How to Recognize Tungsten Carbide?

1. Hold a magnet to the item you are examining. If the magnet is attracted to it, the item is not tungsten carbide, it is iron or steel. However, sometimes tungsten carbide is used as a tip for an item, particularly saw blades, so this test is sometimes misleading.

2. Pick up the item and "heft" it. Tungsten carbide is very dense, and a tungsten carbide object will feel very heavy relative to its size. If you have a piece of steel that is a similar size to the object you are inspecting, the item will weigh about twice as much as the steel if it is carbide. This is the most conclusive test that does not risk damaging the item you are examining.

3. Scratch the item with a steel nail. The Mohs hardness scale is a method of measuring the hardness of different materials. Steel has a Mohs hardness that ranges between 5 and 8.5. Tungsten Carbide will range between 8 and 9, depending upon the exact alloy that the carbide is made from. Typically, tungsten carbide will scratch steel and will not be scratched by steel. Tungsten carbide will scratch glass as well, as another way to test its hardness.

4. Examine the item. Tungsten carbide does not corrode under normal conditions and does not rust. Seeing either of these indicates that the item is made from some other metal.

5. Put the item to a grinder and watch the sparks. Sparks from tungsten carbide are short and dark red, and are very distinctive to carbide. This is a fairly definitive test, but is somewhat more dangerous than other methods of identification and can damage the item.


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