Buyers in the United States ask for aluminized mylar. British and Australian buyers write aluminised polyester. Converters in Asia quote VMPET. Grow-room suppliers sell silver mylar. In almost every case these four names point at the same roll: polyester (PET) film with a thin aluminium layer deposited on it in a vacuum. This guide sorts out the names so that your enquiry is understood the first time, and shows where the names hide a real difference.
The names, side by side
| Name you will see | What it usually means | Where it is common |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminized mylar | Vacuum-metallised PET film | United States, Canada |
| Aluminised polyester / metallised PET | The same film, British spelling | UK, Australia, New Zealand, EU |
| VMPET | Vacuum-Metallised PET: the converter’s abbreviation | China, Southeast Asia, packaging trade |
| Silver mylar / reflective mylar | The same film sold by its appearance | Horticulture, hydroponics retail |
| Mylar | Strictly a DuPont / Teijin trade name for PET film, used generically for any polyester film | Everywhere |
“Mylar” on its own does not tell a supplier whether you want the metallised version. Clear, white, black and coloured PET films are also called mylar. If you need the silver reflective film, say metallised (or aluminized) somewhere in the request.
Where the names hide a real difference
Metallised film is not aluminium foil
Aluminized mylar carries a metal layer that is a small fraction of a micron thick, deposited as vapour. Aluminium foil is solid rolled metal, typically several microns thick, laminated to a carrier. They look alike on a roll and behave differently in use: foil is a near-total barrier to moisture and oxygen and tolerates higher temperatures; metallised film is lighter, cheaper, more flexible and more easily scratched. Our guide Metallised PET vs aluminium foil covers the trade-offs; if a quotation says “foil” and you expected film, or the reverse, ask before ordering.
“Aluminized” can also mean a coating
In some trades, particularly textiles and safety apparel, “aluminized” describes a fabric with an aluminium coating or a laminated metallised film face, not a bare PET film. If your drawing says aluminized fabric, the material you want is probably a reflective woven laminate, not a film roll.
Single-sided or double-sided
Most metallised PET carries aluminium on one face only; the other face is plain polyester. Double-sided metallised film exists and costs more. State which face has to reflect, or whether both do.
How to write the specification
Whatever you call the material, a quotation needs the same five points:
- Base film and thickness: PET, stated in microns or mil (12 µm is about 0.47 mil; see units explained).
- Metallised faces: one side or two, and which face must be up on the roll.
- Finish: mirror (bright), matte, or an embossed pattern such as diamond or grid.
- Surface treatment: corona or primer on the plain face if you will print, coat or laminate it.
- Roll format: slit width, roll length, core diameter, and the maximum outside diameter your machine accepts.
With those five points, “aluminized mylar”, “VMPET” and “metallised polyester” all produce the same quote. Without them, every supplier fills the gaps differently and the quotes cannot be compared.
What we supply
Our metallized mylar (PET) film is supplied as roll stock and slit to width in our Shenzhen factory, alongside clear, white, black, coloured and holographic PET grades. Finish, thickness, treatment and roll format are confirmed in writing for the exact construction quoted; nothing is inferred from a photograph. If you have a sample of the film you use today, send it with the enquiry and we will confirm the closest construction we make.