Tin is nontoxic, ductile, malleable, and adapted to all kinds of cold-working, such as rolling, spinning, and extrusion. The colour of pure tin is retained during exposure because a thin, invisible, protective film of stannic oxide is formed spontaneously by reaction with the oxygen of the air. The low melting point of tin and its firm adhesion to clean surfaces of iron, steel, copper, and copper alloys facilitate its use as an oxidation-resistant coating material. A soft, pliable metal. Below 13°C it slowly changes to a powder form.

Such qualities make tin a good candidate for use in solder, as well as tinplate, chemicals, brass and bronze and other niche areas. Tin is widely used for plating steel cans used as food containers, in metals used for bearings, and in solder.

Uses of Tin :

• Tin-plating of iron protects the latter from corrosion. It takes a high polish and is used to coat other metals to prevent eroding, such as in tin cans, which are made of tin-coated steel.
• Tin piping and valves maintain purity in water and beverages.
• Molten tin is the base for (float) plate-glass production.
• Tin plus the element niobium makes a superconductive metal used for wire. A tin/lead alloy is used to make solder. A crystalline alloy with niobium is a superconductor at temperatures as high as 18 K (−427 °F) and retains this property in very strong magnetic fields.
• Tin fluoride and tin pyrophosphate, in which tin is in the +2 oxidation state, are used in dentifrices.
• Organic tin compounds act as stabilizers in certain plastics and as wood preservatives. Zinc stannate (Zn2SnO4) is a fire-retardant used in plastics.
• The most important tin salt used is tin(II) chloride, which is used as a reducing agent and as a mordant for dyeing calico and silk.
• Tin(IV) oxide is used for ceramics and gas sensors. Some tin compounds have been used as anti-fouling paint for ships and boats, to prevent barnacles. However, even at low levels these compounds are deadly to marine life, especially oysters. Its use has now been banned in most of the countries.
• The end product, called tinplate, is highly suitable for roofing (and walling) material. in plating is the process of coating metals such as iron and steel with tin to create a lightweight, corrosion-resistant finish.