Provided are: a rubber composition for tires that achieves a balanced improvement in handling stability, crack resistance, ozone resistance, discoloration resistance, tire appearance, fuel economy, tensile strength, and scorch resistance; and a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The invention relates to a rubber composition for tires containing: a rubber component having a combined content of polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, and polyisoprene rubber of 90% by mass or more based on 100% by mass of the rubber component; sulfur; and at least one nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of a Pluronic nonionic surfactant, and a nonionic surfactant represented by the formula (1) below and/or a nonionic surfactant represented by the formula (2) below, the rubber composition containing, per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, 2-70 parts by mass of carbon black and 1-5 parts by mass of silica, and being free of silane coupling agents, wherein R1 represents a C6-C26 hydrocarbon group having an unsaturated bond, and d represents an integer, wherein R2 and R3 are the same or different and each represent a C6-C26 hydrocarbon group, and e represents an integer.