High purity SnO2 powder (>99.9%) was compacted in cylindrical pellets and sintered in atmospheres of dry argon, argon with water vapor, oxygen and CO2 using 10 degrees C/min up to 1200 degrees C or isotherms in the range of 1000 to 1200 degrees C. Time, temperature and sintering atmosphere have large influence on grain growth and low influence on densification of this oxide. Surface diffusion is the dominant mechanism up to 1200 degrees C and evaporation-condensation is dominant above 1200 degrees C. The maximum linear shrinkage observed was about 2.0% and attributed to structural rearrangement of particles due to high capillary stresses developed with neighboring particles.