Tin price
Tin Price
The price of tin is influenced by many different factors. First off, it is very important to know if it is pure tin or a mixture of tin and another metal. Then there is the difference between new tin and scrap tin, which comes from, for example, machinery.
The price difference between the different kinds can go up to 11 euro per kilogram. There is also a separate price of tin in cans. This tin is often thicker, which means it weighs more. Then there is fluid tin, which gets most often used during soldering. This mixture usually consists of 60% tin, which makes the price a little lower. Averagely you can expect it to the around 19 and 27 euro per kg.
What is the background of this metal?
The tin price is quite an old one, because the material originated in 3500 before Christ. Back then it was mainly used to produce bronze. A combination of tin and copper will produce the precious metal bronze. Tin has a rock-solid attaching power and is therefore often used by companies to create connections between different metals. It is obviously also very well-known because of pots, pans and little cans that were made fully out of tin in the 18th century.
Since the 19th century, they are partially mixed with lead, to lower the price. There was a time of poverty and they did want to get their turnovers. This is one of the reasons that most tin cans in people’s homes are not worth a lot anymore. The best price is obviously in pure tin. Almost everywhere in the world can we get tin. Not many countries use it though, which is why we have about 4.3 million tons of reserves. This is one of the reasons that many countries are lowering production and shifting focus to different raw materials.
How is the price of tin determined?
The price of tin is one of the most varying prices of all raw materials worldwide. This is because you can get in in all continents if you have to. That is why a lot of companies use the stock exchange as their reference for tin. It also has to do with the density of tin. Nowadays, a lot of products are mixed with other metals and materials. The lower the alloy of tin is, the lower the price per kilo. According to most recent numbers, 100% pure tin trades at around 26.70 euro per kg. This price is mostly determined by the stock exchange and the price in London. Most tin is still traded at the London Metal Exchange. Fun fact is that even the cans of Coca Cola have a small layer of tin. This is called tinned iron and only gets you around €4 per kg.
What factors influence the tin price?
The tin price mainly revolves around the stock exchanges that trade it at that time. All year round, these change so you will see that sometimes you get more and sometimes you get less. The price earlier this year was around €32.43, whereas the price now is around only €26.70. But obviously, this again is only now and not representative. When a company orders a lot of tin, you will see that the price skyrockets. This is because not a lot of companies exist that use tin in their processes. This means that the countries that produce tin, don’t always have it at hand.
When there is few to none supply, the price is a lot higher than when they do have a nice reserve. In principle, all countries together have a huge reserve, but a lot of countries want a higher price for it than the companies are willing to pay. It’s therefore wise to keep your tin objects at hand until the price goes up. The items will often not be in your way if you get rid of them once or twice per year.
What different kinds are there and what are their price differences?
As discussed, the price of tin varies a lot and that is mainly because there are many different kinds. Normal tin gets you the most profits, but the difference with other types can be small even. Often it is not even clear from first sight what type of tin you have. It is wise to have it checked out by a metal company where you would sell your other metals as well. Normal consumer goods contain tin that can get you about 21 euro per kilogram, whereas 99% tin can get you up to €26.70. That is a difference of over 5 euro per kilo. Old soldering sticks often are only made out of 60% tin and the rest is lead-based. This gets you an even lower price. But every euro counts. Often these kinds of items are just in the way and if you can sell some stuff, it is better than throwing them away. For most soldering wires the percentage of tin is also between 60 and 80.
Where can you see the tin price?
The current price you can see in the tabulations and graphs at rawmaterialprices.com, of course. But you can also check out your local hardware store or metal shop. The prices are often not far apart, but it is wise to double check. It is possible that companies like this have agreements for their tin with other companies, which can actually get you more, or less, than the actual price. When it is an international company, you have the chance of hitting the jackpot. They usually sell across borders, like in London, where they can get a higher price as well. In the Netherlands and Belgium, it isn’t a highly sought-after material and the prices are usually lower. If you are closer to the Belgian border, you should ask there too. Of course, make sure you always realize that if you travel to find out pricing, you need a lot of weight to cover the cost for gas.
Concluding
It is best to check the actual price for tin online. You can also check your local metal trader or follow our website.
What was the tin price like in 2021?
In 2021 we saw the price for tin increase quickly. This had to do with multiple factors. The supply has gotten a lot smaller, but the demand has increased. The corona crisis also made a lot of factories shut down, which lowered production and increased the price. Because we are currently facing rising energy prices and tin has to be melted down, it will cost companies a lot of money to maintain production. So where the tin price was only around 16 euro per kg at the beginning of the year, it ended the year at €35,-. That means a doubling of the price in one year.
Our expectations for the coming year
All raw materials will keep rising, but the tin price is a different story. This price jumps out from all other raw materials. Where you got about €27 per kg averagely last year, the price is currently already €42,-. This does depend on the actual purity of the tin, of course. Most common items are only made of 60% tin, which has a trading price of around 18 to 24 euro.