Technical Guide · 2026 Edition
Brushed Foil — Brushed Hot Stamping Foil, Colours, Specs & Sourcing
Brushed foil — also called brushed hot stamping foil, brushed metallic foil or satin foil — is a hot-stamping foil whose surface is micro-embossed with parallel hairline grooves that mimic the look of brushed stainless steel or brushed aluminium. This guide covers the 8 stock colours, 4 grain variants, satin-gloss specs (25–45 GU), press settings, lightfastness and MOQ-from-1-roll sourcing.
Reviewed by Gavin Gao, Technical Director
What is brushed foil?
Brushed foil is a hot stamping foil whose colour-lacquer + aluminium layer is micro-embossed with parallel hairline grooves at 200–400 lines/mm. The directional grain catches light at a soft satin gloss level (25–45 GU) — visually identical to mechanically brushed stainless steel or aluminium, but applied as a decorative film on paper, board, plastic and label stock. It is the go-to finish when designers want metallic depth without the fingerprint-prone mirror reflection of polished gold or silver. Browse the matching Brushed Silver Hot Stamping Foil and Brushed Gold Hot Stamping Foil, or read our What is Hot Stamping Foil primer for the underlying construction. Compare against holographic foil when you want a rainbow effect, or fluorescent foil for high-impact daylight neon.
How brushed foil is made — 5-step production sequence
PET carrier coating
12–25 µm PET film is coated with a release wax and pigmented colour lacquer that defines the base shade (gold, silver, copper, rose-gold).
Vacuum metallisation
A ~50 nm aluminium layer is vacuum-deposited onto the colour coat in a roll-to-roll chamber, giving the underlying metallic brightness.
Brushed-grain embossing
A precision-engraved embossing roller carrying the hairline-groove master is hot-pressed into the stack at 110–140 °C and 6–12 bar, replicating the brushed grain.
Top-coat & adhesive
Premium grades receive a scratch-resistant top-coat (pencil hardness 2H–3H), then a heat-activated adhesive is back-coated for clean transfer onto the substrate.
Slitting & QC
Master rolls are slit to customer widths (200–1,600 mm) and 100% inspected for pinholes, ΔE colour drift (≤ 1.5) and gloss-unit consistency (±3 GU).
4 brushed grain variants — pick by visual brief
All four grain variants available in any of 8 stock colours. Custom pitch and proprietary brushed patterns available with 1,000 m² MOQ.
| Grain Variant | Pitch (lines/mm) | Visual Reference | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Brushed | 300–400 | Brushed phone back, premium watch dial | Electronics, cosmetics, luxury cards |
| Medium Brushed | 200–300 | Brushed kitchen appliance, espresso machine | Appliance packaging, premium cartons |
| Coarse Brushed | 100–200 | Brushed sheet metal, industrial signage | Industrial packaging, tool boxes, hardware |
| Crosshatch (60°) | 150 × 150 crossed | Brushed luxury-car dashboard inlay | Automotive interior, premium spirits, watches |
Brushed foil vs matt foil vs polished foil — gloss comparison
| Parameter | Polished (Mirror) | Brushed (Satin) | Matt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloss level (60° GU) | 80–100 | 25–45 | 5–15 |
| Reflectivity | Full mirror | Directional satin | Fully diffuse |
| Fingerprint visibility | High | Low | Very low |
| Visible grain | None | Parallel hairlines | None |
| Premium read | Classic luxury | Machined / technical luxury | Understated |
| Top-coat option | Yes | Yes (2H–3H) | Yes |
| Typical end-use | Wine labels, gift cards | Electronics, automotive, premium cosmetics | Pharma, organic-look brands |
Brushed foil — technical specifications
| Parameter | Standard Grade | Premium Grade | Outdoor Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| PET carrier thickness | 12 µm | 16 µm | 19–25 µm |
| Aluminium layer | ~40 nm | ~50 nm | ~50 nm + barrier |
| Gloss level (60° GU) | 30–45 | 25–40 | 25–40 |
| ΔE colour drift (roll-to-roll) | ≤ 2.0 | ≤ 1.5 | ≤ 1.0 |
| Roll width | 200–1,300 mm | 200–1,600 mm | 200–1,600 mm |
| Roll length | 120 / 300 / 600 m | 120 / 300 / 600 m | 120 / 300 m |
| Stamping temp. | 115–135 °C | 120–140 °C | 125–145 °C |
| Lightfastness (Blue Wool) | 4–5 (12–24 mo indoor) | 5–6 (24 mo indoor) | 6–7 (3–5 yr outdoor) |
| Scratch (pencil hardness) | H | 2H | 3H |
| MOQ | 1 roll (stock) | 500 m² (custom Pantone) | 1,000 m² (custom grain) |
Where brushed foil is used
Phone and laptop accessory boxes, headphone packaging, smart-home device cartons — brushed silver and gun-metal black echo the brushed-aluminium product finish.
Premium auto-parts boxes, after-market accessory cartons, dashboard trim labels — crosshatch brushed gold and brushed copper signal luxury tier.
Skincare boxes, fragrance cartons, lipstick caps — brushed rose-gold and brushed champagne are the dominant finish in 2025–2026 beauty launches.
