Tin can is a container used for packaging, transporting, and marketing hundreds of food and nonfood items for home and industry. Most tin cans are made of steel covered with a thin coat of tin. But millions of cans contain no tin at all and many are made entirely of aluminum. The first tin cans were handmade and sealed with solder. Today, manufacturers make and seal them on a series of machines called a can line that produce more than 500 a minute. The shape, size, and construction of cans differ to meet the specific need of the product they contain. But cylindrical cans are most commonly used. Many tin cans have enamel on the inside to prevent discoloration of the food. Perishable foods are preserved by heating the sealed can. In 1963, an Ohio man received a patent on a “tab-opening” tin can. The user opens the can by pulling off a strip of aluminum on top. In the 1960’s, steel companies began making thin tin for tin cans. It is thinner and lighter than the usual tin plate used in tin cans.
