Phase diagram investigation of the Cu–Sn system was carried out on twenty Cu-rich samples by thermal analysis (DTA), metallographic methods (EPMA/SEM-EDX) and crystallographic analysis (powder XRD, high temperature powder XRD). One main issue in this work was to investigate the high temperature phases beta (W-type) and gamma (BiF3-type) and to check the phase relations between them. In the high temperature powder XRD experiments the presence of the two-phase-field between the beta- and the gamma-phase could not be confirmed. Detailed study of primary literature together with our experimental results leads to a new phase diagram version with a higher order transformation between these two high temperature phases. The present work is designated as part I of our joint publication. The new findings described here have been included into a completely new thermodynamic assessment of the Cu–Sn phase diagram which is presented in part II.