Tungsten carbide rings are becoming increasingly popular as engagement and wedding rings, due to their durability and scratch resistance. However, it is important to understand the difference between tungsten and tungsten carbide when purchasing these types of rings. Many retailers will use these two terms interchangeably, but it is worth knowing the difference between the two in order to ensure you are getting a high quality ring.

Tungsten Carbide Rings

Wholesale tungsten carbide rings are typically made from a combination of tungsten and other metals, often cobalt. This type of material is known as cemented carbide, hardmetal or tungsten-carbide cobalt (WC-Co). It has a number of advantages over standard steel cutting tools such as its abrasion resistance and ability to tolerate higher temperatures. This allows WC-Co tools to hold a sharper cutting edge for longer, which in turn increases productivity and decreases the need for frequent replacement of the tool.

It is also used for a variety of industrial applications, including machining and drilling. In mining it is commonly found in top hammer rock drill bits, downhole hammers, roller-cutters, long wall plough chisels and raiseboring reamers. In manufacturing, it is used for wear-resistant parts in injection moulding machines and for cutting tools.

Tungsten carbide is a highly effective neutron reflector, and as such it was extensively used in early investigations into nuclear chain reactions for weapons development, including the Los Alamos criticality accident on 21 August 1945. Its nuclear-reaction potential is about twice that of uranium, but it has significantly lower melting and boiling points. This makes tungsten an attractive material for high-temperature applications, such as the production of titanium and vanadium alloys. It is also a valuable component in tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, where it acts as a shielding material to protect the weld area from deformation and spalling due to high temperatures.