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Iron Foil
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Purity | Thickness | Length | Width | Temper Options | Surface Finish Options | Support Options |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.5% to 99.99% | 0.0005mm to 3.1mm | 10mm to 1000mm | 10mm to 1000mm | As Rolled, Hard, Quarter Hard | Mirror polished on both sides, Polished on both sides, Unpolished | Temporary acrylic |
Need custom configurations? Please contact our Technical Solutions team.
Key Features
Iron foil possesses a combination of material characteristics that make it particularly well suited for electromagnetic, structural, scientific, and advanced materials research applications:
High Magnetic Permeability & Ferromagnetic Performance
Iron exhibits strong ferromagnetism and high magnetic permeability, making it ideal for magnetic shielding, transformer cores, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression. It also supports precision applications in sensors, actuators, and inductive components.
High Mechanical Strength
High-purity iron foil retains impressive tensile strength and mechanical resilience, even in ultra-thin formats. It withstands stress, vibration, and deformation, making it suitable for structural reinforcements, industrial packaging, and mechanical interfaces.
Exceptional Ductility & Formability
Iron's ductile nature allows it to be rolled into ultra-thin foils without cracking. This enables precision forming, fine-feature patterning, and high-surface-area coverage required for thin-film deposition, sputtering targets, and microfabrication.
Moderate Electrical & Thermal Conductivity
Iron foil provides stable electrical and thermal performance for mid-range applications. It is used in sensor housings, heating elements, and conductive layers where consistent energy transfer is required without the cost of high-end metals.
Substrate for Advanced Material Growth
Iron foil serves as a substrate in the synthesis of advanced materials such as graphene and other thin films. Its compatibility with chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and other growth techniques supports research in nanotechnology and materials science.
Industrial Applications
High-purity iron foil is used across industrial and scientific sectors for its magnetic performance, formability, and chemical purity in both structural and functional roles:
- ✦ Magnetic Shielding & Electromagnetic Devices
- Used in transformers, inductors, and magnetic shielding enclosures, where its high permeability and low coercivity enable efficient magnetic flux control and EMI suppression.
- ✦ Scientific Instrumentation & Particle Physics
- Employed in particle accelerators, magnetic yokes, and core materials for precision instruments, where its consistent magnetic response is critical for experimental accuracy.
- ✦ Aerospace & Transportation Systems
- Applied in lightweight structural components, electromagnetic actuators, and shielding layers in aerospace and rail systems, where its formability and magnetic properties support high-reliability designs.
- ✦ Energy & Nuclear Applications
- Used in chemical and nuclear power systems for its compatibility with high-radiation environments. Iron foil serves in galvanising tanks, anodes, and reactor shielding components.
Mentions in Scientific Literature
Goodfellow's iron foil features prominently in research including but not exclusive to domains such as:
Corrosion Research & Dissolution Behaviour, used to study pitting corrosion, metal dissolution, and salt layer formation in various solutions
[1]
.
Substrates for Thin-Film Coatings, serving as base materials for applying hard coatings like titanium-aluminum nitride, which are tested for heat resistance and wear performance in machinery
[2–4]
.
Lubrication & Friction Testing, used in friction experiments under vacuum to study how organic additives behave on metal surfaces, supporting the development of more effective lubricants
[5]
.
High-Strain-Rate Material Testing, used in microcoining to create rippled metal surfaces for experiments on material strength under extreme conditions
[6]
.
Electrode Materials for Adhesive Research, employed in dielectric cells to investigate curing mechanisms of adhesives for industrial applications
[7–8]
.
Ion Beam & Nuclear Physics Experiments, serving as stopping layers for measuring energy loss as ions pass through materials, helping calibrate analytical methods in physics and materials science
[10]
.
Surface-Assisted Chemical Synthesis, used in forming mixed-metal organometallic complexes on iron surfaces, analysed via spectroscopy
[11–12]
.
Across these disciplines researchers have utilised our iron foils as
corrosion study substrates for pitting and dissolution analysis
[1]
,
base materials for hard thin-film coatings tested under thermal and mechanical stress
[2–4]
,
precision ion-stopping layers for nuclear and materials physics calibration
[10]
, and
reactive surfaces for organometallic synthesis
[11–12]
— applications that all benefit from iron's high purity, mechanical strength, and surface reactivity.
