The performance of indium as cathodic material for the electroreduction of small organic molecules is considered. The cathodic reduction of formaldehyde (FA) is an ideal model reaction for this purpose since indium has a very large overpotential for the hydrogen evolution reaction with and without FA. Kinetic sets of the reaction pathways, with respect to the Tafel slope and reaction order, are considered on the basis of quasi-potentiostatic measurements and cyclic voltammetry. The value of the Tafel slope b(c) approximate to 60 mV dec(-1) indicates that the protonation of the adsorbed radical is the rate determining step in the proposed CECE mechanism. The reaction order with respect to FA is close to one in the limiting current regions but smaller in the Tafel region. The existence and kinetics of the radicals adsorbed during FA reduction are evidenced by very fast potentiodynamic experiments, with scan rates between 40 and 80 V s(-1). Electrochemical measurements are carried out on freshly in situ prepared In-electrodes. During cathodic polarization, the surface oxide him is reduced to In-metal via a solid-state mechanism. The crystallization kinetics of indium in the oxide matrix is also discussed.