Tin is a metal and a member of the carbon group, which includes carbon, silicon, germanium, lead and ununquadium. It is alloyed with copper to make bronze.
Domestic Production and Use: Tin has not been mined or smelted in the United States since 1993 and 1989, respectively. Twenty-five firms used about 91% of the primary tin consumed domestically in 2010. The major uses were as follows: electrical, 28%; cans and containers, 19%; construction, 13%; transportation, 12%; and other, 28%. On the basis of the average New York composite price, the estimated values of some critical items in 2010 were as follows: primary metal consumed, $595 million; imports for consumption, refined tin, $892 million; and secondary production (old scrap), $278 million.
Recycling: About 14,000 tons of tin from old and new scrap was recycled in 2010. Of this, about 12,000 tons was recovered from old scrap at 2 detinning plants and 78 secondary nonferrous metal processing plants.
Import Sources (2006–09): Peru, 55%; Bolivia, 16%; China, 8%; Indonesia, 8%; and other, 13%.
Events, Trends, and Issues: Apparent consumption of tin in the United States declined by 11% in 2010 compared with that of 2009. The monthly average composite price of tin rose substantially during the year. Higher prices in 2010 were attributed to lower production in key producing countries and to investment fund buying and selling.
Developments continued in major tin-consuming countries to move to new lead-free solders that usually contain greater amounts of tin than do leaded solders.
In response to higher tin prices in 2010, tin producers opened new tin mines and tin smelters and expanded existing operations, including ones in Australia, Bolivia, Canada, and Thailand. Tin exploration activity increased, especially in Australia and Canada. In Bolivia, old tin tailings were being evaluated for reclamation of tin.
China continued as the world’s leading tin producer from both mine and smelter sources but experienced sporadic difficulty in obtaining feedstock for its smelters. Indonesia, the world’s second leading tin producer from both mine and smelter sources, continued to experience production difficulties, some related to a Government shutdown of possibly illegal production sites.
World Resources: U.S. resources of tin, primarily in Alaska, were insignificant compared with those of the rest of the world. World resources, principally in western Africa, southeastern Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, China, and Russia, are sufficient to sustain recent annual production rates well into the future.
Substitutes: Aluminum, glass, paper, plastic, or tin-free steel substitute for tin in cans and containers. Other materials that substitute for tin are epoxy resins for solder; aluminum alloys, copper-base alloys, and plastics for bronze; plastics for bearing metals that contain tin; and compounds of lead and sodium for some tin chemicals.
Tin Producers Aurubis AG (ETR: NDA)
Ausmelt - tin smelters
Brescia Group - Pitinga tn mine in Brazil
Corporacion Minera de Bolivia (Comibol) - Huanuni Tin Mine in the Oruro Department, Bolivia
Empresa Metalurgica Vinto
ESPI High Purity Metals - http://www.espimetals.com/metals/cattin.htm Fenix Metals - tin smelter and solder producer in Poland
Funsur
Glencore International - joint venture with the Bolivian government to operate the Colquiri tin and zinc mine in La Paz and the Porco zinc, lead, and silver mine in Potosi, Bolivia
Kangaroo Metals - Riverside Alluvial tin mine in Tasmania
Kasbah Resources (ASX: KAS) - Achmmach tin project in Morocco
Liuzhou China Tin Group
Malaysia Smelting Corp
Metals X Ltd. - Renison tin project in Tasmania
PT Koba Tin
PT Timah Tbk - Indonesian tin producer with a tin solder factory on Kundur Island and a second factory for tin chemicals to be used in plastics
Severstal North American - Acquired Esmark, which owned the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. tin mill in Wheeling, West Virginia
Siam Tinplate
Stellar Resources - Zeehan tin project in northwest Tasmania
Thai Tinplate Manufacturing
Thailand Refining and Smelting - tin concentrate smelting for Kangaroo Metals
Van Dieman Mines - SCotia tin-sapphire project in Tasmania
Western United Mines
Yunnan Tin Co. (SHE: 000960) - Tin ingots, tin chemicals, tin-lead solders, and tin chemicals.
(wiki) - Tin on Wikipedia
Tin News 2011-07-11 - (fb) - Chinese firms awarded $50 million contract to build Bolivia tin plant
2011-07-11 - (reu) - Indonesia's June tin exports rise 35 pct y/y
2011-07-06 - (bl) - Tin recyclers in China’s south cut output on environmental curbs
2011-07-06 - (pi) - Stellar Resources' Heemskirk Tin Project could become second largest tin mine, competitive cash costs
2011-07-05 - (bl) - Bear market in tin ending as shortages mean PT Timah's profit advances 55%
2011-06-30 - (bl) - Rwandan mining companies expected to boost tin exports amid record prices
2011-06-29 - (rin) - Tin's turn around: From deficit to surplus
2011-06-29 - (ta) - Tin rocks Kasbah resources
2011-06-27 - (pi) - Kasbah Resources in pre-open pending Achmmach tin project announcement
2011-06-23 - (reu) - Indonesia's Timah sees tin price between $23,000-27,000/T in H2
2011-06-21 - (wsj) - LME metals higher in Asia amid bargain hunting; tin leads gains
2011-06-13 - (ts) - Prices on tin market seen to be steadier this week
2010-11-08 - (ts) - Tin price on KLTM expected to be firmer this week
2010-11-08 - (sg) - Hindustan Tin Works PBT up 37pct and exports revenue soars to 50pct
2010-10-21 - (pi) - Adex Mining's ambition to develop indium-tin mine in New Brunswick takes massive leap forward
2010-03-29 - (bw) - Malaysia Smelting, Rwandan Company are main buyers of Congo tin