References & Citations
Click to expand
- Xu, W. (2014). Synchrotron x-ray and electrochemical studies of pitting corrosion of iron (Doctoral dissertation, University of Birmingham). http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5435/1/Xu14PhD.pdf
- Chaar, A. B. B., Syed, B., Hsu, T.-W., Johansson-Jöesaar, M., Andersson, J. M., Henrion, G., Johnson, L. J. S., Mücklich, F., & Odén, M. (2019). The Effect of Cathodic Arc Guiding Magnetic Field on the Growth of (Ti0.36Al0.64)N Coatings. Coatings, 9(10), 660. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9100660
- Chen, Y. H., Rogström, L., Ostach, D., Ghafoor, N., Johansson-Jõesaar, M. P., Schell, N., Birch, J., & Odén, M. (2016). Effects of decomposition route and microstructure on h-AlN formation rate in TiCrAlN alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 691, 1024–1032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2016.08.299
- Calamba, K., Schramm, I., Johansson, P., J. Ghanbaja, Pierson, J. F., F. Mucklich, & Magnus Odén. (2017). Enhanced thermal stability and mechanical properties of nitrogen deficient titanium aluminum nitride (Ti0.54Al0.46Ny) thin films by tuning the applied negative bias voltage. Journal of Applied Physics, 122(6). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4986350
- Eickworth, J., Wagner, J., Daum, P., Dienwiebel, M., & Rühle, T. (2022). Gas phase lubrication study with an organic friction modifier. Lubrication Science, 35(1), 40–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/ls.1620
- Randall, G. C., Vecchio, J., Knipping, J., Wall, D., Remington, T., Fitzsimmons, P., Vu, M., Giraldez, E. M., Blue, B. E., Farrell, M., & Nikroo, A. (2013). Developments in Microcoining Rippled Metal Foils. Fusion Science and Technology, 63(2), 274–281. https://doi.org/10.13182/fst63-2-274
- McGettrick, B. P., Vij, J. K., & McArdle, C. B. (1994). Characterization of model anaerobic adhesive cure using real-time fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dielectric spectroscopy. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 52(6), 737–746. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.1994.070520603
- McGettrick, B. P., Vij, J. K., & McArdle, C. B. (2003). Dielectric spectroscopy of anaerobic adhesive cure. International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 14(4), 211–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/0143-7496(94)90035-3
- Cabanillas, E. D. (2025). Modificación de superficies de láminas de hierro por electroerosión. Unlp.edu.ar. http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/2452
- Strub, E., Bohne, W., & Röhrich, J. (2006). Determination of the energy loss of various elements in metal foils with the TOF-ERDA setup at the ISL Berlin. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 249(1–2), 62–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2006.03.079
- Haukka, M., Jakonen, M., Nivajärvi, T., & Kallinen, M. (2006). The subtle effects of iron-containing metal surfaces on the reductive carbonylation of RuCl3. Dalton Trans., 26, 3212–3220. https://doi.org/10.1039/b602834a
- Jakonen, M., Pipsa Hirva, Nivajärvi, T., Kallinen, M., & Matti Haukka. (2007). Surface-Assisted Synthesis and Behavior of Dimetallic Mixed-Metal Complexes [M2Cl2(μ-Cl)4(CO)6M′(L)2] (M = Ru, Os; M′ = Fe, Co; L = CH3CH2OH, H2O). European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2007(22), 3497–3508. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.200700341
Synonyms
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 26 |
| Crystal structure | Body centred cubic |
| Electronic structure | Ar 3d⁶ 4s² |
| Valences shown | 2, 3, 4, 6 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 55.847 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 2.56 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 4.4 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 58/ 0.3 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 57/ 2.1 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 56/ 91.8 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 54/ 5.8 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.128 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 16.18 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 5/ 75.0 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 4/ 54.8 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 3/ 30.65 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 7.87 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | Jun-99 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Hardness - Mohs | 04-5 |
| Material condition | Polycrystalline |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.293 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 169.8 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 211.4 |
| Izod toughness( J m⁻¹ ) | 8-16 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 180-210 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 120-150 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 10.1@20°C |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0065@0-100°C |
| Thermal emf against Pt (cold 0C - hot 100C)( mV ) | 1.98 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 2750 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 7.87@20°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 1535 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 6095 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 272 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 444@25°C |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 80.4@0-100°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 12.1@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Thickness | <0.01mm | ±25% |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.01mm - 0.05mm | ±15% |
| Thickness | >0.05mm | ±10% |