Pewter and Specialty Tin Alloys
Modern pewter is 90–95 % tin hardened with 1–8 % antimony and up to 3 % copper — lead-free by definition under ASTM B560, which caps lead at 0.05 %. It melts between about 245 and 295 °C, casts cleanly in silicone and vulcanized-rubber moulds, spins and forms as sheet, takes a bright polish or a dark patina, and is safe for food contact. Pure tin sits alongside it as the plating, tinning and casting feedstock the alloys are made from.
Popular pewter grades
Compare in the explorer| Grade | Yield, MPa | Tensile, MPa | Density, g/cm³ | Machinability | Weldability | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 Casting Pewter | 34 | 58 | 7.3 | Very good | Poor | Gravity and spin-cast figures, badges, hardware |
| Type 2 Sheet Pewter | 43 | 68 | 7.28 | Good | Poor | Spun and formed tankards, plates, trim |
| Britannia Metal | 28 | 60 | 7.35 | Good | Poor | Traditional spun hollowware and plated ware |
| Pure Tin (Grade A) | 10 | 15 | 7.3 | Fair | Poor | Tinning, food-grade coating and alloy feedstock |
| B560 Type I | 32 | 55 | 7.3 | Very good | Poor | Hardest common casting pewter |
| B560 Type III | 24 | 42 | 7.3 | Very good | Fair | Best-forming pewter grade |
Choose pewter for
Decorative and commemorative castings, tableware and hollowware, jewellery and buckles, model and miniature figures, promotional badges, low-temperature prototype castings in silicone moulds, and any cast metal piece that must be lead-free and food-safe without plating.
Look elsewhere when
The part needs strength or hardness (pewter is about 20 HB and creeps under load — cast in zinc alloy or aluminum), it runs above about 100 °C, it is a bearing (Babbitt Grade 2 (Tin-Base)), it is a solder joint (SAC305 or Sn63Pb37), or the production volume justifies a steel die (zinc die casting gives thinner walls and tighter tolerances).
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Pewter by application
- Cast figures and badges
- Type 1 Casting Pewter or ASTM B560 Type I spin-cast in vulcanized rubber moulds for volume, gravity-poured into RTV silicone for prototypes and short runs.
- Tableware and hollowware
- Type 2 Sheet Pewter or Britannia Metal spun on a lathe, with cast handles and feet in Type 1 Casting Pewter soldered on.
- Formed and chased pieces
- ASTM B560 Type III where a casting or blank is bent, raised or chased afterwards — the lower antimony keeps it ductile; Type 1 Casting Pewter for knobs and hardware that are only drilled and polished.
Working with pewter
- Casting
- Pour at 260–320 °C into RTV silicone (rated for 300 °C) or vulcanized-rubber spin-casting moulds; wall thickness down to about 1 mm fills under centrifugal force, 2 mm by gravity. Shrinkage is low and detail reproduction is excellent, which is why pewter is the reference metal for miniature figures. Keep the pot below 350 °C to limit dross and copper segregation.
- Forming and spinning
- Sheet pewter spins, stamps and hand-raises cold without work-hardening enough to need annealing, and can be soldered to itself with a Sn-Bi solder at 138 °C, well below its own melting point. Cast parts are joined the same way or by fusing with a fine torch.
- Finishing
- Pewter machines, files and sands easily (sharp tools, light cuts — it smears), polishes to a bright silver finish and takes a dark patina in liver-of-sulphur or commercial blackeners; a satin finish hides fingerprints and handling. It does not need plating for food contact, but silver or gold plating is common on jewellery. Engraving and laser marking are routine.
- Storage and tin pest
- Pure tin can transform to brittle gray tin below 13 °C over long cold storage (tin pest); the antimony and copper in pewter suppress it, so store pure-tin feedstock indoors. Pewter tarnishes slowly to a soft gray and needs no protective coating.
Other solder & low-melting alloy series
Pewter and Specialty Tin Alloys — frequently asked
What is pewter?
Modern pewter is 90–95 % tin hardened with 1–8 % antimony and up to 3 % copper — lead-free by definition under ASTM B560, which caps lead at 0.05 %. It melts between about 245 and 295 °C, casts cleanly in silicone and vulcanized-rubber moulds, spins and forms as sheet, takes a bright polish or a dark patina, and is safe for food contact. Pure tin sits alongside it as the plating, tinning and casting feedstock the alloys are made from.
Which grade of pewter should I use?
Type 1 Casting Pewter (ASTM B560 Type I) for gravity and spin casting of figures, badges, buckles and hardware — the extra antimony gives a harder, sharper casting. Type 2 Sheet Pewter is the rolled alloy for spinning, stamping and hand forming of tankards, plates and trim, ductile enough for deep spinning without annealing. ASTM B560 Type III is the special-purpose grade with the least antimony (3–5 %) — softer and more ductile, for deep spinning and pieces that are formed or chased after casting. Britannia Metal is the traditional spinning alloy for hollowware and is the base of many plated goods. Pure Tin (Grade A) is 99.85 % tin for tinning, food-grade coatings and alloying.
Which grade of pewter is the strongest?
Type 2 Sheet Pewter has the highest yield strength in the series at 43 MPa; Type 1 Casting Pewter follows at 34 MPa. Values are for each grade's default condition.
Which grade of pewter is easiest to machine?
B560 Type III (machinability very good, 75/100), then Type 1 Casting Pewter (72/100).
Is modern pewter safe for food and drink?
Yes. ASTM B560 pewter is 90–95 % tin with antimony and copper and limits lead to 0.05 %, so tankards, plates and cutlery cast from it are food-safe as cast and polished. Antique pewter before the 1970s often contained 10–30 % lead and should not be used for food. If a piece is unmarked, a lead-test swab settles it.
Pewter or zinc for a cast badge or figure?
Pewter for short runs, prototypes and anything that must feel heavy and be lead-free without plating: a rubber or silicone mould costs little and is ready in a day. Zinc (Zamak 3 or 5) for thousands of pieces — a steel die casts thinner walls, holds tighter tolerances and gives a harder part, but the tooling only pays back at volume. Both plate and patinate well.