Dilute tin, lead, and bismuth alloy crystals have been grown horizontally under conditions which gave rise to a cellular substructure and their decanted interfaces have been examined. From the results, it is concluded that the liquid film remaining after the decanting will only replicate those structural details of the original solid–liquid interface which are large and widely spaced compared with the thickness of the film. If the liquid undergoes a contraction on freezing, it may also reveal the presence of relatively deep and narrow depressions.