Tungsten carbide (WC) is a chemical compound consisting of tungsten and carbon. It is characterized by its extremely high hardness as well as its brittleness. Without a metallic binder, it is hardly usable as a load-bearing material. For this reason, tungsten carbide is used in technology almost exclusively in the form of hard metals, in which Tungsten carbide is combined with a metallic binder such as cobalt.
Hard metals consist primarily of tungsten carbide powder as the hard phase and a metallic binder, also in powder form, typically cobalt.
During the sintering process, the binder partially melts, wets the WC grains, and bonds them into a dense composite. This creates a material that combines the hardness and wear resistance of WC with the toughness of the metal.
By adjusting the composition, hardness and fracture toughness can be controlled, allowing the production of hard-metal grades with different properties.
Additives such as vanadium carbide or chromium carbide stabilize the microstructure and prevent excessive grain growth during sintering.
Compared to steels, tungsten carbide are significantly harder and more wear-resistant; compared to ceramic cutting materials (and diamond), they possess considerably higher toughness and fracture resistance under impact load.
Tungsten carbide cemented metals are largely inert towards many organic solvents, dilute bases and acids, and neutral media at normal temperatures. However, the following aspects should be considered:
Surface coatings (e.g., TiN, Al₂O₃, TiAlN) can further enhance chemical and thermal resistance and allow the material properties to be specifically tailored to particular operating conditions (steels, cast iron, non-ferrous alloys, aggressive media).
ISO groups for cemented carbide are so-called International Standards , which classify cemented carbides according to their primary application. They provide information about which material or machining process (e.g., steel, cast iron, non-ferrous metals) the respective cemented carbide grade is best suited for.
| ISO group (color code) | Main application | Example materials |
|---|---|---|
| P (blue) | Steel processing | Unalloyed, low-alloy and high-alloy steels |
| M (yellow) | Stainless steels, tough materials | Austenitic steels, duplex steels, titanium alloys (limited) |
| K (red) | Cast iron, short-chipping materials | Gray cast iron, ductile cast iron, bronze |
In addition, there are groups N (non-ferrous metals) , S (superalloys) and H (hardened steels) , which are used for special applications.
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Whether small batches or large production runs: modern press systems enable flexible manufacturing. Final finishing is carried out – depending on requirements – on grinding machines, EDM machines, or by hand to ensure maximum precision.
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