The birch bark box was a common item in the everyday life of Urals residents in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a cylindrical container made of several layers of birch bark and was considered one of the oldest types of Russian peasant utensils. It could serve as both home and travel utensils, in which it was possible to store and carry bulk products, for example, cereals, flour, salt, and could also be used for drinking and storing cooked food, and for collecting and storing berries.

Although in the 18th century, the economic life of the Nevyansk area revolved around the plant, by the end of the century, both trade and handicrafts and crafts began to develop more and more intensively. In the vicinity of metallurgical plants, the production of birch bark boxes began to actively develop, because the top layer of birch bark was required for their production. The blast furnaces of the metallurgical plants were fueled by charcoal. Coal obtained from birch firewood was especially appreciated: it burned, practically without forming gime and soot, and maintained a high temperature for a long time. After burning birch firewood into charcoal, a lot of birch bark remained.

The production of birch bark boxes was a rather complicated process. First, it was necessary to carefully remove the bark from the wood without damaging it. It was used to make the inner side of birch bark boxes: for this purpose, the birch bark was rolled up and fastened into a cylinder, which was called ‘skoloten.’ It had to be solid, without holes and damage, so that the liquid poured into it would not leak out. These cylinders were wrapped in birch bark on the front side, steamed under hot steam, and a wooden bottom was hammered into them from below. The lid with the handle was cut out separately. Finished products were decorated with painting, embossing, fretwork or scratched patterns. The birch bark box exhibited in the Nevyansk Historical and Architectural Museum is decorated with traditional Ural painting depicting flowers and berries.

Birch bark craftsmen sold their products at the Nevyansk fairs, which were held twice a year, and at the marketplaces, which were held every week on Sundays. Not only residents of the surrounding villages came there to buy goods, but also merchants from other cities of the Urals, Siberia and Central Russia.