One possibility to increase the interface strength of cold roll bonded materials is the application of a thin intermediate layer. In the present study, a tin coating was employed to strengthen the interface formed between cold roll bonded steel sheets, and the impact of subsequent heat treatment on the resulting bonding strength was investigated. To increase the bond strength by diffusion, the tin-coated steel bonds underwent heat post-treatment between temperatures of 150◦ C and 300◦ C for different dwell times. The results demonstrate that the use of tin as an active intermediate layer increases the bond area established. Moreover, the thin tin coating results in the formation of an active intermediate layer that directly takes part in the joining process by establishing a reactive link between the two substrates. A subsequent heat treatment further affects the bond strength by diffusion of tin at the interface. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.