Provided are a rubber composition for a tire which achieves a balanced improvement in tensile properties at break and fuel economy while providing excellent conductivity; and a pneumatic tire including the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for a tire, including: a rubber component; a carbon black having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of 20 to 110 m2/g and a DBP oil absorption of 60 to 130 ml/100 g; and a conductive carbon black having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of 900 m2/g or larger, a DBP oil absorption of 300 ml/100 g or more, and a volatile content of 0.8% by mass or more, the rubber composition containing 0.1 to 3 parts by mass of the conductive carbon black per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.