Our legacy lives on

Quality and reliability remain core tenets.

Nathan Trotter was founded on strong values, a commitment to innovation and the development of successful customer partnerships.  These timeless principles continue to inform our everyday operations, even as our team expands, customer needs change and priorities evolve.  Today, Nathan Trotter remains a family-owned and operated business and has grown to include a recycling division, Tin Technology and Refining, as well as the only manufacturer of tin wine capsules in North America, Keystone Capsules.

Our history

Entrepreneurship and creativity are generational.

Born in Philadelphia, Nathan Trotter was the son of middle class Quaker parents, his uncles and brothers were well- respected cabinetmakers, merchants, and bankers. Established in the late 1700’s on the banks of the Delaware River, Nathan built his namesake metal-importing business on a foundation of courteous service, attention to detail and dependability.  Colonial craftspeople who were integral to the birth of the United States used Nathan Trotter imported tin to make pewter.

1750
Joseph Trotter begins the family’s early involvement with metals through the importation of materials from England to Philadelphia, helping Benjamin Franklin and others to establish the economic underpinnings of the city.
1789
Nathan Trotter, Joseph's grandson, officially begins Nathan Trotter & Co. on Front Street in Philadelphia as a metal merchant, importing tin, tinplate, antimony, lead, and zinc ingot.
1913
Nathan Trotter expands into Aluminum and becomes the exclusive agent for Reynolds Aluminum.
1950
A New York office is established to strengthen the company's presence in metal brokerage.
1985
A larger-scale manufacturing facility takes shape in Exton, PA, where melting and alloying become a greater focus.
1990
Tin shot line is added.
1994
Two 300-ton extrusion presses are installed for tin anode production.
2000
Cold headers are brought in to increase speed and quality of tin basket anodes.
2006
Company moves to Coatesville, PA for additional manufacturing and inventory space.
2013
Tin Technology and Refining is founded in West Chester, PA as the recycling division of Nathan Trotter.
2014
Additional wing is built in Coatesville to accommodate larger furnaces and high-volume ingot conveyors.
2018
Four 100-ton extrusion presses are installed to produce solder bar and wire.
2019
Second Coatesville plant added, bringing Coatesville facility footprint to 75,000 sq. ft.
2020
Nathan Trotter acquires Phoenix Metals, located in western PA, to bolster production of zinc alloys and service to steel mills.
2021
Keystone Capsules is established as the only manufacturer of tin wine capsules in North America. www.keystonecapsules.com
2022
United American Metals is acquired by Nathan Trotter. Proprietary babbitt alloys and tinning compounds are added to the product lines, along with a greater presence in the Chicago area.
2023
American Tin and Solder in Providence Rhode Island is acquired along with their well-established line of pewter alloys and low melt fusible alloys.