Tungsten, Tungsten Heavy Alloys and Tungsten Carbide

Tungsten is chosen for two things no other practical metal offers together: the highest melting point of any metal (3,422 °C) and a density of 19.3 g/cm³ — as heavy as gold, 2.5 × steel. The pure metal goes into furnace hardware, electrodes and X-ray targets; tungsten heavy alloys (90–97 % W in a nickel-iron matrix) are machinable metals for counterweights, radiation shielding and kinetic penetrators; and cemented tungsten carbide, WC grains bonded with cobalt, is the hardest engineering material that can be shaped, the basis of every cutting insert and wear die. All three are expensive, all three are heavy, and none is forgiving of a sharp corner.

Tungsten materials by group

Pure & doped tungsten≥ 99.95 % W · K-doped, W-La₂O₃3700 – 750Furnace heating elements, crucibles, boats, sputter targets, X-ray anodes, TIG electrodes, ion-implanter parts — highest melting point, lowest vapor pressure, brittle at room temperature.

Tungsten heavy alloys (WHA)90–97 % W + Ni-Fe or Ni-Cu · WHA-90, WHA-95, WHA-978550 – 1,400Counterweights, radiation shielding, gyroscope rotors, penetrators, boring-bar shanks, racing and aerospace balance masses — 17–18.5 g/cm³ and machinable like alloy steel; Ni-Cu grades are non-magnetic.

Cemented tungsten carbideWC + 6–12 % Co (± TiC, TaC) · WC-6Co, WC-10Co, WC-12Co31,400 – 1,700Cutting inserts and end mills, wire and cold-heading dies, punches, nozzles, wear rings, seal faces and ball bearings — 88–93 HRA hardness; lower cobalt is harder, higher cobalt is tougher.

Other tungsten alloysW-Re, W-Cu, W-Ag8450 – 1,900Tungsten-rhenium for high-temperature thermocouples and ductile filaments; tungsten-copper and tungsten-silver for EDM electrodes, resistance-welding electrodes, electrical contacts and heat sinks matched to semiconductor expansion.

Choose a tungsten material for

Counterweights, balance masses, vibration dampers and inertial components where mass must fit in a small volume (heavy alloy); radiation shielding, collimators and syringe shields in medical and nuclear work (heavy alloy — 60 % more shielding per thickness than lead, and non-toxic); cutting tools, punches, dies, nozzles, wear rings and seal faces (carbide); and electrodes, heating elements, crucibles, boats and furnace fixtures above 1,500 °C (pure tungsten).

Look elsewhere when

Weight is a penalty rather than the purpose (nearly every other metal), the part sees impact or bending (pure W and carbide are brittle; heavy alloys are the only tungsten materials with useful toughness), it must be welded or formed after machining, the geometry has thin walls or sharp internal corners, or a cheaper solution exists — steel for mass in an unconstrained volume, lead for shielding where toxicity is managed, hardened tool steel or ceramic for wear at moderate loads. Tungsten oxidizes rapidly above 500 °C in air; high-temperature use is in vacuum or inert gas.

Yield strength against max service temp, every tungsten alloy grade

No materials in view have both of these properties.

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Tungsten Alloy by application

Maximum mass in minimum volume: WHA-90 (17 g/cm³) machines most easily and is the standard counterweight grade; WHA-95 / 97 for more density where machining is simple; pure W only when the shape is simple and the part will not be shock-loaded.
Radiation shielding: Collimators, isotope containers, syringe and vial shields, nuclear-medicine hardware — 1.7 × the attenuation of lead per thickness, no toxicity, machinable to tight tolerance.
Cutting tools and dies: Fine-grain WC-6Co for inserts, end mills and drawing dies; 10–12 % Co for cold-heading dies, punches and anything that sees impact.
Wear at high load or temperature: Nozzles, seal rings, valve trim, wear pads and hot-forging inserts in carbide; furnace hardware and crucibles in pure tungsten under vacuum or hydrogen.

FabAgentAI

AI suggestions — verify with an engineer before ordering. Estimates are indicative; the quote page prices your exact geometry.

