---
title: "Tin — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Tin has a density of 7,310 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/tin/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Tin

**Density of tin: 7,310 kg/m³**

7.31 g/cm³ · 456.3 lb/ft³

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

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- tin: 7,310 kg/m³
- tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| tin ← | 7,310 kg/m³ | 7.31× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |

## 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.

## Common questions

### What is the density of tin?

7,310 kg/m³, or 7.31 g/cm³.

### Does tin float?

No. At 7,310 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is tin 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.

## Related pages

- [Does tin float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/tin/)
- [Aluminum](https://atoneplace.net/material/aluminum/)
- [Copper](https://atoneplace.net/material/copper/)
- [Gold](https://atoneplace.net/material/gold/)
- [Titanium](https://atoneplace.net/material/titanium/)
- [Iron](https://atoneplace.net/material/iron/)
- [Lead](https://atoneplace.net/material/lead/)
- [Tungsten](https://atoneplace.net/material/tungsten/)
- [Silver](https://atoneplace.net/material/silver/)

## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]