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Hair foil for the UK market
UK salons buy hair foil mainly on rolls 100 mm (3.94 in) or 120 mm wide, in lengths of 100, 225, 250, 1,000 m, and as pre-cut strips of 100 × 225 mm. The trade calls it hairdressing foil and shelves it under "foils & meche". We supply these formats in 12–20 µm and quote freight to your UK port.
At a glance
| Local term | hairdressing foil, foils & meche |
|---|---|
| Common sizes | 100 × 225 mm, 100 mm roll, 120 mm roll |
| Units | mm |
| Transit time | Quoted for your destination port or airport and the service, sea or air |
| Terms offered | EXW, FOB, CIF, DDU (DAP), DDP |
| Formats to start with | Roll, Pre-cut |
UK sizes
The UK works in metric. A roll is described by its width in millimetres and its length in metres, and a pre-cut strip by width and length in millimetres. Inch sizes appear on some sheet packs, but the roll is the reference product.
| Size | mm | inch | Format | Best for (technique) | Hair length | Common market | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 × 225 mm | 100 × 225 | 3.94 × 8.86 | Pre-cut | Full highlights, balayage | Medium to long | UK | Available |
| 100 mm roll | 100 | 3.94 | Roll | Full highlights, partial highlights, balayage | Short to long | UK, EU | Available |
| 120 mm roll | 120 | 4.72 | Roll | Full highlights, balayage | Medium to long | UK, EU | Available |
A roll is cut to length at the chair, so one width serves every hair length. That is why the UK range is narrow in sizes and wide in roll lengths: short rolls for a single stylist or a mobile hairdresser, long rolls for a busy colour bar. The pre-cut strip covers the salons that would rather not cut.
If you are replacing an existing UK supplier, match the width, the roll length and the core size first, because salons keep their dispensers. Core sizes and dispenser fit are on the hair foil rolls page, and the strip format on pre-cut hair foil sheets. Every size is drawn to one scale on the hair foil size chart.
Foils & meche
UK wholesalers file aluminium foil and non-foil highlighting strips in one category, “foils & meche”. The two do the same job in different ways. Foil folds and holds its shape, keeps the product enclosed and is used once. Meche strips are a plastic or paper alternative, often reusable.
On a UK product page or box, the usual term for the aluminium product is “hairdressing foil” or simply “foil”, with “highlighting foil” also understood. We make aluminium foil only. The differences between the materials are set out in foil vs meche vs highlighting film.
Why UK buyers source from China
UK buyers come to a factory in China for things a stock range does not offer: their own printed foil, their own box, a width or a roll length that the local range leaves out, or a thickness chosen for their customers. What a factory order asks in return is a minimum quantity and a lead time.
Those two figures decide whether direct sourcing suits you. MOQ and lead time by format lists them, and private label hair foil explains each step from brief to shipment.
Import notes
Hair foil is classified as aluminium foil under heading 7607. Before the first shipment, a UK importer settles three points with a customs broker: the ten-digit commodity code for each product, the duty rate for that code, and whether the UK trade remedy on aluminium foil in rolls from China applies. We do not publish rates here; they depend on the product, the exporter and the date of import.
Duty and import VAT are part of the landed cost of every shipment. Hair foil landed cost shows how the two are calculated, step by step, and documents for importing hair foil lists the paperwork that travels with the goods.
Shipping
Hair foil is dense and not fragile in the way glass is, but boxes of sheets must stay flat. We pack to protect flatness and test it after a simulated transit; the method is on the QC testing page.
| Method | Transit quoted | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Sea freight, full container | Port to port | Distributors ordering by the container |
| Sea freight, shared container | Port to port, plus consolidation time | First orders and mixed ranges |
| Air freight | Airport to airport | Launch stock and urgent top-ups |
Transit time depends on the port of loading, the UK port or airport and the service, so it is quoted with the schedule for each shipment rather than stated here as one figure. The days before departure, for artwork, plates, samples and production, are on the order timeline page.
UK FAQ
What size hair foil rolls are used in UK salons?
UK salons use hair foil rolls 100 mm (3.94 in) wide for most highlighting, and 120 mm (4.72 in) wide for balayage and wider sections. Common lengths for a 100 mm roll are 100, 225, 250, 1,000 m. The roll usually sits in a cutter box or a dispenser, and each piece is cut to the length of the hair.
What does 'meche' mean in UK hairdressing?
In UK hairdressing, "meche" means highlighting strips used in place of foil: long strips of plastic or paper that are folded around a section of hair, often reusable. The word comes from the French mèche, a lock or strand of hair. UK wholesalers list aluminium foil and these strips together as "foils & meche".
What thickness is premium hair foil in the UK?
Hair Foil Factory supplies UK-format hair foil rolls in 12–20 µm. UK brands commonly print the thickness in microns on the box and sell the heavier gauge as the premium grade. The thickness and alloy page gives the measured thickness for each grade we make.
How long does shipping to the UK take?
Shipping time from China to the UK depends on the port of loading, the UK port or airport and the service, so Hair Foil Factory quotes it with the schedule for your shipment: port to port by sea, airport to airport by air. Production comes before that; the order timeline page gives the days for each stage.