A kapsalon sold in an aluminium tray, a plastic-lidded tray of loaded fries and a printed board boat of nuggets can all sit on the same menu, and each carries different costs, different heat limits and a different legal status. When an operator is asked to remove plastic, or to stop using foil trays for hot food, the decision is not simply "paper or not paper". This guide compares paper, PE-coated paper, plastic and aluminium food trays on heat, cost drivers, print and end of life, and explains how single-use plastic rules in the EU, UK, Germany and the Netherlands treat each. It sits under the hub on custom printed paper food trays. Round bowls and tubs are compared in paper vs plastic bowls.
Paper vs plastic food trays: how do paper, plastic and aluminium compare?
Aluminium wins on oven heat and rigidity, plastic on clarity and liquid-tightness, and paper on branding, weight and a lower plastic content. No single material is best, because the food, the heat step and the market decide.
| Property | Uncoated or fluorine-free grease-resistant paper | PE-coated paper | Plastic (PP, PET, CPET) | Aluminium foil tray |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Dry and fried snacks, baked goods | Saucy, long-held, reheated food | Cold, hot or microwave meals, clear display | Oven-hot meals, kebab, catering |
| Printability | Excellent (offset, flexo) | Excellent on the outer face | Limited (labels, sleeves, some direct print) | Limited (embossing, lids, labels) |
| Rigidity | Moderate; depends on gsm and design | Moderate | Good to excellent | Good; can deform when hot and heavy |
| Liquid and sauce resistance | Low | Very good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Oven use | Not recommended | Not suited to conventional oven | PP no; CPET yes; PET no | Yes |
| Microwave | Short reheats commonly acceptable | Short reheats commonly acceptable | PP and CPET yes; PET depends | Not recommended |
| Weight | Light | Light | Light to moderate | Very light |
| Freight and storage | Flat-pack compact; glued nested bulky | Same | Nested bulky | Nested, compact |
| Status under EU SUP Directive | Outside SUP scope | Single-use plastic food container | Single-use plastic food container | Not plastic; outside the Directive |
| End of life | Paper stream if clean | Paper stream where mills separate the film | Plastic stream where collected; mixed materials difficult | Metal stream if clean and collected |
Moulded fibre (pulp) trays are a fifth option with different printing and cost characteristics; they are outside this range. PET-coated ovenable paperboard is a separate product class used for dual-ovenable ready meals and is likewise outside the printed open trays discussed here.
What are the heat and oven limits of each tray material?
Paper trays are for hot food served and eaten soon, not for baking. Typical working limits, which vary by grade and supplier, are summarised below; always check the supplier's stated range for the specific product.
| Material | Hot food service | Microwave | Conventional oven |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncoated board | Yes, limited by grease and moisture | Short reheats, no metallic print | No |
| PE-coated board | Yes | Short reheats | No; PE softens at oven temperatures (LDPE melts in the region of 105-115 degrees Celsius) |
| PP | Yes | Yes, typically to around 100-120 degrees Celsius | No |
| PET (APET) | Cold or warm only, often not above about 60-70 degrees Celsius | Not recommended | No |
| CPET | Yes | Yes | Yes, typically to around 200-220 degrees Celsius |
| Aluminium | Yes | Not recommended (arcing risk) | Yes |
The most common reason operators keep foil is oven reheating or holding under a grill; if the menu does not need that, the heat limit is not a reason to avoid paper.
Are paper trays single-use plastic?
Uncoated paper trays are not single-use plastic products. Paper or board with a plastic lining or coating, including PE-coated trays, is treated as a single-use plastic product under the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904 and the Commission guidelines 2021/C 216/01, and it falls under the "food containers" category. Such a tray is not banned; it carries producer responsibility costs and national consumption-reduction measures. Aluminium trays are not plastic.
The guidelines set no minimum plastic share and do not name dispersion or water-based coatings, so "plastic-free" claims on coated trays need the supplier's written position on the polymer. Plastic plates are banned under Part B of the Directive. The guidelines describe a plate as a lidless, predominantly flat dish with a slightly raised edge used to serve or eat from, and a food container as a receptacle such as a box that contains food, so a tray with real walls is normally a food container while a very flat coated tray is a borderline case.
| Rule | Uncoated paper | PE-coated paper | Plastic (PP, PET, CPET) | Aluminium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU SUP Directive: food container in scope | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| EU: expanded polystyrene food containers banned (since 3 Jul 2021) | n/a | n/a | EPS banned; other plastics allowed | n/a |
| EU: plastic plates banned | n/a | Coated plates banned | Plates banned | n/a |
| England: single-use plastic ban (1 Oct 2023) for plates, trays, bowls | No | Yes, including plastic-coated paper, unless exempt packaging | Yes, unless exempt packaging | No |
| Netherlands: not for on-site consumption (since 1 Jan 2024) | No | Yes (partly plastic containers) | Yes | No |
| Germany: reusable-offer duty (Mehrwegangebotspflicht, since 1 Jan 2023) | Not triggered by uncoated paper | Generally treated as plastic-containing | Yes | Not triggered |
| Germany: Einwegkunststofffonds levy by weight | No | Yes where in SUP scope | Yes | No |
| PPWR Annex V from 1 Jan 2030 (food consumed on HORECA premises) | No | Covered at 5 % plastic or more under the Commission's non-binding notice C(2026) 3702 | Yes | No |
England exempts packaging: trays, bowls and plates filled at the point of sale, for example at a takeaway or bakery counter, are treated as packaging and are outside the ban, while the ban applies to empty items supplied to the public. Scotland (from 1 June 2022) and Wales (from 30 October 2023) ban plastic plates and cutlery and EPS containers but do not list trays or bowls. The German reusable-offer duty has an exemption for very small outlets. The Netherlands' to-go surcharge is, according to a December 2025 letter to Parliament, not enforced in 2026 and due to be abolished from 1 January 2027, while the duty to offer a reusable option or accept customers' own containers continues; the amending decree should be confirmed before relying on this.
