What is tin?
Tin is a chemical element and is extracted from the ore cassiterite, also called tinstone. It is found in the Earth’s crust and is classed as a heavy metal. This silvery-white, shiny and very soft metal can be scratched quite easily using your fingernail. When tin of medium purity is bent, it makes a distinctive noise, also known as the tin cry. This is caused by friction between the crystals. Extremely pure or highly contaminated tin does not display this characteristic. Tin has a particularly low melting point for a metal.
Where is tin used?
Many household items, like tableware or children’s toys, were previously made using tin. It has now been replaced by cheaper materials. Tinplate, or tin-plated sheet iron, is still used today for food cans or baking trays. The element is also a popular component of alloys. For example, tin is alloyed with copper to produce bronze. Due to its low melting point, tin is used in solder for connecting electronic components. Tin is also used as a bearing metal and as an element in chemicals.
- Tin scrap (end-of-life vehicles, machines, electrical waste, etc.)
- Pewter
- Solder
- Organ pipes
Recycling tin
Old tin scrap can be melted down as is. Tin from circuit boards is prepared and then recycled at integrated secondary melting plants. It is possible to recover the tin from tinplate but this is no longer done, given the high outlay and effort required while the tin content in tinplate is decreasing.
