Tin Sn
What it is for
Almost every soldered joint in every circuit board is tin. It is consumed in small quantities per device and in vast numbers of devices, which makes it one of the few minerals whose demand tracks electronics output almost directly.
What it costs
Where it sits in the chain
Supply comes substantially from Southeast Asia and from the Congo region, and a significant share is artisanally mined. Tin was the first mineral subjected to conflict-mineral due diligence rules, so its chain is better documented than most — the paperwork exists because of where it comes from.
Who has it
| Country | Production | Reserves | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 69,000 | 1,000,000 | 2024 |
| Indonesia | 50,000 | — | 2024 |
| Myanmar | 34,000 | 700,000 | 2024 |
| Peru | 31,000 | 130,000 | 2024 |
| Brazil | 29,000 | 420,000 | 2024 |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | 25,000 | 120,000 | 2024 |
| Bolivia | 21,000 | 400,000 | 2024 |
| Australia | 9,900 | 620,000 | 2024 |
| Nigeria | 7,000 | — | 2024 |
| Viet Nam | 6,700 | 23,000 | 2024 |
Production and reserves in tonnes of contained tin; price in US dollars per tonne.
How concentrated it is
China, Indonesia and Myanmar lead production. Myanmar's share makes tin unusually exposed to a single country's internal politics, and the supply interruptions visible in the price series have that origin rather than a market one.
What this cannot show
Artisanal and informal production is a large share and is estimated. Where a mineral's supply passes through conflict zones, the recorded country of production may be the country of first formal export rather than the country of extraction.
Other resources
Copper · Lithium · Cobalt · Nickel · Potash · Phosphate · Iron ore · Aluminium · Zinc