A tin box is a

tinplate Tinplate consists of sheet metal, sheets of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to impede rust, rusting. Before the advent of cheap mild steel, the backing metal (known as "") was wrought iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinp ...

container. Tinplate metal is primarily

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

with a very thin

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

coating. Tin-free steel is also used. In some cultures, these

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container with rigid sides used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides (typically rectangular prisms). Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or v ...

es or cans are referred to as "tin boxes" or sometimes even "tins". Many “tin boxes” have

hinge A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation, with all ...

d or removable lids or covers. Some people collect tin boxes as a hobby.

Cans

These tinplate cans are often used to package breath mints, throat lozenges, instant coffee, biscuits and holiday treats. Highly decorated "holiday tins" are sold during the holiday season and are popular gifts, and often contain cookies, candy, or popcorn. Similar festive containers are used in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

for sweets, biscuits, cakes and chocolates, mainly during Christmas, rather than in the summer holidays and in countries with

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

associations, they are usually called "biscuit tins". In

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

butter cookie Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its textu ...

s in tins are produced and sold there, and are also exported to other countries. These types of smaller tin boxes are sometimes reused to store items, or to create kits, such as a

survival kit A survival kit is a package of basic tools and supplies prepared as an aid to survival skills, survival in an emergency. Civil and military aircraft, lifeboat (shipboard), lifeboats, and spacecraft are equipped with survival kits. Survival ki ...

. A hobby involves modifying tin boxes with decorations and embellishments. File:Museum Wilhelmsbau FEBRERO Schimmelpenninck cigars tin box.JPG, A cigar tin box File:20050522-0357 KUB Isle-sur-Sorgues-Ausschnitt.jpg, A bouillon cube tin can File:Heinrich Haeberlein 002.JPG, A gingerbread container File:Groot geel ORLA blik van ALGRAs koffiebranderij & theehandel nv Zwolle, foto4.JPG, A coffee or tea container File:Display box - tins of cookies.jpg, Display box with tinplate cans of

mooncake A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. ...

Construction

Some types of metal tins or cans have hinged covers; Others cans have removable

interference fit An interference fit, also known as a pressed fit or friction fit, is a form of fastening between two tightfitting mating parts that produces a joint which is held together by friction after the parts are pushed together. Depending on the amoun ...

covers or lids. The lid, which sometimes is hinged to the body of the container, is often held in place when closed by friction. In other cases, two protruding lugs can pass each other only when the lid and the rest of the box are deformed slightly: pressure from the user's hands is sufficient to produce this deformation, while the parts resist this somewhat, and are flexible enough to recover their normal shape when released.

Collecting

Some people collect these types of tin boxes. For example, Yvette Dardenne in Belgium has amassed a collection of approximately 56,800 tin boxes over two decades.

Gift Boxes

Some companies also use

to make gift cans and boxes, like Candle tin, Coin bank, Christmas tin box, Easter egg tin etc.

Trunks

Trunks and

chest The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

s are sometimes constructed of tinplate. These large boxes often have a hinged top cover and are sometimes highly decorated.

Cans

Construction

Collecting

Gift Boxes

Trunks

See also

References

Further reading