Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd.
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Kyoto-based specialist in metal foils and metal powders, operating since 1700 and supplying automotive, electronics, and IT industries.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer headquartered in Yamashina-ku, Kyoto, specializing in metal foils and metal powders. The company traces its origins to 1700, when Fukuda Benseki began trading gold and silver leaf and powder in the Muromachi district of Kyoto. For roughly two centuries it supplied gold and silver foil and related decorative materials for traditional crafts such as folding screens, maki-e lacquerware, and Buddhist altars. In the Meiji era it moved its manufacturing to Yamakoshi in Kyoto and gradually expanded into other metals, industrializing brass powder production and later developing electrolytic copper powder and foil. It was incorporated in 1935 and renamed Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd. in 1940. Today the company produces more than 1,000 types of metal powders and a wide range of metal foils and processed products. Its materials are used in information equipment, home appliances, automobiles, pigments and paints, and daily necessities. The company positions itself as a "Metal Stylist," designing the internal structure and surface morphology of metal foils and powders to create thinner and finer metal materials. It operates domestic plants in Kyoto and Shiga, branch offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kansai, and overseas subsidiaries in Suzhou, China. As of the latest company information, it has 648 employees and capital of 700 million yen, and is led by President Hiroki Fukuda.
History
The history of Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd. begins in 1700 (Genroku 13), when Fukuda Benseki started a gold and silver foil and powder business in Muromachi, Kyoto. The company notes that Benseki was 52 at the time, and that he may have actually begun the trade decades earlier, but 1700 is taken as the founding year based on surviving records. In 1715, the second generation, Fukuda Renseki, inherited the family business, and in 1775 he wrote a family code called "Ie no nae" that helped solidify the business foundation. For about 200 years, the business focused on gold and silver foil and related products for traditional crafts such as folding screens, maki-e, and Buddhist altars, as well as gold paste made from reused foil scraps. During the Edo period, the sale of gold and silver foil and powder required shogunate authorization, as evidenced by surviving late-Edo licenses. In 1879, a brass powder factory was opened opposite the Izutsuya store. In 1881, the sixth generation, Fukuda Sennosuke, inherited the business and changed the trade name to "Fukuda Shigeshoten." In 1905, the company received an order for gold leaf for the construction of the Crown Prince's Palace, and in 1908 it opened the Yamashina Factory, where waterwheel-powered brass powder production began. In 1909, it received an order for 85,000 sheets of gold leaf and gold folding screens for the relocation of Ise Shrine. In 1915, orders for brass powder poured in from overseas, and a trade department was established. In 1921, production of copper powder for carbon brushes began. In 1924, a Tokyo branch was opened. In 1929, the company received an order for several hundred thousand sheets of gold leaf for the relocation of Ise Shrine. In 1931, a tin foil factory was opened. In 1933, Fukuda Shigeshoten Tin & Aluminum Foil Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was established (later Nippon Foil Manufacturing Co., Ltd.). In 1935, the business was reorganized as a joint-stock company with capital of 500,000 yen, and the third-generation Shigesuke became the first president. In 1936, production of electrolytic copper powder began. In 1937, development of electrolytic copper foil began, and production of aluminum foil by beating started. In 1938, an Osaka branch was opened, and trial production of tin and nickel powder by electrolysis succeeded. In 1940, the company changed its name to Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd. In 1941, trial production of aluminum powder by distillation succeeded. In 1944, the Yamashina Factory became a jointly managed factory of the Navy and Army. In 1945, the Tokyo branch was destroyed by air raids (rebuilt in 1946), and the Yamashina Factory produced flour and cornmeal. In 1947, the eighth generation, Kaichi Fukuda, became the second president, and Nippon Powder Alloy Co., Ltd. was established. In 1950, a Nagoya branch was opened. In 1953, capital was increased to 10 million yen. In 1955, electrolytic copper powder production capacity was expanded to 20 tons per month. In 1956, production of electrolytic copper foil for printed wiring boards began. In 1957, capital was increased to 50 million yen, and production of low-melting-point atomized metal powder began. In 1958, production of long electrolytic copper foil (roll) began, and the company obtained its first patent for gold watercolor paint. In 1960, the company emblem was established, capital was increased to 80 million yen, and production of silver powder for conductive materials (Silcoat) began. In 1962, capital was increased to 120 million yen, and the Technical Research Laboratory was completed. In 1963, sales of cermet powder got on track. In 1964, capital was increased to 160 million yen. In 1965, sales of silver powder for conductive materials (Silcoat) began. In 1967, capital was increased to 200 million yen. In 1969, four patents were obtained for self-fluxing nickel alloy powder (FUKUDALLOY). In 1971, capital was increased to 320 million yen. In 1975, due to the oil shock, production was adjusted and operations were temporarily suspended; mass production of high-melting-point atomized metal powder began. In 1980, the company received the Japan Powder Metallurgy Association Award for atomized copper alloy powder. In 1981, Masao Yamamoto became the third president. In 1986, the Shiga Factory was opened. In 1988, capital was increased to 700 million yen. In 1994, Suzhou Fukuda Metal Co., Ltd. was established in China. In 2003, Suzhou Fukuda High-Tech Powder Co., Ltd. was established in China. In 2025, Hiroki Fukuda became president.
- 1950
Opens Nagoya branch.
- 1947
Eighth generation Kaichi Fukuda becomes second president; Nippon Powder Alloy Co., Ltd. is established.
- 1945
Tokyo branch destroyed by air raids (rebuilt in 1946); Yamashina Factory produces flour and cornmeal.
- 1944
Yamashina Factory becomes a jointly managed factory of the Navy and Army.
- 1941
Succeeds in trial production of aluminum powder by distillation.
- 1940
Changes company name to Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd.
- 1938
Opens Osaka branch; succeeds in trial production of tin and nickel powder by electrolysis.
- 1937
Begins development of electrolytic copper foil and production of aluminum foil by beating.
- 1936
Begins production of electrolytic copper powder.
- 1935
Reorganizes as a joint-stock company with capital of 500,000 yen; third-generation Shigesuke becomes first president.
Products and positioning
Specialist manufacturer of metal foils and powders, branding itself as a "Metal Stylist" that designs metal materials to be thinner and finer for diverse industrial applications.
Metal Powder
Over 1,000 types of metal powders for various industrial applications, supported by integrated R&D from basic research to applied development.
Metal Foil
Metal foils and processed products for packaging, construction, electronic materials, and other applications.
Electrolytic copper foil for printed wiring boards
Produced since 1956; a key product for electronics.
Electrolytic copper powder
Produced since 1936; used in various industrial applications.
Brass powder by stamping method
A best-selling product line produced for over a century, widely used in printing applications.
Conductive silver powder (Silcoat)
Production began in 1960 and sales in 1965; used in conductive materials.
Self-fluxing nickel alloy powder (FUKUDALLOY)
Patented in 1969; used in thermal spraying and other applications.
Atomized metal powders
Includes low-melting-point and high-melting-point atomized powders, produced since the 1950s and 1970s respectively.
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