Tin has nearly the whiteness of silver. It is very malleable and flexible, but not elastic. Its tensile strength is too low for it to be drawn into wire. Air will not tarnish it readily, but some acids and strong alkaline solutions attack it noticeably, particularly when hot.

It is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. When pure, a bar or sheet of tin makes a crackling sound when bent, called the "cry of tin"' and as this sound is destroyed by lead as an impurity, this fact is often made use of in testing tin. It melts at about 445° F.

Tin is marketed in small ingots, and is known as "Straits," "Banca," "Malacca," "Australian" etc., according to its source.

Its usual impurities are lead, iron, copper, and antimony. Good tin should be 99.75% pure.