TIN (Data in metric tons of tin content, unless noted) Domestic Production and Use: In 1995, there was no domestic tin mine production. Production of tin at the only U.S. tin smelter, at Texas City, TX, stopped in 1989. Twenty-five firms consumed about 86% of the primary tin. The major uses were as follows: cans and containers, 32%; electrical, 23%; construction, 9%; transportation, 11%; and other, 25%. The estimated value of primary metal consumption in 1995, based on the New York composite price, was $300 million. Salient Statistics--United States: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995e/ Production: Mine Negligible Secondary (old scrap) 8,800 8,900 6,900 7,400 7,600 Secondary (new scrap) 5,300 4,900 4,200 4,200 4,300 Imports for consumption: Metal 29,100 27,300 33,700 32,400 32,000 Ore 1 -- -- -- -- Exports: Ingots, pigs, and bars1/ 970 1,890 2,600 2,560 2,000 Shipments from Government stockpile excesses 6,195 6,310 6,022 5,620 5,000 Consumption, reported: Primary 35,100 35,000 34,600 32,900 33,000 Secondary 9,670 10,100 11,900 8,490 9,000 Consumption, apparent 48,700 43,600 44,200 43,300 47,000 Price, average, cents per pound: New York market 259 283 239 255 290 New York composite 363 402 350 369 420 London 254 277 233 248 280 Kuala Lumpur 248 272 232 245 280 Stocks, consumer and dealer, yearend 13,800 10,700 10,800 10,400 10,000 Employment, mine and primary smeltere/ 5 5 5 -- -- Net import reliance2/ as a percent of apparent consumption 74 80 84 83 84 Recycling: About 12,000 tons of purchased old and new tin scrap, including tin alloys, was recycled in 1995. Of this, about 7,600 tons was old scrap. More than one-sixth of the tin consumed in the United States was recovered from old scrap at detinning plants and 28 secondary nonferrous metal processing plants. Import Sources (1991-94): Brazil, 28%; Bolivia, 24%; Indonesia, 17%; China, 15%; and other, 16%. Tariff: Most major imports of tin, including unwrought metal, waste and scrap, and unwrought tin alloys, enter duty free. Depletion Allowance: 22% (Domestic), 14% (Foreign). Government Stockpile: Stockpile Status--9-30-95 Uncommitted Committed Authorized Disposals Material inventory inventory for disposal Jan.-Sept. 95 Pig tin 129,668 -- 121,729 10,975 Events, Trends, and Issues: The price of tin rose moderately through the year, buoyed by a general rise in base metal prices. There continued to be a world tin oversupply of about 35,000 tons. World tin mine output in 1995 remained about the same as in recent years, the result of concerted producer efforts to restrict production. Brazil became a member of the Association of Tin Producing Countries (ATPC). This was considered an important step since Brazil ranked as the world's third largest producer of mined tin. It followed by a year, the inclusion of China, the world's largest tin producer, in the ATPC. With these two large producers as members, the ATPC believed it could better control its efforts to restrict tin supply to lower world tin excess stocks. Prepared by James F. Carlin, Jr., (703) 648-4985. TIN It was announced that in 1994 the domestic steel can recycling rate reached 53%. The rate was 48% in 1993, and 15% in 1988. More than 18 billion steel cans, weighing 1.55 million tons, were recycled in 1994. The industry's goal was to reach a 66% recycling rate for steel cans by the end of 1995; 66% is the traditional recycling rate for all steel products including appliances, cars, etc. The industry continued to emphasize the recycling of aerosol steel cans. It pointed to its success in Michigan, where a Statewide environmental campaign, sponsored and supported by a coalition of Government, industry, academic and environmental leaders was encouraging Michigan consumers to recycle empty aerosol cans along with other steel cans. Progress was also reported in trying to motivate a number of iron foundries to use scrap steel cans as part of their raw material charge. During the past few years, a small but growing number of iron foundries have been experimenting with melting used steel cans. Iron foundries are found in most of the 50 States, and they depend on steel scrap for about 50% of their charge material. A major domestic tinplate producer announced plans to construct a new joint-venture tinplate mill in Belmont County, OH. Completion was anticipated for late 1996, and the cost was estimated at $80 million. It would be the first domestic tinplating facility built since the early 1960's, and would replace that producer's current 50-year-old tin mill. The world tin industry's major research and development laboratory, based in the United Kingdom, began its first full year under its new structure. It is now privatized, with funding supplied by numerous major tin producing firms rather than by the ATPC. The organization reported progress in several areas of research to develop new tin uses; among these was a tin foil bottle capsule to replace lead foil on wine bottles, and a new noncyanide-based electrolyte called "Stanzec," an alloy of tin and zinc that could replace cadmium as an environmentally acceptable anticorrosion coating on steel. World Mine Production, Reserves, and Reserve Base: Mine production Reserves3/ Reserve base3/ 1994 1995e/ United States Negligible Negligible 20,000 40,000 Australia 6,400 6,000 210,000 600,000 Bolivia 16,200 18,000 450,000 900,000 Brazil 27,000 25,000 1,200,000 2,500,000 China 50,000 50,000 1,600,000 1,600,000 Indonesia 34,000 34,000 750,000 820,000 Malaysia 6,400 6,000 1,200,000 1,200,000 Peru 14,000 15,000 20,000 40,000 Portugal 12,000 13,000 70,000 70,000 Russia 4,100 4,000 300,000 300,000 Thailand 4,000 4,000 940,000 940,000 Zaire 700 1,000 510,000 510,000 Other countries 9,000 4,000 180,000 620,000 World total (may be rounded) 4/ 184,000 4/ 180,000 7,000,000 10,000,000 World Resources: U.S. resources of tin, primarily in Alaska, were insignificant compared with those of the rest of the world. Sufficient world resources, principally in western Africa, southeastern Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, China, and Russia were available to sustain current production rates well into the next century. Substitutes: Aluminum, glass, paper, plastic, or tin-free steel substitute for tin in cans and containers. Other materials that substitute for tin are epoxy resins for solder; aluminum alloys, copper-base alloys, and plastics for bronze; plastics for bearing metals that contain tin; and compounds of lead and sodium for some tin chemicals. e/Estimated. 1/Excludes reexports. 2/Defined as imports - exports + adjustments for Government and industry stock changes. 3/See Appendix C for definitions. 4/Excludes U.S. production. Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 1996