3.13.2.1 Production

China has a long tin mining history and is famous for this in the world. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China the tin industry has developed rapidly from geological exploration, mining, dressing, smelting to comprehensive utilization of resources. Up to 1996, China's comprehensive capacity of mining and dressing (metal content) reached 59,400 tons, while the comprehensive capacity of smelting amounted to 126,400 tons.    

In 1996 and 1997, the output of tin concentrate attained 69,600 and 67,500 tons, and the output of refined tin reached 57,000 and 67,600 tons respectively, so they increased about 1.3 times (tin concentrate) and doubled (tin refined), as compared with those in 1985 (Table 3.13.3). The output of refined tin increased nearly 12 times, against that in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was just founded (Table 3.13.4)

In 1996 the world's output of tin refined reached 224,500 tons, including outputs of several important tin producers-countries: Indonesia--49,000 tons, Malaysia--38,100 tons, Brazil--18,400 tons, Bolivia--16,700 tons, Thailand--11,000 tons and Russia--12,000 tons. China's 1996 output was 57,000 tons, occupying a leading position in the world.

Table 3.13.3 Statistics of China's tin production

Note: Output of tin concentrate refers to tin content.

Table 3.13.4  Tin output 1949~1996

3.13.2.2 Distribution of Production   

China's tin production mainly is concentrated in Yunnan Province and Guangxi Autonomous Region, which are followed by Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangxi.   

The main tin base in Yunnan province is Gejiu. The Yunnan Tin Industry Company is an integrated complex, producing tin and other polymetals, and operates five underground mines, seven opencut mines, 12 dressing plants (workshops) and three smelters. In 1996, 23,000 tons of tin concentrate and 16,800 tons of tin refined were produced, making up 33% and 20% of China's total tin concentrate and total refined tin output respectively. Up to the end of the 80's seven millions t/a mining capacity, nine millions t/a dressing capacity, and 20,000 t/a smelting capacity had been set up.

In addition to the Yunnan Tin Industry Company directly under CNNC, there are a number of local enterprises, including the Xinzhai Tin Mine of Malipo County, which has already built a dressing plant that can deal with 100 tons of ores per day; the Yunlong Tin Mine of Yunlong County, which has the production capacity of mining and dressing 200~300 tons of ores per day; the Lubadi Tin Mine of Changning County; the Ximeng Tin Mine of Ximeng County, and others.   

Guangxi is the second large tin producing region in China. The former Dachang Mining Bureau was reformed into a State-owned exclusively-funded corporation and renamed the Liuzhou Huaxi (China Tin) Group Corp. Ltd. The Huaxi (China Tin) Group Corporation has become a modern base metal integrated complex, incorporating mining, dressing and smelting, with a production capacity of mining and dressing two million tons of ores per annum and smelting 10,000 tons of refined tin and 10,000 tons of lead-zinc per annum. Under the corporation there are 14 State-owned mines and plants, five Chinese-foreign joint ventures, three joint stock companies and six collective enterprises, which are located in Liuzhou and Hechi Cities and Nandan and Laibin Counties. In 1996 this corporation produced 10,700 tons of tin concentrate and 14,200 tons of refined tin, making up 15% and 25% of China's total tin concentrate and refined tin respectively.   

The Pinggui Mining Bureau of Guangxi is located in Xiwan Town of Zhoushan County, Guangxi. It is also a large base metal enterprise based on tin production, under which there are more than 20 institutions, distributed in Fuchuan, Hexian, and Zhoushan Counties, with a production capacity of smelting 3,500 t/a of tin; 2,000 t/a of lead and 5,000 t/a of titanium white. In 1996 the Pinggui Mining Bureau produced 2,399.38 tons of refined tin, 1,803 tons of refined lead and 2,165.5 tons of titanium white.   

The Limu Base Metal Company, formerly called the Limu Tin Mine, is located in the Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi. Now it possesses three complete production lines of mining, dressing and smelting, with an annual capacity of mining and dressing one million tons of rare and base metals ores, and smelting 1,000 t/a of tin, smelting 500 t/a of tungsten and producing 80 t/a of niobium and tantalum.   

Hunan is China's third large tin production province, with 9,628 tons of tin concentrate produced in 1996. The Xianghualing tin mine is the more important one, with 430 tons of refined tin produced in 1996. Additionally, the Xiangdong Tungsten Mine, Yaogangxian Tungsten Mine and Lucheng Tungsten Mine also recover a certain tonnage of tin concentrate.    

Guangdong is the fourth large tin production province. In 1996 annual output of tin concentrate attained 2,470 tons. In addition to the Houpoao Tin Mine and Jinziwo Tin Mine, which produce tin concentrate, a number of tungsten Mines also recover some tin concentrates.

Additionally, a minor quantity of tin concentrate is also produced in Jiangxi, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia.