This invention relates to a pneumatic tire wherein at least one of a carcass (4) and a belt (6) comprises a layer of steel cords covered with a coating rubber, and as the coating rubber covering the steel cords in at least one of the carcass (4) and the belt (6) is used a rubber composition comprising a rubber component (A), 1-10 parts by mass of sulfur (B) and 0.1-10 parts by mass of a compound (C) including a substituted benzene ring, a compound (D1) having a particular structure or a composition (D2) consisting essentially of such a compound based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, and as the steel cord is used a steel cord formed by twisting a plurality of steel wires each plated on its peripheral face with a brass and having an amount of phosphorus as an oxide in a surface layer region from a surface of the plated brass to a depth of 5 nm inward in a radial direction of the wire controlled to not more than 1.5 atomic %.