Tin foil

Tin foil or tinfoil is a thin leaf made of tin.

Commonly, it is a misnomer for aluminium foil, as tin foil was commercially available before the aluminium counterpart, and some people continue to refer to the new product by the name of the old one.

Tin foil is stiffer than aluminium foil. It tends to give a slight tin taste to food wrapped in it, which is major reason why it has largely been supplanted by aluminium and other materials for wrapping food.

The first audio recordings on phonograph cylinders were made on tin foil.

See also: tin foil hat