Container for liquids

A stackable container for surface coating materials which can be stacked in rows at a point of sale comprising a container having an open flat top and provided with a carrying handle pivotally mounted on the container adjacent the open top of the container for supporting the container and its contents, said pivotally mounted handle being mounted substantially off-center with respect to a vertical center plane of the container such that when a user holds the container suspended by the handle the container tips away from the handle such that a major part of the open top of the container is unobstructed by the presence of the handle and the user's hand, wherein the container has at least one pair of opposite sides which are straight and mutually parallel and the handle extends between said sides, and wherein the container is made of plastic material and comprises a thin-walled lower container body part having firmly secured thereto a separately formed plastic upper shroud part which is substantially flush with an outside surface of the lower container body part so as to form a substantially smooth upward external continuation of the lower container body part and which includes said flat open top of the container, said upper shroud comprising an opening to receive a circular lid for the container, a pouring channel which is uppermost on the container when the container tips during suspension by the handle, and a recess to accommodate the handle entirely within the confines of the laterally outermost and uppermost extents of the shroud part.