The raw material used in the iron box is tinplate, which originated abroad. This place has been rich in metals since ancient times, with advanced technology, and knows how to use water to engage in machine manufacturing. Tinplate has been produced since the 14th century. Later, it made a large number of iron containers (cans) for the armies of various countries and continues to be used today. A tinplate is an iron sheet with a layer of tin on its surface. It is not easy to rust. It is also called tinned iron. This kind of plated steel plate has long been called "tinplate" in China. Some people believe that it was called "tinplate" because the tinplate used to make cans was imported from Makou at that time. There are also other statements. For example, in the past, China used this tinned sheet to make the lamp cap of a kerosene lamp, which is shaped like a horse mouth, so it is called "tinplate". The name "tinplate" is not accurate. Therefore, it was renamed tinplate at the 1973 China tinplate conference, and the name "tinplate" is no longer used in official documents.

In order to reduce the production cost, not all tinplate surfaces have tin plating, and the thin plate without tin plating is called the substrate. Some substrates are galvanized or chrome-plated, which is different from tinned iron. This is a thin steel plate without tinning. Since tin is a precious metal, chromium and zinc are both cheaper than tin. If the tin foil is not plated on the surface of the tinplate, the most obvious thing is to reduce the production cost.

According to the different requirements of the packaging industry, the thickness, tin plating amount and mechanical properties of tinplate materials have different needs. Since its inception, tinplate has been developing towards using less tin, or even no tin, and reducing the substrate thickness of tinplate. The purpose is to adapt to the changes in can-making products and reduce the cost of can-making.