You would probably have heard about tungsten rings or carbide tungsten rings recently. But what exactly is tungsten carbide? I would like to share with the readers some facts about tungsten carbide.

Tungsten carbide is an inorganic chemical compound consisting of both tungsten and carbon. Tungsten carbide's most basic shape is in powder form and is pressed and molded into various shapes for use in industrial machinery and also jewelry. Tungsten's compound is also much denser than steel or titanium. Hence, it can only be polished with materials of superior hardness such as silicon carbide, cubic boron nitride and diamond amongst others. The melting point for tungsten carbide is extremely high at 2,870 degree Celsius (5,200 Fahrenheit) and its hardness is at 8.5-9.0 on the Mohs scale.

Below are some common uses of carbide:

Machine tools Usage:

Carbide cutting surfaces are often used in the purpose of machining situations where other metal tools would usually wear out. It also produces a better finish and allows quicker machining. Carbide tools can also endure higher temperatures than normal tools.

Military Usage:

This metal is commonly used in armor-piercing projectiles. It provides an effective penetration due to its hardness and dense properties. The common use includes ammunition for both small-caliber weapons and large artillery.

Jewelry Usage:

This metal can now be found in jewelry and most notably in men's wedding bands or rings. The tungsten rings or bands would normally have a dark hue polished and shiny finish. The tungsten rings is extremely resistant to scratches and dents while keeping its mirror-like shine for the life time of the pieces.

Lastly on tungsten jewelry, there are many manufacturers that use cobalt as a binder which may cause skin reactions. Skin oils would cause the cobalt to leak from the jewelry cause possible skin problems. Hence, it is very important to ensure the jewelry that you are buying uses nickel as a binder.