Under the PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40, takeaway outlets must accept customers' own containers from 12 February 2027 and offer a reusable option from 12 February 2028 (micro-enterprises are exempt from the second duty), and PFAS limits for food-contact packaging apply from 12 August 2026. Obligations depend on the company's role (manufacturer, importer, distributor or food business operator) and should be confirmed with the competent authority or compliance scheme.
Each rule is covered in more depth in PPWR explained for foodservice buyers, Germany and Austria, Netherlands packaging compliance, UK packaging regulations and food-contact packaging compliance in the EU, UK and US.
How do the costs compare?
Compare total cost per served portion, not unit price. The raw material, tooling and print setup, freight volume, storage, labour and waste-related fees each move in different directions for each material, so a ranking depends on the project.
- Raw material: aluminium follows the commodity market, plastics follow resin prices, and paper follows pulp and board prices. The three have moved differently over time, so a quotation is only valid for its date.
- Tooling and print: custom printed paper trays need a cutting die and print setup, which makes them more suitable for runs where branding is valued than for tiny volumes. Stock aluminium and plastic trays carry no tooling and are usually available in small quantities, but offer little print surface.
- Freight and storage: nested plastic and glued paper trays take much more space than flat-pack paper blanks; aluminium nests compactly. See flat-pack vs pre-glued food trays for the storage calculation.
- Waste-related fees: producer responsibility and levies are often charged by weight and by material, so a lighter paper tray can reduce them, while a coated tray in SUP scope may add fees such as the German Einwegkunststofffonds levy. Check current rates with the relevant scheme.
- Labour: pre-glued paper, plastic and aluminium trays are ready to fill; flat-pack paper trays cost a few seconds each to fold.
- Minimum order quantity: custom print introduces MOQs that depend on material, size, print method and run configuration; see the MOQ guide and packaging cost drivers.
Which tray material suits which use case?
Match the material to the toughest thing the tray must do.
| Use case | Suggested material | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Fried snacks eaten within minutes, branded | Printed paper, grease-resistant or lightly coated | Print surface, no plastic layer needed |
| Saucy food held 10-20 minutes | PE-coated paper or a closed barrier container | Liquid resistance |
| Oven-reheated meals | Aluminium or CPET | Oven-safe |
| Cold salads, fruit, display | Clear plastic, or paper with window and barrier | Visibility, moisture |
| Kapsalon and kebab trays | Coated board tray, aluminium, or closed container | Heat, grease and weight |
| Delivery orders | Closed, vented box rather than any open tray | See takeaway boxes |
| On-premises eating in the Netherlands | Uncoated paper or reusable | Plastic-containing containers not permitted for on-site consumption |
What happens when you switch from plastic or aluminium to paper?
Expect differences in heat retention, stiffness and liquid resistance, and test before rollout. The most frequent issues are a tray that softens under sauce, corners that open when picked up and food that cools faster in an open paper tray than in a lidded plastic one.
- Switching from aluminium: check oven or hot-hold steps, as paper cannot replace foil in an oven. Consider a barrier-coated board tray or a closed container for heavy, saucy meals.
- Switching from plastic: check sauce resistance, nesting and the transparency that customers may be used to; a window or a printed image of the food can compensate.
- Rigidity: board gsm, tray depth and corner construction decide rigidity; thin, long trays flex more.
- Documentation: update the declaration of compliance, PFAS statement and the SUP position of any coating for each market.
Recycling outcomes depend on collection and sorting in each country. PE-coated paper trays are repulped in mills that can separate the film; clean aluminium is recycled where collected; mixed plastics are harder to sort. PPWR recyclability grades from 2030 will affect fees; see PPWR recyclability grades and recyclable vs compostable packaging. For the coating decision itself, see coatings for paper food trays.
Specification checklist for a material decision
- Food, temperature and holding time.
- Whether the tray is reheated, and how (microwave, oven, grill).
- Eat-in, takeaway or delivery share, by market.
- Current material and what is being replaced.
- Print requirement (full branding, labels only).
- Markets of sale, for SUP, EPR and food-contact documents.
- Storage and labour constraints at the site.
Send the details through our contact page; 9 Packaging supplies custom printed paper and board trays, and the material choice for each menu item can be reviewed at technical review. Return to the paper food tray hub for formats and print.