# Tin foil: Commonly used term, but was there ever such a consumer product? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059 "2009-01-26T15:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/61 "2017-02-22T13:36:29Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Tin foil also is (or was) used as a dental filling material, and so can be bought from dental supply companies. But [the price may be a bit steep for casual purchase.](https://www.net32.com/ec/tinfoil-001-1-pound-d-88960) One can probably also buy it from chemical suppliers, but their prices are probably even higher. Yeah, that occurred to me, which is why I was specifically interested in knowing if it’s still available on the retail market. I wouldn’t mind paying three or four times what I’d pay for a roll of the aluminum stuff, but $84.99 for medical-grade tin foil is a bit out of my league. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/62 "2017-02-22T15:10:41Z")
Seven years ago, **Exapno Mapcase** was considering whether or not use/disuse of “tin foil” was a regionalism. One more data point: even in 2017, even among young people, “tin foil” is the default term in the dialect around here (SE Louisiana). “Foil” is used as well, especially within kitchen/cooking contexts. “Aluminum foil” is understood locally and not thought of as incorrect – rather, it is thought of as stilted speech. Asking for the “aluminum foil” in conversation locally is akin to asking for the “adhesive bandages” or “cotton swabs” instead of the “Band-Aids” or “Q-Tips”. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/63 "2017-02-22T15:14:41Z")
In central IN where I grew up, we always just called it foil. I don’t remember hearing “Tinfoil” until I moved to south GA. Of course, they pronounce the L in salmon down here, too. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/64 "2017-02-22T15:42:09Z")
On searching my local [Amazon.de](http://Amazon.de), I’ve just discovered that you can still buy [real metal tinsel](https://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?field-keywords=stanniol). [This brand](https://www.amazon.de/Mappe-Bleilametta-Hergestellt-Deutschland-Stanniol-Bleilametta/dp/B01AZDE732/ref=sr_1_2), for example, is “nostalgic, original, real, heavy, quality tinsel, just like our grandparents loved”, made from “98% lead and 2% tin cladding”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/65 "2017-02-22T17:31:44Z")
My Mom called it tin foil, but the only context I hear tin foil in, is in stuff like “tinfoil hat” or “that car crumpled like it was made of tin foil”. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/66 "2017-02-22T17:57:02Z")
Of course, tea chests ( which were squarish, about 18" x 18" x 2’ 6" and could be only half filled with books — they can still be had 2nd-hand for about £10 ) were not the only lead-lined boxes. Apart from lining coffins — particularly for long journeys in the sun — there were actual lead coffins in Roman times; and I have come across references to corpses being rolled up in lead foil, like sausage rolls or Mongol carpets. An undertaker on the web offers ‘Lead lining of coffin. £325’ for the stylish. And this **[firm](http://flexmort.com/cadseal/)** has… _Flexmort’s CadSeal seals the deceased in a special metal containment film. CadSeal provides several benefits to those dealing with the deceased and is extensively used for repatriation as well as hygiene sealing. To see a video please see bottom of our home page (at about 2 mins 43 secs)._ I passed on the video. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/67 "2017-02-22T18:18:58Z")
Now I wonder why it’s called foil. Foil means to prevent or defeat. The detective foiled the plot to kill the mayor. Somehow foil became known as a thin sheet of metal. Did the manufacturers just adopt the word and it got into our culture? > **[Definition of FOIL](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foil)** > > to prevent from attaining an end : defeat; to bring to naught : thwart; trample… See the full definition ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/68 "2017-02-22T18:25:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Now I wonder why it’s called foil. > > Foil means to prevent or defeat. The detective foiled the plot to kill the mayor. > > Somehow foil became known as a thin sheet of metal. Did the manufacturers just adopt the word and it got into our culture? > > [Foil Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foil) [Etymology here.](http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Foil) Its usage meaning thin sheet of metal goes back to the 14th century in English. It comes from a different root than your verb. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/69 "2017-02-22T19:50:05Z")
Thank you pulykamell Another nagging question solved. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/70 "2017-02-22T20:20:14Z")
> [@DfrntBreign](#): > > I think the more relevant question is “How did your generation get so fragile?” Environmental toxins … 😛 > [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s quite common to hear people calling it ‘silver foil’ here in my part of the UK - (because that’s what colour it is - I don’t suppose anyone imagines it is made from silver) That’s because you don’t live in _\_ 😉 And now I have [Weird Al](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urglg3WimHA) stuck in my head - which didn’t happen the first time this thread did the rounds 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/71 "2017-02-23T01:57:12Z")
