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Tungsten Rod
Available Configurations
Properties common to all products in this list
| Diameter | Length |
|---|---|
| 1.6 mm to 100 mm | 10 mm to 1000 mm |
Need custom configurations? Please contact us.
Key Features
Tungsten Rod (99.95% purity) combines the highest melting point of any element with exceptional density, stiffness, and radiation shielding effectiveness in a machinable format:
Highest Melting Point of Any Element (3,410 °C)
Allows tungsten rod to sustain structural integrity under electron beam bombardment, arc discharge, and sustained high-temperature operation in environments that would melt any other commercially available metallic material.
Radiation Shielding Effectiveness
Density of 19.3 g/cm³ combined with atomic number Z = 74 makes tungsten one of the most effective materials for X-ray and gamma radiation shielding per unit volume, enabling compact designs that would require significantly greater thickness in lead or steel.
Tensile Modulus 411 GPa
Exceptional stiffness combined with very low thermal expansion gives dimensional stability under mechanical and thermal load, supporting precision EDM electrode and probe tip applications where geometry must be maintained under demanding service conditions.
Extremely Low Vapour Pressure
Supports use in high-vacuum furnace heating elements, cathode supports, and high-temperature structural components where evaporative mass loss from other refractory metals would contaminate the process environment.
Industrial Applications
Tungsten Rod is used across radiation shielding, X-ray tube manufacture, EDM machining, vacuum furnace construction, and research wherever its melting point, density, and stiffness determine material selection:
- ✦ Radiation Shielding Collimators and Medical Imaging Components
- Machined into collimators, medical imaging components, and nuclear industry shielding elements where 19.3 g/cm³ density and Z = 74 deliver maximum attenuation per unit volume in compact designs impractical with lower-density materials.
- ✦ X-Ray Tube Targets
- The standard material for X-ray tube targets, where the 3,410 °C melting point and high thermal conductivity sustain target integrity and X-ray output under continuous electron beam bombardment.
- ✦ EDM Electrodes
- High melting point and electrical conductivity allow precise, wear-resistant machining of hardened materials with minimum electrode erosion and maintained geometry across extended operations.
- ✦ Vacuum Furnace Heating Elements and Cathode Supports
- The 3,410 °C melting point and extremely low vapour pressure ensure neither the element nor its evaporated products contaminate the vacuum environment or furnace charge.
- ✦ Neutron Collimators and High-Temperature Probes
- Machined into neutron collimators and surface analysis probe tips, where density, stiffness, and resistance to deformation under combined thermal and mechanical load are all required simultaneously.
- ✦ Counterweight and Inertial Components
- Applied where maximum density in minimum volume is required for balancing, inertial sensing, and vibration damping applications.
Material Properties
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | 74 |
| Crystal structure | Body centred cubic |
| Electronic structure | Xe 4f¹⁴ 5d⁴ 6s² |
| Valences shown | 2,3,4,5,6 |
| Atomic weight( amu ) | 183.85 |
| Thermal neutron absorption cross-section( Barns ) | 18.5 |
| Photo-electric work function( eV ) | 4.55 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 183/ 14.3 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 182/ 26.3 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 186/ 28.6 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 180/ 0.1 |
| Natural isotope distribution( Mass No./% ) | 184/ 30.7 |
| Atomic radius - Goldschmidt( nm ) | 0.141 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 1/ 7.98 |
| Ionisation potential( No./eV ) | 2/ 17.7 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Material condition | Soft |
| Material condition | Hard |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.28 |
| Poisson's ratio | 0.28 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 311 |
| Bulk modulus( GPa ) | 311 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 411 |
| Tensile modulus( GPa ) | 411 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 360 |
| Hardness - Vickers( kgf mm⁻² ) | 500 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 550-620 |
| Tensile strength( MPa ) | 1920 |
| Yield strength( MPa ) | 550 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Electrical resistivity( µOhmcm ) | 5.4@20°C |
| Superconductivity critical temperature( K ) | 0.0154 |
| Temperature coefficient( K⁻¹ ) | 0.0048@0-100°C |
| Thermal emf against Pt (cold 0C - hot 100C)( mV ) | 1.12 |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Boiling point( C ) | 5660 |
| Density( gcm⁻³ ) | 19.3@20°C |
| Element | Value |
|---|---|
| Melting point( C ) | 3410 |
| Latent heat of evaporation( J g⁻¹ ) | 4009 |
| Latent heat of fusion( J g⁻¹ ) | 192 |
| Specific heat( J K⁻¹ kg⁻¹ ) | 133@25°C |
| Thermal conductivity( W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ ) | 173@0-100°C |
| Coefficient of thermal expansion( x10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ ) | 4.5@0-100°C |
Tolerances
| Diameter | =<10mm | ±10% |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | >10mm | ±5% |
| Length | <100mm | ±1mm |
| Length | >=100mm | +5 / -1% |