How to apply aluminium foil tape
Updated: 23 October 2026
You have a clean duct seam, a foil-faced board or a lagging joint, and the foil welds to itself if the liner comes off in one long pull. How to apply aluminium foil tape here means a short piece, peeled only as you press, and a stop if the joint is a gas flue or a stove pipe. The [flue tape comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/flue-tape) is the twelve amazon.co.uk listings behind the examples. Notes from GTSE, Flowstrip, Supraseal and a DEC sheet were used with the UK reviews. This was not a timed press test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a clean duct seam, a foil-faced board or a lagging joint, and the foil welds to itself if the liner comes off in one long pull.
You have a clean duct seam, a foil-faced board or a lagging joint, and the foil welds to itself if the liner comes off in one long pull. How to apply aluminium foil tape here means a short piece, peeled only as you press, and a stop if the joint is a gas flue or a stove pipe. The flue tape comparison is the twelve amazon.co.uk listings behind the examples. Notes from GTSE, Flowstrip, Supraseal and a DEC sheet were used with the UK reviews. This was not a timed press test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Width | Stated length | Hand tear | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  BOMEI PACK BOMEI PACK aluminium foil tape, 3 × 50 mm × 50 m | 50 mm | 50 m per roll | Yes, stated | 9.1 | about £19.99 | View offer |
 Gladiator Gladiator aluminium tape 50 mm × 10 m | 50 mm | 10 m | n/a | 9.3 | about £5.95 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  ArmaKit ArmaKit aluminium foil tape 48 mm × 10 m | 48 mm | 10 m | n/a | 8.3 | about £3.45 | View offer |
On this page
Prepare the surface
Foil tape in this set is a pressure-sensitive adhesive on soft aluminium. It is not a clamp, a screw or a fire-cement joint. GTSE, Flowstrip and the DEC ALU TAPE sheet all start the same way: the surface should be clean, dry and free of dust and grease. DEC also says the tape is not for a joint that carries mechanical stress, and that insulation should butt without gaps before you cover the facing.
Cold and grease are where an otherwise sticky roll lets go. One Gladiator buyer saw a hot exhaust box release the tape after three or four days. Flowstrip states about +10 °C to +40 °C for that seller's roll. None of the twelve ASINs prints a window, so do not invent those degrees for Gladiator, BOMEI or 3M. If the metal is greasy, wet, or still hot, clean it and let it cool before you peel anything.
Cut, peel and press
Cut the length before you peel the liner. GTSE's sequence matches the failures in these reviews: cut, peel about the first inch, press an anchor, then peel onwards and burnish the edges. A long strip with the liner fully off curls. The BOMEI three-pack reviews say the foil sticks to itself, and you cannot part it without tearing the metal. Work in pieces you can hold flat, especially on a vertical duct.
Gladiator and ArmaKit reviews say the liner has no easy start. Bergmis reviews add tearing while you position it, and one roll arrived with the start covered in clear tape. Lift a corner with a thumbnail or a blunt blade, peel a few centimetres, and stick that anchor before you free any more. Press the centre, then the sides, so you are not chasing a wrinkle. Once these adhesives grab, the reviews say you will not lift them cleanly. Width, if you have not chosen it, sits on the flue tape buying guide.
Hand tear follows the listing you bought
Hand tear is a listing claim, not a universal rule. The BOMEI rolls and the Ealyder roll state that you can tear the foil by hand. ArmaKit, Gladiator, 3M and Bergmis do not. Follow the listing you bought, and still expect a ragged edge on thin foil. Scissors give a straighter finish on a visible duct. The 3M roll is only about 4.6 m, so it is a patch, not a loft.
Overlap, then stop
Supraseal's HVAC note asks for at least 25 mm where tape meets tape, and says the tape is a seal rather than a fixing. Pipelagging adds about 50 mm where a wrap meets itself. Connect the duct, with its own mechanical joint, before you tape. A foil bridge does not replace the clip. Waterproof on a BOMEI or Ealyder listing is a water claim. It does not make the joint gas-tight, and it does not mean a plastic condensing flue will accept foil.
Stop when the surface is a gas appliance, a gas flue, a stove pipe, a hidden flue, or anything with soot, spillage, or a carbon monoxide alarm. Those jobs are on boiler flue tape. Solid-fuel joints are rope and fire cement, through a HETAS-registered installer or building control.
Common questions
Do you cut the strip before you peel the liner?
Yes. Cut the piece to length, then peel only the first few centimetres and press that as an anchor. Peeling a metre of liner in one go is how the BOMEI three-pack reviews end up with a curl that sticks to itself. A short piece you can see is easier to burnish than a tail you are chasing down a duct.
How do you start a roll with no peel tab?
Gladiator and ArmaKit reviews both say the liner has no easy edge. Lift a corner with a thumbnail or a blunt blade, free a few centimetres, and stick that before you pull further. Bergmis reviews add tearing if you fight a long free length. Do not heat the adhesive with a gun. None of these listings tells you to.
What overlap should you use on a duct seam?
Supraseal's HVAC guide uses at least 25 mm where tape meets tape. Pipelagging adds about 50 mm where a wrap meets itself, and says to join the duct before you tape. Those figures are from their guides, not from a test of these ASINs. The mechanical joint still comes first. Tape covers the seam. It does not clamp it.
Can you reposition foil tape once it grabs?
The UK notes on the 75 mm and 100 mm BOMEI rolls say the bond is too strong to lift and reset. Treat the first press as the final position. If a strip lands crooked, cut it off and use a new piece rather than peeling a wrinkle across the foil facing. A second layer over a wrinkle does not flatten the first one.
When do you stop and call someone else?
Stop if the joint is a gas flue, a stove pipe, a flue hidden in a void, or if you see soot, spillage, or a carbon monoxide alarm. Gas work is for a Gas Safe registered engineer. Solid fuel is for a HETAS installer or building control. Waterproof foil on a duct seam is not a method for either of those joints.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 21 October 2026. Updated 22.10.2026.
- Gas Safe Register: home improvements (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 27 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE: flues in voids (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Approved Document J (2022 PDF) (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Advance Tapes AT500 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- PAR Group aluminium foil tape (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HETAS consumer FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- NHS: carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 22.10.2026)