Tin

Overview

Three takeaways

1. The world mines about 300 kt of tin a year, and supply is highly concentrated – led by China, Indonesia and Myanmar.
2. More than half of tin (about 51%) goes into solders that join circuits in electronics and photovoltaics.
3. Tin is one of the conflict minerals (3TG) – EU importers are subject to due-diligence obligations (Regulation (EU) 2017/821).

Tin is one of civilisation's oldest metals and, at the same time, a quiet foundation of the digital age. It is tin – as solder – that joins the components in every electronic circuit, from a smartphone to a photovoltaic panel and a car controller. It is often called the "conductive glue" of modern technology: inconspicuous, rarely visible, yet irreplaceable. Although in tonnage terms tin is one of the smaller non-ferrous metals (world mine production is about 300 thousand tonnes a year, against millions of tonnes of copper or aluminium), its strategic importance is disproportionately large.

Properties and quirks

Tin (Sn, from the Latin stannum) is a silvery-white metal with an exceptionally low melting point – 231.9 °C – which flows readily and forms durable bonds with other metals. This is precisely what makes it an ideal joining medium. Tin is soft, malleable, corrosion-resistant and – in its inorganic form – non-toxic, which is why it has protected food in tinplate for more than two centuries. The metal also harbours two curiosities: when bent it emits a characteristic crackle (the "tin cry"), caused by the twinning of its crystals; and below about 13.2 °C white tin (β) slowly transforms into a brittle, powdery grey form (α) – "tin pest", the historical explanation for the crumbling of tin buttons or organ pipes in frosty climates.

From the Bronze Age to the silicon era

Tin powered the first materials revolution in history. Added to copper it forms bronze – an alloy harder and more durable than pure copper, which gave its name to an entire age. The search for tin deposits (the ore is cassiterite) shaped ancient trade routes, and the tin mines of Cornwall were for centuries one of the pillars of the European economy. In the 20th century tin moved seamlessly from the Bronze Age to the age of electronics: the same metal that joined bells and vessels today joins microprocessors. Few raw materials combine such deep historical continuity with such a modern application.

Tin, the human being and everyday life

The human relationship with tin is paradoxical. Inorganic tin compounds are of low toxicity – which is why the metal has long protected food in cans. Organotin compounds, by contrast, can be highly toxic, and many of their uses (e.g. as biocides or stabilisers) have been restricted in the EU under chemicals law (REACH). This is a good illustration that safety is determined not by the element itself but by its chemical form. In everyday life tin is ubiquitous, though invisible: it joins the circuits in a phone, a computer and every electronic device; it protects food in cans; it creates the smooth surface of almost every pane of glass (the float method); it is present in bronze bells, sculptures and instruments.

Market

Market and production – geography and supply concentration

World tin mine production is about 300 thousand tonnes a year. Supply is heavily concentrated geographically: the leader is China (about 69 thousand t and the largest reserves – about 1 million t), with Indonesia (about 50 thousand t), Myanmar (about 34 thousand t), Peru (about 31 thousand t), Brazil (about 29 thousand t), DR Congo (about 25 thousand t) and Bolivia (about 21 thousand t) in the top tier. World reserves exceed 4.2 million tonnes. This concentration – combined with the location of a significant share of deposits in areas of elevated geopolitical risk – makes the tin supply chain vulnerable. The United States has not mined tin since 1993 and is almost entirely dependent on imports.

World refined tin production reached about 371 thousand tonnes in 2024, with about 63% coming from just ten of the largest smelters – another sign of concentration. Tin is also one of the more expensive base metals: the average price on the London Metal Exchange (LME) in 2024 was about USD 30,800 per tonne, many times more than for zinc or lead.

