Tin

Images source: WPB

Tin is used as an alloy, e.g. with copper to produce brass, and as a rust-proof coating, e.g. over steel to produce tin cans, in solder, babbitt, and other metals. The US has no tin ores, and Asian sources were eliminated by the war. Therefore, tin supplies from Bolivia, Belgian Congo, and Nigeria were increased. The tin smelters of Malaya and Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) were lost to Japan, so the US relied on the smelting of Great Britain and Belgian Congo. The use of tin was prohibited in luxury items and household and kitchen utensils. Electrolytic tinplating replaced the hot dip method because it produced a thiner coating. Thus, tin consumption was decreased by about 50% from 1941 to 1945. ^{WPB 69-72}