Premium whisky neck-collars, champagne labels, gift cartons — brushed gold and brushed copper outperform polished gold on aged-spirit branding.
Rigid setup boxes for watches, fountain pens and jewellery — crosshatch brushed metallics match the brushed case backs of the product inside.
Equipment serial plates, durable safety labels, hand-tool branding — outdoor-grade brushed silver with scratch top-coat delivers 3–5 year life.
Technical Specifications FAQ
Q01What is brushed foil?+
Brushed foil — also called brushed hot stamping foil or brushed metallic foil — is a hot-stamping foil whose colour-lacquer or aluminium layer is micro-embossed with parallel hairline grooves that mimic the look of mechanically brushed metal (think brushed stainless steel, brushed aluminium phone backs, brushed-gold watch dials). The directional grain catches light at a low gloss level (typically 25–45 GU), giving a soft satin metallic finish that is distinct from the mirror finish of standard hot stamping foil. Structurally identical to standard foil — PET carrier, release wax, colour lacquer, aluminium, adhesive — with the brushed pattern added at the embossing step.
Q02Brushed foil vs matt foil vs polished (mirror) foil — what's the difference?+
All three start from the same metallised PET stack and differ only in the surface finish of the colour-lacquer / aluminium layer. Polished (mirror) foil — gloss 80–100 GU, full reflectivity, the classic shiny gold or silver. Matt foil — gloss 5–15 GU, fully diffuse, no visible grain. Brushed foil — gloss 25–45 GU with a clearly visible directional hairline grain that gives metallic depth without a mirror reflection. Brushed sits between matt and polished and reads as a premium, machined-metal look on electronics, automotive and luxury packaging.
Q03How is brushed foil made?+
A 12–25 µm PET carrier is coated with release wax and pigmented colour lacquer, then vacuum-metallised with a ~50 nm aluminium layer. A precision-engraved embossing roller carrying the hairline-groove master is then hot-pressed into the foil stack at 110–140 °C and 6–12 bar nip pressure, replicating the brushed pattern at 200–400 lines/mm. A heat-activated adhesive is back-coated and the finished master roll is slit to customer width (200–1,600 mm). Groove pitch, depth and angle are tuned for the four stock visual variants — fine, medium, coarse and crosshatch.
Q04How to stamp brushed foil and keep the grain direction consistent?+
Brushed foil runs on any hot stamping press at 115–145 °C with 0.4–1.0 s dwell — standard settings, but two extra rules apply. First, mount the roll so the brushed grain runs parallel to the stamping direction on the substrate — running cross-grain produces visible chatter. Second, use a polished (non-textured) magnesium or brass die so the die does not flatten the brushed grain on transfer. For multi-up sheetfed work, plate layout must keep all decoration cavities oriented the same way. See the foil stamping guide for full press setup.
Q05What colours and grain variants are available?+
Eight stock brushed colours: brushed gold, brushed silver, brushed copper, brushed rose-gold, brushed bronze, brushed champagne, brushed gun-metal black, brushed pearl-white. Four stock grain variants: Fine (300–400 lines/mm — phone-back look), Medium (200–300 lines/mm — appliance look), Coarse (100–200 lines/mm — sheet-metal look), Crosshatch (60° crossed grain — luxury-automotive look). Custom Pantone matching on any grain available with 500 m² MOQ. All eight colours are available in both transferable hot-stamping and self-adhesive sheet formats.
Q06What substrates work best with brushed foil?+
Best on smooth, flat substrates that show the grain cleanly: coated paperboard (SBS / FBB 250–500 gsm), folded cartons, rigid setup boxes, BOPP / PET / PVC films (0.05–0.8 mm), label paper, ABS and PC injection-mould parts. Avoid heavily textured stocks (linen, felt, kraft) — substrate texture overrides the brushed grain and visually muddles the finish. For curved surfaces like cosmetics caps and beverage cans, the matching brushed cold foil delivers full-coverage coating without die limits.
Q07Is brushed foil scratch- and lightfast for outdoor / electronics use?+
Standard brushed foil rates 4–5 on the Blue Wool lightfastness scale and survives 12–24 months indoor without visible fade — fine for retail packaging. For electronics nameplates, automotive interior trim and outdoor signage we supply Premium Lightfast brushed foil (BWS 6–7, 3–5 year outdoor life) plus a scratch-resistant top-coat (pencil hardness 2H–3H, ≥ 500 cycles Taber abrasion CS-10 / 500 g). Always specify end-use environment so we ship the right grade.
Q08What is the MOQ and lead time for brushed foil?+
Stock colours in stock grain variants: 1 roll (~640 mm × 120 m ≈ 77 m²), ship in 5–7 days from Shanghai. Custom Pantone on a stock grain: 500 m² MOQ, 12–15 days plus colour-matching fee. Custom grain pitch or proprietary brushed pattern: 1,000 m² MOQ, 25–30 days plus engraving tool fee. Free A4 swatch packs covering all 8 colours × 4 grain variants ship within 5 business days to qualified buyers. We carry safety stock of brushed gold, silver, and rose-gold year-round.
Free brushed foil swatch pack
Tell us your substrate and end-use — we'll ship an A4 swatch pack of all 8 brushed colours in 4 grain variants within 5 business days, free to qualified buyers.