Tin can

Tin can

A tin can or steel can is a container made of thin metal to hold food, water, or other products. They are opened by a can opener, but some may be opened by a hand.

These cans were made of tinplate, which is iron covered in a thin layer of tin to stop rust. Tinplate is still used to coat cans for fruit and fruit juices. Today, tin cans have a thin plastic layer.

Tin cans were made using tinplate and solder, but the solder was very poisonous because it had lead in it. These poisonous solders were banned in the United States in the 1990s, but lead may be in tin cans.