![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Cooper1.jpg/640px-Cooper1.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Cooper (profession)
Maker of staved vessels such as barrels / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Cooperage" redirects here. For 1976 documentary film, see Cooperage (film). For other uses, see Cooperage (disambiguation).
A cooper is a craftsman who produces wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs, and other similar containers from timber staves that were usually heated or steamed to make them pliable.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Cooper1.jpg/640px-Cooper1.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Preparando_una_Barrica.jpg/640px-Preparando_una_Barrica.jpg)
Journeymen coopers also traditionally made wooden implements, such as rakes and wooden-bladed shovels. In addition to wood, other materials, such as iron, were used in the manufacturing process. The trade is the origin of the surname Cooper.