Tin occurs almost exclusively as the mineral Cassiterite, or tin oxide - a hard, black heavy mineral which resists weathering and physical breakdown. The traditional use of tin has been in the production of food containers and in tin-plating of steel for corrosion protection. Substitution of tin-plated cans by aluminium and plastic has dramatically reduced demand and world tin prices have fallen as a result. The New England district of NSW was until the late 1970s a major producer of tin, but with declining world prices, most operations have closed. Cassiterite is still produced at Greenbushes in Western Australia and at Renison Bell in Tasmania.
Most world production comes from Indonesia, China and Brazil.
The abolition of mining within conservation reservations, rather than declining mineral reserves, has seen most of the NSW operations close and most Australian production now comes from Western Australia in the vicinity of Bunbury and Eneabba. Considerable reserves exist in far western NSW and in the Wimmera district of Victoria, but are only marginally economic at the present time. The most widespread use of rutile is as a white pigment or opacifier which resists yellowing and breakdown by sunlight. It is chemically inert and thus can be safety used as a pigment in foods. It is also highly resistant to corrosion and because of this, can be used as prostheses without risk of rejection by the human body.