To provide a rubber composition for tires, capable of balancing elongation at break, rigidity and abrasion resistance in high order while suppressing its own viscosity rise and preventing its own processability from being aggravated, and to provide a pneumatic tire using the same.

The rubber composition for tires is characterized in being obtained by compounding 100 pts.mass of a diene rubber component containing 60 pts.mass or more of natural rubber and/or isoprene rubber with 30-80 pts.mass of carbon black 90-150 m2/g in nitrogen adsorption specific surface area(N2SA) and 1-15 pts.mass of a coumarone resin 35°C or lower in softening point. A pneumatic tire using the rubber composition for tires is also provided.