Bronze is made from copper and tin. However, there are few major sources of tin anywhere in mainland Europe. This made the tin ores of south-west England highly desirable and the region very important for bronze production. However, despite dedicated and detailed modern surveys, no conclusive evidence of prehistoric tin mining or tin smelting has been found apart from the little evidence excavated in nearby settlements and graves. It is most unlikely that the tin ores were not exploited during the Bronze Age, and therefore it is assumed that the evidence has been destroyed or deeply buried by extensive later workings.

Recognising tin ore would have required expertise. Its brown or black appearance gives little indication of its potential to create a silvery metal. The ability to smelt the tin ores to extract tin metal would have also required experience and expert knowledge. Despite the obvious importance of tin as a commodity, there is little direct evidence for its distribution. Nevertheless the sheer scale of bronze production in the Bronze Age means that tin sources must have been heavily exploited.