How to invest in tin: a crucial metal whose price is set to soar

The price of tin, a versatile and increasingly important substance, has reached a ten-year high. There are plenty more gains ahead, says Dominic Frisby, who explains how to cash in.

Afritin tin mine
Afritin is planning to revive Namibia’s Uis project
(Image credit: © Afritin)

Have you heard the one about the commodity in short supply and rising sharply owing to demand from China? It’s the narrative that never stops giving, and this time the protagonist is tin. Tin prices are at highs not seen since 2011. The metal we associate with cans and pan alleys is essential to the rapidly-expanding global electronics industry, semiconductors, the rollout of 5G mobile communication networks and the Internet of Things (IoT), whereby more and more appliances and gadgets, ranging from toasters to self-driving cars, are connected online.

It is a key ingredient of the substance that binds together circuit boards and wiring, otherwise known as solder. Around 50% of annual tin demand is used in this way; it is considered “the glue of metals”. Electric vehicles, where tin is used in lead-acid and lithium-ion battery technology, also mean increased tin demand, as does homebuilding, particularly in the US, where tin is used in chemical stabilisers added to PVC pipes and cladding. There is its traditional use in tin plating and copper alloys, and also its expected future use in such exciting technology as solar photovoltaic (solar electric systems), thermoelectric materials, hydrogen generation, fuel cells and carbon capture catalysts.

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Dominic Frisby

Dominic Frisby (“mercurially witty” – the Spectator) is as far as we know the world’s only financial writer and comedian. He is the author of the popular newsletter the Flying Frisby and is MoneyWeek’s main commentator on gold, commodities, currencies and cryptocurrencies. He has also taken several of his shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

His books are Daylight Robbery - How Tax Changed our Past and Will Shape our Future; Bitcoin: the Future of Money? and Life After the State - Why We Don't Need Government

Dominic was educated at St Paul's School, Manchester University and the Webber-Douglas Academy Of Dramatic Art. You can follow him on X @dominicfrisby