To provide a rubber composition for a tire, which is improved in a balance between rubber strength and rolling resistance; and to provide a pneumatic tire using the same.

The rubber composition for a tire comprises 100 pts.mass of rubber components containing a modified butadiene rubber, and at least one rubber selected from the group consisting of a natural rubber, an isoprene rubber and a butadiene rubber, 3 to 40 pts.mass of carbon black having a nitrogen absorbing specific surface area of 15 to 100 m2/g, and 5 to 23 pts.mass of a compound represented by formula (I), wherein the content of the modified butadiene rubber in 100 mass% of the rubber components is 5 to 80 mass%. In formula (I), A is a 2-10C alkylene group; R1 and R2 are identical or different, and each denote a monovalent organic group containing a nitrogen atom.