The ethical and regulatory dimension – conflict minerals (3TG)

Tin is a special metal in regulatory terms as well. It is one of the four so-called "conflict minerals" (3TG) – alongside tantalum, tungsten and gold. EU Regulation 2017/821, in force since 1 January 2021, imposes on importers of tin (and its ore, cassiterite) due-diligence obligations in the supply chain, aligned with OECD guidance. The aim is to ensure that the tin trade does not finance armed conflict or involve human-rights abuses, particularly in the African Great Lakes region and South-East Asia. Tin also appears on the United States critical minerals list, and the International Tin Association points to its recognition as critical or strategic in many jurisdictions. For companies this means that tin is not only a technical raw material but also subject to growing compliance and responsible-sourcing requirements.

Applications

Applications – from solder to glass and packaging

More than half of the world's tin (about 51%) goes into solders – alloys that join components on printed circuit boards. It is tin that physically and electrically bonds every circuit: without it, no smartphone, computer or controller would exist. Under environmental regulation, the industry has switched almost entirely to lead-free solders (about 92% in 2023), in which tin has replaced lead. A thin coating of tin on steel (tinplate) protects food and beverage cans from corrosion – a key advantage of tin is at work here: inorganic tin compounds are non-toxic.

Beyond solder, tin forms bronze (an alloy with copper), bearing alloys (babbitt) and additives to lead-acid batteries that improve their durability. Tin compounds stabilise plastics (PVC) and act as catalysts. A little-known but fascinating use is the production of flat glass by the float process: a hot sheet of glass spreads over a bath of molten tin, achieving a perfectly smooth surface – this is how most of the world's window glass is made.

New technologies and the energy transition

Although tin is an ancient metal, its future is decidedly modern. A widely cited MIT and Rio Tinto study identified tin as the metal most impacted by new technology – ahead of lithium or cobalt in that ranking. The reason is simple: tin is indispensable wherever conduction and joining are needed – in electromobility, photovoltaics (the so-called solar ribbon already accounts for about 20% of solder production), 5G technology and energy storage. The International Tin Association forecasts demand growth of about 25% by 2035, while years of underinvestment in new mines mean the market is heading towards structural deficits.

Recycling

Recycling and the secondary loop

Like all metals, tin can be recovered repeatedly without loss of properties. The Recycling Input Rate is estimated at about 34% (2023), and secondary supply is setting records. Tin is recovered from, among other things, electronic scrap, the detinning of plate, and alloys; in the U.S., post-consumer scrap supplies an amount equivalent to about 27% of consumption. Recycling tin has a twofold significance: it reduces pressure on vulnerable, geographically concentrated primary mining and lessens dependence on supplies from high-risk areas – an area directly linked to the activity of recyclers of electronic and non-ferrous scrap, including the Chamber's members.

Poland

The Polish context

Poland does not mine tin – it does not appear in USGS producer rankings – but it is an importer and processor of it. Tin is of indirect yet real importance to the Polish economy: as an indispensable raw material for the electronics industry (solders), packaging manufacturers (tinplate) and foundries. Recycling of tin from electronic scrap is also playing an ever greater role – an area of activity for many entities associated with the Chamber. The compliance dimension is especially important: Polish importers of tin and tin-containing products are subject to EU due-diligence obligations regarding "conflict minerals".

Data and sources

Datasets

Every chart in this profile has table and source views and the buttons “Download CSV”, “Copy CSV” and “Cite”. The full list of datasets is below.

Figures in the tiles

Method notes

• Mine output and reserves come from the U.S. Geological Survey (2024), and the use structure from the International Tin Association (2023; apart from the solder share, values are indicative).
• Tiles carry a source and year tag; the same figure in a tile, the text and a table comes from a single record.

Bibliography

• U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025 – Tin.
• International Tin Association (ITA). www.internationaltin.org
• Regulation (EU) 2017/821 (conflict minerals).

How to cite

Economic Chamber of Non-Ferrous Metals and Recycling, Knowledge base – Tin. https://igmnir.org/en/knowledge/tin/ (data as of 24 Oct 2026).