compliance file
- Mill test certificate per lot with chemical composition and mechanical properties
- Clean slitting, free of lubricant contamination on the cut edge
Suppliers who can produce this documentation bundle up front win the repeat order; suppliers who promise it after the fact usually do not. Our 8011 food barrier foil is produced under the same controls.
Pinholes and Gauge: Where Quality Is Won or Lost
At 33 micron, process drift shows up immediately. Three controls decide the outcome:
- Full-width thickness scanning on every coil, so the crown does not run thin at the edges
- Light table pinhole inspection before slitting - a pinhole becomes a leak in the consumer pack
- Wound tension control so rolls neither telescope in transit nor block on a high-speed unwind
Logistics into the Gulf
- HS code: aluminium foil of thickness not exceeding 0.2mm falls under heading 7607; we provide the exact subheading for your clearance agent
- Ports: Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dammam, Jeddah, Hamad, Shuwaikh and Alexandria are all served from Qingdao, Tianjin and Shanghai
- Humidity: foil is thin and stain-sensitive - moisture barrier wrapping and desiccant are recommended for the sea leg
- Documents: mill test certificate, packing list, commercial invoice, certificate of origin and bill of lading
Price: What Actually Moves the Number
- LME aluminium base - quoted with a validity window because the base moves daily
- Thickness - the single biggest driver; 0.033mm vs 0.025mm is a real cost difference per ton
- Width and slit count - narrow slits from a wide parent coil raise conversion cost
- Core and roll diameter - small differences change packing density and container utilisation
Cutting to the exact width at the mill almost always beats buying wide foil and slitting locally: you pay for metal you actually pack, and you avoid scrap and a second handling step.
Recent Shipment: 26 Tons to the UAE
We recently delivered 26 tons of 8011-O food grade foil, 0.033mm, slit to 120mm and 265mm on 75mm cores with 500-600mm roll diameter to a UAE distributor serving the shisha retail channel. Slit width and core size matched their existing shafts exactly, so the repacking line ran without changeover. The full specification and results are in our case studies.
Buying Checklist for Shisha Foil
- State alloy and temper explicitly - "8011-O", not just "aluminium foil"
- State thickness in mm, with the tolerance you can accept
- List every width you run, and the tonnage split between them
- Confirm core ID and maximum roll OD against your machine
- Confirm surface requirement: bright, matte, or one side lacquered
- Ask for food contact documentation with the quotation
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 8011-O foil be printed or lacquered?
Yes. One-side lacquering and print are available for branded consumer rolls, usually applied on the matte side for better ink adhesion. Confirm the lacquer is food contact approved for your market.
What thickness do shisha repackers usually buy?
0.025mm to 0.04mm, with 0.030mm-0.033mm the most common. Thinner foil lowers cost per sheet but raises pinhole risk; 0.033mm is the usual balance.
Can you supply mixed widths in one container?
Yes, and it is the normal way to order: 120mm and 265mm - or any other slit combination - loaded on the same pallets to fill the container weight. Our O temper food packaging foil is slit to order in the same way.
Talk to Us About Your Shisha Foil Programme
Send us your alloy, thickness, width list, core size, roll diameter and monthly tonnage. We will come back within one working day with price, lead time and a loading plan for your port - and if you are repacking for a retail chain, we can supply the food contact documentation package alongside the quotation.