Tungsten Carbide

Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC) is a chemical compound (specifically, a carbide) containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms.

In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine grey powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes through a process called sintering for use in industrial machinery, cutting tools, abrasives, armour-piercing rounds, other tools and instruments, and jewellery

Historically referred to as Wolfram, Wolf Rahm, wolframite ore discovered by Peter Woulfe was then later carburized and cemented with a binder creating a composite now called “cemented tungsten carbide”. Tungsten is Swedish for “heavy stone”

Colloquially among workers in various industries (such as machining and carpentry), tungsten carbide is often simply called carbide, despite the imprecision of the usage. Among the lay public, the growing popularity of tungsten carbide rings has also led to consumers calling the material tungsten

Tungsten carbide is approximately twice as stiff as steel, with a Young’s modulus of approximately 530–700 GPa (77,000 to 102,000 ksi), and is double the density of steel—nearly midway between that of lead and gold. It is comparable with corundum (α-Al₂O₃) in hardness and can only be polished and finished with abrasives of superior hardness such as cubic boron nitride and diamond powder, wheels, and compounds

Tungsten carbide is approximately twice as stiff as steel

Sintered tungsten carbide – cobalt cutting tools are very abrasion resistant and can also withstand higher temperatures than standard high-speed steel (HSS) tools. Carbide cutting surfaces are often used for machining through materials such as carbon steel or stainless steel, and in applications where steel tools would wear quickly, such as high-quantity and high-precision production. Because carbide tools maintain a sharp cutting edge better than steel tools, they generally produce a better finish on parts, and their temperature resistance allows faster machining. The material is usually called cemented carbide, solid carbide, hard metal or tungsten-carbide cobalt. It is a metal matrix composite, where tungsten carbide particles are the aggregate, and metallic cobalt serves as the matrix

Please read our blog on the ethical sourcing of cobalt used in the manufacture of our TCT saw blades:

Cobalt and our Anti Slavery policy