Tin

A tin can is steel with a tin coating a few microns thick; there is almost no tin in it. Below about 13 °C tin slowly transforms from its metallic white form to a crumbly grey powder — "tin pest" — which destroyed organ pipes and, by one account, Scott's fuel cans in the Antarctic. Modern lead-free solders are mostly tin, which is why they melt about 35 °C hotter than the old 60/40.

Properties

Density

7,310 kg/m³ — 7.31 g/cm³

Melting point

231.9 °C

Tensile strength

15–25 MPa

Young's modulus

50 GPa

Thermal conductivity

66.6 W/(m·K)

Thermal expansion

22 µm/(m·K)

Floats in water

No

Magnetic

No

What it is used for

• Solder, both leaded and lead-free
• Tinplate for food cans
• Bronze and pewter making
• Plating on electrical contacts and PCB pads

How it compares

Does it rust?

Tin does not rust — rust is iron oxide specifically — but it does corrode, forming its own oxide or salts over time.

Is it magnetic?

Tin is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.