Steel and tin cans

A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English), or can is a container made of thin metal, for distribution or storage of goods. Some cans are opened by removing the top panel with a can opener or other tool; others have covers removable by hand without a tool. Cans can store a broad variety of contents: food, beverages, oil, chemicals, etc.

Steel cans were traditionally made of tinplate; the tin coating stopped the contents from rusting the steel. Tinned steel is still used, especially for fruit juices and pale canned fruit. Modern cans are often made from steel lined with transparent films made from assorted plastics, instead of tin. Some are made from aluminum. Early cans were often soldered with neurotoxic high-lead solders. High-lead solders were banned in the 1990s in the United States,^[1] but smaller amounts of lead were still often present in both the solder used to seal cans and in the mostly-tin linings.

Metal cans are still (inaccurately) widely called "tin cans"; in some dialects, even aluminium cans are called "tin cans".^[2]

Cans are highly recyclable and around 65% of steel cans are recycled.^[3]