Tin extraction and use can be dated to the beginnings of the
Bronze Age around 3000 BC, when it was observed that copper objects formed of
polymetallic ores with different metal contents had different physical properties. The earliest bronze objects had tin or
arsenic content of less than 2% and are therefore believed to be the result of unintentional alloying due to trace metal content in the copper ore It was soon discovered that the addition of tin or arsenic to copper increased its hardness and made
casting much easier, which revolutionized metal working techniques and brought humanity from the
Copper Age or
Chalcolithic to the
Bronze Age around 3000 BC. just off the northwest tip of Iberia where
Herodotus believed tin originated in 450 BC The first evidence of tin use for making bronze appears in the
Near East and the
Balkans around 3000 BC. Europe's earliest
mining district appears to be located in the
Ore Mountains, on the border between
Germany and
Czech Republic and is dated to 2500 BC. From there tin was traded north to the
Baltic Sea and south to the
Mediterranean following the
Amber Road trading route. Tin mining knowledge spread to other
European tin mining districts from the Ore Mountains and evidence of tin mining begins to appear in
Brittany,
Devon and
Cornwall, and in the
Iberian Peninsula around 2000 BC. Demand for tin created a large and thriving network among Mediterranean cultures of
classical times. By the
medieval period, Iberia's and Germany's deposits lost importance and were largely forgotten while Devon and Cornwall began dominating the European tin market. Other regions of the world developed tin mining industries at a much later date. In
Africa, the
Bantu culture extracted, smelted and exported tin between the 11th and 15th centuries AD, Tin foil was once a common wrapping material for foods and drugs; replaced in the early 20th century by the use of
aluminium foil, which is now commonly referred to as
tin foil, hence one use of the slang term "
tinnie" or "tinny" for a small aluminium open boat, a small pipe for use of a drug such as
cannabis, or for a can of beer. Today, the word "tin" is often improperly used as a generic term for any silvery metal that comes in sheets. Most everyday materials that are commonly called "tin", such as
aluminium foil,
beverage cans, corrugated building sheathing and tin cans, are actually made of
steel or
aluminium, although tin cans (tinned cans) do contain a thin coating of tin to inhibit rust. Likewise, so-called "tin
toys" are usually made of steel, and may have a coating of tin to inhibit rust. The original
Ford Model T was known colloquially as the "Tin Lizzy".
Electronics Because tin is used in
solder, it is crucial to
computers,
smartphones, and all other electronic equipment. (For example, the Apple
iPad uses 1–3 grams of tin in its 7000 solder points.) According to
Apple Inc., tin is the most common metal used by that company's suppliers. ==Economics==