Manufacturing notes

CNC machining — heavy alloys: WHA machines much like a hard alloy steel — carbide tooling, moderate speed, positive rake, good chip control — and holds ±0.01 mm. It is the only tungsten material that turns, mills, drills and taps conventionally. Chips are heavy and abrasive; keep tools sharp to avoid smearing the nickel binder.
Pure tungsten: Brittle at room temperature: machined with carbide or diamond tools at low feed, or EDM-cut, and never given sharp corners or thin sections. Most complex pure-W parts are pressed and sintered to near-net shape and ground; rod, sheet and plate are stocked for simple machined shapes.
Carbide: Cemented carbide cannot be cut with an edge; it is pressed and sintered as a blank, then diamond-ground, wire- or sinker-EDMed and lapped. Tolerances of ±0.002 mm and mirror finishes are routine on grinding-friendly geometry. Design carbide parts as simple grindable shapes and braze them to steel bodies where complexity is needed.
Joining: Brazing (silver or copper alloys) is the standard way to attach carbide and tungsten to steel; heavy alloys can be brazed, bolted or shrink-fitted. Welding tungsten is done only by EB or laser in vacuum, and rarely.
Finishing: Ground, lapped or polished as required; nickel plating on WHA for corrosion or cosmetic use; PVD coatings (TiAlN, DLC) on carbide tools. Tungsten needs protection only above 500 °C in air — otherwise the bare surface is fine.

Most-quoted tungsten alloy grades

Grade	Group	Yield, MPa	Tensile, MPa	Density, g/cm³	Machinability	Weldability	Best for
WHA-90	Tungsten heavy alloys (WHA)	620	900	17	Poor	Poor	Machinable counterweights and shielding
WHA-95	Tungsten heavy alloys (WHA)	610	820	18.05	Poor	Poor	Denser shielding and balance masses
Pure W	Pure & doped tungsten	700	800	19.25	Not recommended	Not recommended	Furnace hardware, electrodes, targets
WC-6Co	Cemented tungsten carbide	1,700	1,300	14.9	Not recommended	Not recommended	Cutting inserts and drawing dies
WC-10Co	Cemented tungsten carbide	1,500	1,300	14.5	Not recommended	Not recommended	Wear parts, nozzles, seal faces
WC-12Co	Cemented tungsten carbide	1,400	1,400	14.2	Not recommended	Not recommended	Impact-loaded punches and dies

Finishes for tungsten alloy

All 111 finishes

11 of our 111 surface finishes take tungsten alloy: 11 recommended outright. Each finish opens to its datasheet — thickness, hardness, salt-spray hours, spec codes and the tungsten alloy-specific notes — and the configurator prices it on the grade you pick.

Finish	Group	On tungsten alloy	Thickness, µm	Hardness, HV	Salt spray, h	Cost
Aluminum Chromium Nitride PVD	PVD, CVD & thermal spray	Yes	1–5	2,900–3,400	—	$$$$
Aluminum Titanium Nitride PVD	PVD, CVD & thermal spray	Yes	1–5	3,200–3,800	—	$$$$
CVD Alumina	PVD, CVD & thermal spray	Yes	5–20	1,800–2,200	—	$$$$

8 more finishes accept tungsten alloy — see the full material × finish matrix →

Tungsten Alloy — frequently asked

What is tungsten heavy alloy, and why not pure tungsten?

A heavy alloy is 90–97 % tungsten powder sintered in a nickel-iron (or nickel-copper) binder. The binder gives up 5–10 % of the density but turns a brittle refractory metal into a ductile one that machines, threads and survives being dropped. For counterweights and shielding that difference is decisive; pure tungsten is reserved for high-temperature and electrical uses where the binder would melt or contaminate.

Is tungsten better than lead for shielding?

Per thickness, yes — about 1.7 × the gamma attenuation, so a shield can be 40 % thinner. Per dollar, no: lead is a fraction of the price. Tungsten heavy alloy wins where space is tight (collimators, endoscopic and syringe shields, aircraft), where lead's toxicity or softness is a problem, or where the shield also carries load or needs machined precision.

Can tungsten carbide be machined?

Not with a cutting tool — it is harder than anything except diamond and cBN. Carbide parts are pressed and sintered to shape as a blank and then finished by diamond grinding, EDM and lapping. That means simple, grindable geometry is cheap and complex 3D shapes are not; the usual design is a carbide insert or wear face brazed into a steel body.

How heavy is tungsten compared with steel?

Pure tungsten is 19.3 g/cm³ — 2.45 × steel, 7 × aluminum, the same as gold. Heavy alloys run 17.0–18.5 g/cm³ and cemented carbide 14–15 g/cm³. A 100 mm cube of WHA-90 weighs 17 kg. That is the whole point for balance masses: the same mass fits in 40 % of the volume steel would need.

WC-6Co or WC-12Co?

Lower cobalt is harder and more wear resistant; higher cobalt is tougher. WC-6Co (about 91–92 HRA) for cutting edges, drawing dies and wear parts in steady sliding contact; WC-10Co as the general-purpose wear grade; WC-12Co and above (88–89 HRA) for punches, cold-heading dies and anything that sees impact or shock, where a harder grade would chip.