Since the end of the Stone age we have been using metal. In fact, two ages of human establishment and development are named after it, namely the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. This is where humans begin to use these metals for the first time. They were used to make weapons, jewellery and armour plus useful things like farming equipment such as ploughs. We have taken the base metals and added chemicals or other natural ingredients to make metals stronger and rust resistant in the shape of alloys. This is so we can use them from anything like oil rigs to a Metal Meter Box like the ones from https://www.meterbox.co.uk/ on the side of your house.
- Tin. Tin is excellent and conducts electricity. It is also used in the storage of food products but with a thin coating of the next metal.
- Aluminium. You most likely find your metal box is made of this as it is very good at resisting rust.
- Steel. Steel is one of the many alloys created from iron. It is added to carbon and heated to an extremely high temperature to create a strong and yet adaptable metal.
- Nickel. This is a rare metal that is found where there has been meteorite activity. It is used for electroplating as it can protect from heat and cold extremes plus it rarely rusts.
There are many more.