All about Tin

Tin is the smallest of the base metals in terms of production volume, with fewer than 360,000 tonnes produced annually (2011) compared with some 45 million tonnes per year of aluminium. The small size of the market can mean tin faces liquidity issues at times, which can lead to increased volatility and some sharp and extended price moves.

Since legislation was introduced in 2006 banning the use of lead in electronics, tin became the main metal in solder – the solder industry now equates for around 55 percent of tin consumption.

China is the largest producer and consumer of tin and Indonesia is the largest exporter of the metal. Indonesia is seen as one of the main protectors of the tin market – it has a habit of cutting exports when tin prices fall below marginal costs of production.

For many years now tin producers have struggled to keep up with demand and that should make for an interesting outlook for the metal in the years ahead. Read more about tin.

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