Copper, manganese and essentially tin are used as alloying elements for obtaining cast irons with a fully pearlitic matrix in the as-cast state. Addition of tin, at a level of about 0.10-0.15 mass%, seems to be the only practical way for avoiding growth of ferrite in the stable eutectoid reaction and to fully transform the matrix of the material to pearlite in the metastable eutectoid system. While the role of copper and manganese has been previously rationalized, the way tin affects the eutectoid transformation in cast irons is still a matter of debate. The present work makes use of an assessment of the Fe-Sn system and of experimental data in the Fe-C-Sn system to evaluate the effect of tin on phase equilibria in this latter system. One ternary parameter is estimated and the resulting modification is applied to literature data on Fe-CSi- Sn equilibria. Finally, solid-state phase transformation temperatures are calculated and used to discuss experimental information dealing with pearlitic cast irons. It is proposed that pearlite formation in Sn-bearing cast irons is associated to the transient formation of a Fe3SnC compound which has an ordered FCC structure.