Tin demand is likely to exceed 400,000 tonnes per year by 2025, while supplies from greenfield projects and recycled material are not expected to keep pace, leading to a deficit over the next decade, according to the International Tin Association (ITA).
At an ITA seminar on Tuesday June 29, delegates heard that tin demand for 2020 was calculated at 355,200 tonnes, with more than 50% being used for solder, 17% for chemical use and the remaining demand going into tinplate, lead acid batteries, copper alloys and other uses.Demand could reach 430,000 tonnes in four years if global technology drivers remain strong, according to the ITA's market intelligence and communications chief Jeremy Pearce. "Tin is critical to the quality of modern life," Pearce said. "The commodity is little known, but it is firmly embedded into our modern lifestyles."The main forces behind the growth in tin demand are an increase in the use of solder, the new industrial revolution and the push for more environmentally friendly, "greener" technologies. "With the fourth...