Babbitt metal, an anti-friction sliding bearing alloy containing tin, antimony, copper, and lead, was invented by the American Isaac Babbitt, after whom it is named. Due to its white color, it is also known as "white metal." The main components of the alloy are tin, lead, antimony, and copper. Tin and lead are used to improve the alloy's anti-friction properties, while antimony and copper enhance its strength and hardness.

The structural characteristic of Babbitt metal is the uniform distribution of hard phase particles within a soft phase matrix. The soft phase matrix gives the alloy excellent embeddability, conformability, and anti-seizure properties. After running-in, the soft matrix forms concave areas while the hard particles protrude, creating tiny gaps between sliding surfaces that serve as oil reservoirs and lubrication channels, which aids in reducing friction. The protruding hard particles provide support, contributing to load-bearing capacity.

In addition to manufacturing sliding bearings, due to its soft texture and low strength, Babbitt metal is often applied as wire or powder sprayed onto substrates such as steel to create bearing liners.

According to national standards, Babbitt alloys can be categorized into tin-based alloys and lead-based alloys. Lead-based alloys have lower strength and hardness compared to tin-based alloys and also exhibit poorer corrosion resistance. Therefore, customers typically choose tin-based alloys for critical and important applications. In most other scenarios, many customers still opt for lead-based alloys, as they are more economical to use despite their inferior performance compared to tin-based alloys.