Aluminum Foil Container Lid Compatibility Chart 2026: Match Qixin Tray Models to Closure Routes

Aluminum foil container lid compatibility takes more than a shared length-and-width label. First, the rim has to mate correctly. Then the closure has to stay put after filling and make it through the actual equipment, food, temperature and distribution route.

The 2026 aluminum foil container lid compatibility chart maps current Qixin tray models to the closure routes named or shown in Qixin’s public product records. It also grades the evidence behind each row. Qixin does not publish a separate lid part number for every tray. Where a code or route is missing, the table says confirm instead of filling the gap with a guess.

Catalog reviewed: August 2026. Treat each catalog match as a shortlist. A third-party lid, new food, sealing-machine setting or finished pack still needs its own approval.

A lid match has four separate gates

When someone says the lid fits, find out what was actually checked. It may mean that the lid merely sits on an empty tray, or that a closed pack has passed the intended process. The four checks below keep those claims separate.

In practice, these gates often split. An aluminum cover may sit correctly but crimp poorly at one corner. A film may seal strongly on a laboratory strip but channel on the production tray. A clear formed lid may snap onto an empty rim and lift after hot filling. Call the pair compatible only for the gate that has been checked.

Qixin aluminum foil container lid compatibility chart 2026

How to read the evidence column

A means the Qixin product page names the route and media assigned to that exact product shows or names a matching/fitted lid. B means product copy and the same model’s gallery indicate a route, but no public lid part number or fit record exists. C means the public page and gallery use incomplete or conflicting closure names. A, B and C are catalog-evidence levels, not quality grades.

A and A/B: direct same-model evidence

B: route or fitted-lid media without a public part number

C: public route names that need clarification

The C rows flag a common procurement problem. Film lid, clear lid and plastic lid can describe different constructions and different closing methods. A photo cannot resolve the material, sealant, capture feature or temperature scope. Ask Qixin to identify the current item before quoting it as a matched component.

Close-size examples: when one shared number creates the wrong conclusion

QXD1 and QXD2: same capacity and width, different lid records

QXD1 and QXD2 are both published as 1,200 ml divided trays. Both have a nominal width of 178 mm. QXD1 is 230 mm long and has two compartments; QXD2 is 227 mm long and has three. Qixin’s media library contains a separately fitted aluminum lid image for each model.

Qixin’s two fitted-lid images justify two separate model records, not one universal 178 mm divided-tray lid. The three-millimeter length difference is easy to see, but it tells only part of the story. The perimeter, corner path, rolled edge and closure action must also agree. Keep QXD1 and QXD2 separate until a current Qixin drawing and physical cross-fit test explicitly release interchangeability.

QXS1 and QXS2: a one-millimeter label difference is not a verdict

QXS1 is published at 184 x 127 mm. QXS2 is published at 184 x 126 mm. One millimeter may be smaller than the meaningful clearance in one formed-lid design and decisive in another. Without the rim and lid drawings, neither conclusion is defensible.

Compare the top-out and top-in dimensions, corner radii, rim/curl or seal land, and the feature that actually retains the lid. The separate container dimension guide shows where those measurements are taken. For lid matching, they matter where they change the joint between tray and lid.

The mating feature changes with the lid construction

Novelis’ OHLER packaging catalog separates outside top dimensions, inside dimensions, bottom dimensions, rim design and lidding design. It also distinguishes full-curl, vertical curled and vertical folded rims. The catalog treats the envelope and the joint as separate questions: dimensions describe the envelope, while the rim and lid construction define the joint.

Crimped aluminum and board lids need the correct retaining edge

A flat aluminum or foil-board lid normally depends on a tray edge that can be folded, crimped or otherwise captured around the insert. The lid outline must sit inside the intended retaining path without bridging a corner or leaving too little material for the edge to close. A loose insert can shift; an oversized insert can bow; an undersized insert can escape the crimp.

Top-out size and lid blank size are different measurements. Depending on the construction, the lid may sit inside the outer curl, overlap a land or use a formed edge of its own. Ask for the lid drawing rather than copying the tray dimension. For selection among aluminum, board, plastic and film routes, use Qixin’s aluminum foil container lids guide.

A formed clear lid captures a bead, curl or rim profile

A plastic snap or dome lid is three-dimensional. Its skirt, groove, corner radii and local undercut determine whether it captures the tray. Two lids can share an outside length and still engage different rim profiles. The lid’s own forming variation and temperature history also affect the fit.

Walk the full perimeter after closing. A strong click on two sides confirms only those two sides. Check for whitening, skirt flare, corner lift and a lid that rocks when pressed. Repeat the inspection after the intended hot-fill, chill or cold-display condition.

Heat-seal film mates through chemistry, flatness and process

A heat-seal film bonds rather than snapping into place. Its sealant must bond to the actual tray surface under a defined temperature, pressure and dwell time. The tray needs a usable seal land around the full perimeter. Wrinkles, contamination, rim waves, coating changes or poor tool contact can interrupt that land even when the die-cut film outline is correct.

ASTM F2029 treats laboratory heat-seal curves as a starting relationship and warns that production equipment can behave differently. Put a supplier’s generic temperature range into the trial plan, then build the line recipe from recorded results. Keep the film construction, tray finish, sealer, tooling and line conditions with the approval pack.

