Pure tin is a metal of attractive silvery appearance, rather soft compared with many other metals.
It is non-toxic, resistant to corrosion and has a low melting point. Tin is a relatively valuable metal, considerably more costly then copper, aluminium, lead or zinc. Pewter is an alloy that is made almost entirely from tin. Modern pewter contains about 92 percent tin to which other metals, usually antimony and copper have been added to strengthen and harden it, as pure tin is a very soft metal. Modern pewter is lead-free pewter.