Even though it’s an old thread, what about “tin cans”? And of course the Brits still have tins of things. Here in Michigan it’s a can of beans when it’s full, but it might be just an empty tin can when it’s empty. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/72 "2017-02-23T02:37:18Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The bottom line is that aluminum is a fairly modern material, whereas tin has been known about for many centuries – perhaps even as far back as ancient times. So before there was aluminium foil, there was tin foil. > > Ed No perhaps about it. Tin has been the second major component of bronze since roughly the 3rd millenium B.C. (before that bronze was made with arsenic). ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/73 "2017-02-23T03:12:34Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Tin foil also is (or was) used as a dental filling material, and so can be bought from dental supply companies. But [the price may be a bit steep for casual purchase.](https://www.net32.com/ec/tinfoil-001-1-pound-d-88960) One can probably also buy it from chemical suppliers, but their prices are probably even higher. > > If you do end up purchasing some to compare it to aluminum foil, be sure that the thicknesses are comparable. It’s probably not terribly illustrative to compare a .001" thickness of aluminum foil with a .005" thickness of tin foil, for example. Dentist here. I believe the tin foil is currently used in lab work as a spacer for dies and models. At one time I believe it was used as filing material but not widely since the 19th century. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/74 "2017-02-23T03:27:59Z")
I’m from Michigan. Roughly 20 years ago I heard a chemistry teacher chastise a student for using “tin foil”, simply because it was not actually made out of tin any more. So clearly kids were picking up on “tin foil” but pedantic adults were very keen on making sure kids spoke correctly. (No, I was not that student.) I don’t think “tin foil” is used in this household, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandmother used it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/75 "2017-02-23T03:31:40Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Even though it’s an old thread, what about “tin cans”? What about them? Calling something a tin can is an increasingly obsolete usage that has been [declining continually since WWII](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tin+can&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ctin%20can%3B%2Cc0), just about the same time that [aluminum foil zoomed past tin foil](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tin+foil%2C+aluminum+foil&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ctin%20foil%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Caluminum%20foil%3B%2Cc0) in usage. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/76 "2017-02-23T07:26:12Z")
Tin cans usually aren’t tin these days. If you really want a tin can, most of the time these days you’ll end up with tin-coated steel. No matter what they are made out of, a lot of folks will still call them a tin can, at least around here. Incidentally, there are two main methods I’ve seen to produce tin/aluminum/steel cans. The first way is to start with a flat sheet of metal, bend it around into a cylinder, weld or solder the joint, then attach the top and bottom. The second way is to start with a flat disk of metal and stamp it into a can shape, then keep stretching it to make it taller. With the first method, you can use a can opener on the bottom just as easily as the top. With the second method, you end up with a smooth corner on the bottom which prevents a can opener from easily being used on it. Whatever metal they use, it’s often coated with something to prevent it from interacting with its contents, especially if those contents are acidic. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/77 "2017-02-23T08:42:10Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > I’m from Michigan. Roughly 20 years ago I heard a chemistry teacher chastise a student for using “tin foil”, simply because it was not actually made out of tin any more. So clearly kids were picking up on “tin foil” but pedantic adults were very keen on making sure kids spoke correctly. I hope that chemistry teacher got smacked down by some student the next time he used terms such as “clothes iron”, “dry cleaning”, “guinea pig”, “peanut”, and “jellyfish”. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/78 "2017-02-23T13:18:19Z")
_Mythbusters_ did an [episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZSkM-QEeUg) where they made a floating “lead balloon” out of lead foil. So that’s clearly available in decent quantities. But of course the original posters to this thread would not have known about this episode. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/79 "2017-02-23T13:55:08Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > …which was also used to make Christmas tree tinsel, incidentally. Problem is, you need to put it on and remove it one strand at a time. That’s right! I forgot about the lead tinsel of my childhood. Thanks for the memories. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059/80 "2017-02-23T14:05:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > … just about the same time that [aluminum foil zoomed past tin foil](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tin+foil%2C+aluminum+foil&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Ctin%20foil%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Caluminum%20foil%3B%2Cc0) in usage. In a selection of written material, correct? Google Ngram data doesn’t suggest anything about spoken-word usage, I don’t believe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tin-foil-commonly-used-term-but-was-there-ever-such-a-consumer-product/483059.md?page=5)