How to qualify a replacement lid without guessing from size

1. Freeze the identities. Record tray code, lid code if one exists, supplier, drawing revision, material and lot. Photograph labels before loose parts are mixed.
2. Compare the mating drawings. Check top-out/top-in, corner radii, rim/curl or seal land, lid outline/skirt and orientation features. Treat nominal length and width as screening values.
3. Inspect empty fit. Close the lid using the intended method. Map gaps, lift, skirt engagement, crimp continuity or film position around the full perimeter.
4. Run the real closing process. Use the production crimper, snap method or heat sealer. Record the machine, tooling, settings, line speed and any rim damage or misfeed.
5. Condition the finished pack. Fill the real food to the intended level and run the stated hot, chilled, frozen, reheated or ambient sequence.
6. Test distribution and opening. Apply the relevant stack, handling, tilt, transport and consumer-opening checks. Record the result together with the failure location and mode.
7. Issue a limited release record. Name the exact tray, lid, food, process and conditions approved. List changes that trigger requalification.

Small purchasing changes can reopen the compatibility decision

Recheck the matched set when the tray model, lid supplier, drawing, rim tool, material/finish, film sealant or closure tooling changes. A new recipe, fill, temperature path or distribution condition can also reopen the decision. A commercial name may stay the same while the mating part changes. Keep the approved sample and drawing revision with the release record.

Qualify a third-party lid under its own identity. A statement that it fits QXS3 size is weaker than a record naming the exact QXS3 drawing revision, the third-party lid drawing, closing method and finished-pack results.

For heat-sealed lids, use an evidence ladder instead of one leak test

Seal strength, whole-perimeter opening force and gross leak detection answer different questions. Choose a method because it matches the failure you need to control, then state its limits.

Pactiv Evergreen draws the same line in its two-piece aluminum-container catalog. It publishes explicit base and lid product-number matches, then tells customers to test under their own recipes, process and supply-chain conditions. The records answer different questions: the code match identifies the pair; the finished-pack release defines where it may be used.

What a mismatch pattern tells you to compare next

Photograph the whole closed pack before removing the lid. Mark orientation and keep the failed tray and lid together. A symptom points to the next comparison; it rarely proves one cause by itself.

If a combination worked at first and later fails during delivery, freezing or oven use, see Qixin’s separate lid failure guide. Use the model chart here for the initial match and qualification.

A tray-and-lid approval record should survive the next reorder

Keep one record that purchasing, production and quality can all read. Do not leave the lid identity in an email subject line or rely on a photo of two loose parts.

What to send Qixin for a matched tray-and-lid review

Send the tray code or drawing and the current lid code, drawing or physical sample. Add photos of the closed perimeter and identify the closure equipment, food, fill, time-temperature path, distribution conditions and required market documents. If the tray comes from another supplier, mark every measured reference and include the rim/corner section. Qixin can then confirm which current product or custom route should be reviewed rather than guessing from a market size name.

Sources and method

We built the Qixin chart from current public product pages and media records assigned to the named models. We assigned A, B or C according to whether those records agree, not according to how polished a product photo looks. We did not create any lid SKU. Product availability and specifications can change, so request the current matched set before ordering.

The table format was benchmarked against Pactiv Evergreen’s two-piece aluminum-container catalog, which publishes explicit lid/base product-number matches. Rim and lidding terminology was checked against the Novelis OHLER Packaging Systems catalog. The system-fit principle was also compared with Handi-foil’s pan-and-lid guidance.

Heat-seal method boundaries come from ASTM F2029, F88/F88M, F2824 and D3078. We use each method only for the question and limit stated in the evidence table; tray shape, food and the finished-pack risk still govern the test plan.

Aluminum foil container lid compatibility FAQ

Can two aluminum foil trays with the same top dimensions use the same lid?

Sometimes, but top dimensions alone do not settle it. Compare the top-in size, corner radii, rim/curl or seal land and the lid’s retaining geometry. Treat two models as interchangeable only when a manufacturer lists the match, or when drawings and a finished-pack test confirm it.

What do A, B and C mean in the Qixin chart?

A means the same Qixin product record both names the closure route and has matching/fitted-lid media. B means product copy and gallery evidence indicate a route but no public lid part number or test record exists. C means the public route names are incomplete or conflicting. They describe public evidence, not product quality.

How do I identify the correct Qixin lid when no separate lid code is published?

Start with the exact tray code and send Qixin the intended lid material, closing method, food/fill and temperature path. Ask for the current matched lid specification and drawing. If replacing an existing lid, send its code/drawing or an identified physical sample rather than only its outside dimensions.

Does a clear snap lid fitting the tray prove that heat-seal film will work?

No. A formed lid captures a rim mechanically. Heat-seal film depends on the film sealant, tray surface, seal-land geometry and production sealing conditions. The two routes need separate specifications and separate qualification.

Does a lid fitting an empty room-temperature tray prove the pack is leakproof?

No. Empty fit checks mating geometry. Leakage and retention can change with food on the rim, fill level, internal pressure, hot filling, chilling, freezing, stacking and transport. Test the closed finished pack through the intended use path.

What information should be included in a tray-and-lid RFQ?

Include tray and lid identities/drawings, materials and finishes, and the closing method/equipment. Add the food and target fill, storage/heating path, distribution conditions, test and acceptance requirements, market documents and requalification triggers.