To provide a rubber composition for tire treads achieving both of improvement in wet performance and reduction of rolling resistance and also having excellent heat aging resistance; and to provide a pneumatic tire using the same.

A rubber composition for tire treads compounded with 30-150 pts.mass of a reinforcing filler satisfying the requirement (a), and 0.05-2.00 pts.mass of a thiuram-based vulcanization accelerator per 100 pts.mass of a diene-type rubber, and a pneumatic tire using the rubber composition for treads are disclosed. The requirement (a) is that: carbon black having 80-180 m2/g of CTAB adsorption specific surface area and oil-extended clay respectively account for 20 pts.mass or more and 1-20 pts.mass of 30-150 pts.mass of the reinforcing filler.