Jewelry and industrial sectors alike take advantage of both titanium and tungsten. One of the reasons titanium is so sought after by the aerospace industry besides being corrosion-resistant and lightweight is its hypoallergenic qualities. On the other hand, tungsten is extremely hard, scratch resistant, and very dense.
Although they can look very similar, titanium and tungsten weigh and consist of different materials. This article will address each of these differences, especially if you’re trying to decide which one to get for rings. We’ll also address some of their applications, benefits, and downsides.
What is Titanium?
Titanium is sometimes referred to as Gregorite (named after Rev. William Gregor who identified it in Cornwall, England, in 1971), is a transition metal characterized by a silver-white element.
Titanium is only found in nature as an oxide, in pure titanium, it is already a strong and corrosion resistant surface.
Although titanium is water resistant, it is worth noting that titanium will dissolve in high concentrated acids. Hence, titanium is essentially, everywhere in use (aerospace to medical).
Usually, titanium is used in the form of CNC machined stock that makes various components, but parts can also be made from titanium using 3D printing using our DMLS process.
Because titanium is only found as an oxide in nature, titanium needs to go through processing and refining to obtain the more common usable forms we become familiar with.
This where we use the Kroll method, which separates the minerals rutile, ilmenite, or sphene, for example, from other materials, and purifies them.
Titanium ores are treated with carbon and chlorine gas to form low grade titanium tetrachloride. The titanium tetrachloride gets distilled and purified to separate from impurities.
The purified titanium liquid is treated with magnesium, which creates a sponge with titanium alloy processing it further in arc furnace.
After the liquid ingot has been evaluated, it will be treated further before it meets the specification desired to achieve application intended. The ingot can be laser cut into shape when the final specifications has been finalized.
Different Types of Titanium
The most commonly used titanium are six pure grades (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11) and four alloys which we explain more in the below table.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Ti 6Al-4V (Grade 5) | This titanium alloy called Grade 5 has the highest strength of titanium alloys. It is predominantly used in aerospace, medical, and marine industries. |
| Ti 6Al-4V ELI (Grade 23) | Grade 23 is known as surgical titanium; it is formable and corrosion-resistant; and is used in medical and dental applications. |
| Ti 3Al 2.5 (Grade 9) | Grade 9 has elevated temperature strength and is used that manufacturing, chemical and marine. |
| Ti 5Al-2.5Sn (Grade 6) | Grade 6 is non-heat-treatable and has iGrade 6 is non-heat-treatable and has impressed weldability, stability and strength; it is used and aircraft and airframe components. |
Titanium: Advantages vs. Disadvantages
Here’s our breakdown of titanium’s key advantages versus its disadvantages.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Creates a protective layer of titanium dioxide that protects it from rust and corrosion. | Generally, it is more expensive than other most often used metals (like aluminum and steel). |
| Is 100% recyclable, helping to reduce waste. | Its not the easiest material to get, it is Its not the easiest material to get, it is sometimes hard to get as well. It may not be best for somebody who requires a lot and it to be fast. |
| Is about half the weight of steel, but as strong, making it ideal for lightweight construction that is still strong. | Titanium is not as easily cast as iron or aluminum. |
| Has the highest strength to density ratio of any metal, which is why it is popular in aerospace manufacturing. | Titanium’s high melting point, along with its reactivity, makes it a difficult metal to weld. |
What is Tungsten?
Tungsten (W), or Wolfram, is a silvery-white metal, discovered in 1783 by Spanish chemists Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar. It is a very strong metal and refractory material, due to its high heat- and wear-resistance. On Earth, tungsten is rare and most frequently exists as minerals of other elements.
In fact, if you were to coarsely powder tungsten, it could burn and ignite on its own. As well, tungsten is also used in all steel alloys to increase strength and hardness, and many lightbulb filaments are made from tungsten.
Other common tungsten dependency products include the cutting tools in our shops for machining parts, jewelry, and radiation shielding. Here is a picture of some jewelry to give you perspective of what tungsten looks like as a product in the real world.
Like titanium, pure tungsten cannot be sourced, because no tungsten can be found in nature part from extraction and processing from minerals. The two main tungsten rock minerals are wolframite and scheelite.
To recover these minerals and recognize any economic value from the extraction, two mining operations can be employed: surface mining (removing the rock and overburden above the minerals), and underground mining (using shafts and tunnels).
The mined ores then require crushing and purification using alkali treatment to generate tungsten trioxide (WO3). The tungsten trioxide is then heated using carbon or hydrogen gas, which produces tungsten metal, and carbon dioxide or vaporized water.
Different Types of Tungsten
If you have seen tungsten, most probably, it was tungsten carbide. This is the most common type and is commonly used in various tools because of its strength and resistance to chemicals.
There are many other types as well, such as cemented carbide, heavy metal tungsten alloys, pure tungsten, and alloyed tungsten.
Cemented tungsten carbide is commonly alloyed with cobalt, and is mainstream in tools like industrial pumps, cutting tools, mining equipment etc.
Tungsten is often used in the pure form, especially in electrical applications. Also, there are many chemicals from tungsten and they are often present in ceramic and pigments.
Tungsten: Advantages vs. Disadvantages
In the hope of giving you further insight into tungsten, we’ve broken down its key advantages and disadvantages below:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It is suitable for ballast for race car, alloys, and other heavy but compact applications. | Working with tungsten on shop tasks such cutting, drilling, and welding has its challenges. |
| Will allow tools to remain stable in extreme heat. | Tungsten is more expensive than zinc alloys, stainless steels and titanium. |
| Ideal for corrosive environments such as marine applications. | Tungsten has a higher melting temperature than other materials, which proves difficult when fabricating. |
| Very high melting point. | Tungsten will break or shatter if it is struck. |
| Can be used in X-ray targets, radiation shielding, and electrical components. | Tungsten rings cannot be resized. |
Titanium vs. Tungsten: How to Choose
At what point titanium or tungsten will be the better fit for their projects. Once we gather all the necessary information, for example: needs, preferences, geometry of part, and the purpose of the part, we are in a good position to direct them.
For customers who want to make a durable, scratch resistant item, we will suggest tungsten. if there is not really a fear of impact, this is a good option, however, if the item possibly might get struck, maybe this isn’t a good option, as tungsten can be brittle.
This is where titanium may be a viable alternative because it is durable (though not as strong as tungsten), corrosion resistant, and light weight. Tungsten has a tensile strength of 142,000 psi. Titanium has a tensile strength of 63,000 psi.
More strength isn’t always better; titanium offers a superior strength to weight ratio. Below is an image of the molecular structures of titanium and tungsten.
Comparing Titanium and Tungsten
We’ve put together the below table which will help you discern some principle similarities and differences between the two metals.
| Comparisons | Titanium | Tungsten |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable for arc welding | Yes | Yes |
| Scratch-resistant | Yes | Yes (slightly more) |
| Crack-resistant | Yes (slightly more) | Yes |
| General cost (can vary) | $0.35 per pound | $3.25 per pound |
| Identification mark | Lower density and lightweight | High density and heavier |
| Common Applications | Aerospace Components, Medical Implants, Sports Gear, Jewelry | Lightbulb Illumination, Cutting Tools, Microelectronics, Radiation Shielding, Jewelry |
| Suitable for shipbuilding | Yes | No |