The term tin roof is a bit of a misnomer. Tin (Sn), a chemical element belonging to the carbon family, Group 14 (IVa) of the periodic table. Tin is an actual alloy, but in most scrap metal terms tin is known as the lightest and one of the cheaper grades of steel. This tin-plate is mostly steel (or iron, depending on the use and expense involved) and only 1 to 2 percent tin, which forms a coating over the metal to protect it from the elements. Steel makes up the bulk of the can's mass, and it is the steel that is attracted to a magnet rather than the tin itself. ­A metal is a chemical element of various opaque, fusible, ductile and lustrous substances [source: Merriam-Webster]. Tin is also called and referred to as light iron or steel at scrap yards around the US & Canada. Tin can’t be galvanized, but is sometimes alloyed with other metals to prevent corrosion. Tin is widely used for plating steel cans used as food containers, in metals used for bearings, and in solder. The most common example is the use of tin to line the insides of beverage cans and food containers. It’s important to have yourself tested by professionals that can guide you through the detoxification process that will work for you personally. Beside above, is tin a metal? Tin is a naturally occurring metal of a familiar silver color. Some common metals are titanium, copper and nickel. Mercury is a metal that's liquid at room temperature. In compounds tin is usually in the divalent state (Sn 2+) or tetravalent state (Sn 4+). This allows tin to be used for a vast number of commercial objects, such as tin cans. Often times, tin is going to be priced at most scrap yards as a per ton basis. BUT… tin is one of the main ingredients in electrical solder. Tin has a highly crystalline structure and when a tin bar is bent, a ‘tin cry’ is heard, due to the breaking of these crystals. According to the Mohs hardness scale, a list of soft metals includes lead, gold, silver, tin, zinc, aluminum, thorium, copper, brass and bronze. But its volumetric resistivity is significantly higher than that of copper, so you won’t see it used for wires, circuit board traces, bus bars, etc. Tin is a highly malleable metal that can be stamped with any number of decorative patterns, and the tiles, which are typically 4 inches square, usually come imprinted on 2 x 2 or 2 x 4-foot tin panels. Tinplate is a process of coating a thin sheet of steel by dipping it in molten metal or by electrolyte deposition, to create a strong, formidable metal that is both noncorrosive and nontoxic. Gallium might also be considered a soft metal, as it melts at 85.57 degrees Fahrenheit. The elements referred to in that definition are the same ones you studied when you lear­ned about the periodic table of the elements in high school chemistry. Most people that think of it are probably thinking of the soft metal, corrugated roofs that can last up to 60 years, but which don’t offer a lot in looks or style. Tin is resistant to corrosion and often used as a coating for other metals such as steel. Tin is an electrical conductor. What is commonly called a tin can or just a tin is actually made of steel that has been coated on either side with a very thin layer of tin. Tin is a silvery-white, soft, malleable metal that can be highly polished. As nouns the difference between metal and tin is that metal is any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard, often a conductor of heat and electricity while tin is (uncountable) a malleable, ductile, metallic element, resistant to corrosion, with atomic number 50 and symbol sn. Tin has other metallurgic application- when it is alloyed with copper, bronze is the result. 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