Tins

Biscuit tins are rectangular or square tins originally designed to contain biscuits but the term is also used for similar shaped tins containing a variety of products. They are widely available throughout the world but especially in countries with strong connections with the UK. more...

Because of their attractive appearance, biscuit tins have often been used by charities and by some visitor attractions as fundraising devices since the value of the biscuits in a biscuit tin is substantially less than the price that many customers will happily pay for a tin of biscuits.

Biscuit tins are also used to sell a range of other products including cakes and assortments of sweets (candies).

Most biscuit tins are manufactured from tin plated sheet steel, cut and folded into a deep tin together with a shallow, close fitting lid. A typical tin for biscuits would be 235 mm by 215mm in cross section and between 90 mm and 120 mm deep. The cross-sectional shape of biscuit tins is almost never square although they appear square at first glance. The difference in dimensions between the width and the breadth allows the empty tins to be stacked together much more efficiently for transporting than would be possible if they were square. The narrow side fits comfortably inside the wider side of another tin.

Some biscuit tins are circular with a typical diameter of approximately 240 mm and a depth of between 100 mm and 120 mm.

Biscuit tins are remarkable for the range of designs applied to them and for their longevity in the marketplace. Biscuit tins were commonplace in the late 19th century and continue to be sold in their thousands in the 21st century. Biscuit tins have become both collectors' items and have been used in kitchens and larders across the English speaking world as storage tins for dry goods.

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