SMM Tin Summit: Solder overtakes tin plating as top tin consumer

ZHUHAI, Mar 21 (SMM) – As consumption grew rapidly in the past decade, solders overtook over tin-plates as the biggest consumer of tin, said Guo Juan, senior expert from the Information Center of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

Despite the trend of electronic components, overall increases in consumption of components kept solder consumption in electronic components from substantially declining, Guo told delegates at the SMM Tin Summit on Thursday March 21 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

China’s secondary tin production fell after it peaked at 42,000 mt in 2010. Guo attributed the declining output of secondary tin to shrinking supplies of cheap, easily available industrial scraps from Myanmar and stricter environmental standards.

Output of secondary tin stood at 31,300 mt in 2017, accounting for 20% of tin consumption.