Tungsten carbide provides superior wear resistance compared to titanium carbide, offering 89-93 HRA hardness versus TiC's 80-85 HRA. With outstanding abrasion and impact toughness, WC is ideal for heavy-duty applications such as crushers, shredders, and snow plows. China manufacturers like Rettek produce wholesale OEM tungsten carbide wear parts, ensuring consistent quality, cost efficiency, and long-lasting performance.
What Is Titanium Carbide and Its Wear Resistance?
Titanium carbide (TiC) is a ceramic-like cermet with hardness ranging from 2800-3200 HV, commonly used in cutting tools, coatings, and moderate-wear inserts. TiC resists oxidation up to 800°C but lacks toughness under high-impact conditions. While cost-effective, TiC wears faster in abrasive applications. Rettek focuses on tungsten carbide alternatives for B2B clients seeking longer-lasting, high-performance wear parts.
Titanium carbide (TiC) is a very hard material, almost like a ceramic, that is often used in cutting tools or parts that don’t face extreme impacts. Its hardness, measured around 2800–3200 HV, makes it resistant to scratching and wear under normal conditions. TiC can also tolerate high temperatures, up to about 800°C, without breaking down.
However, TiC is not very tough, which means it can crack or chip when hit hard. In very abrasive or high-impact situations, it wears out faster than other materials. Companies like Rettek often recommend tungsten carbide instead because it combines both hardness and toughness. Using stronger, more durable carbide parts helps machines run longer with less downtime, improves efficiency, and lowers overall maintenance costs. Choosing the right material for wear parts is key to keeping industrial equipment safe, productive, and cost-effective.
What Is Tungsten Carbide and Its Wear Resistance?
Tungsten carbide (WC) is an alloy of WC particles and cobalt binder, achieving 89-93 HRA hardness and 1500-2000 HV. It withstands extreme abrasion, impact, and corrosion, outlasting steel by 5-10 times. Rettek manufactures sub-micron WC components for snow plow blades and VSI rotor tips, using in-house sintering to ensure uniform density over 14.5 g/cm³. Wholesale OEM parts from Rettek provide reliable durability for mining, road maintenance, and industrial machinery.
| Property | Titanium Carbide | Tungsten Carbide |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness (HRA) | 80-85 | 89-93 |
| Density (g/cm³) | 4.9 | 14.5-15.6 |
| Toughness (MPa·m¹/²) | 3-5 | 8-12 |
| Max Temp (°C) | 800 | 700 |
Tungsten carbide (WC) is a very strong material made by combining tiny WC particles with a cobalt binder. This combination makes it extremely hard, with a hardness rating of 89–93 HRA, and gives it excellent resistance to wear, impact, and corrosion. Compared to steel, tungsten carbide can last 5 to 10 times longer under tough conditions. Because of this toughness and durability, it is widely used in industrial parts like snow plow blades and VSI rotor tips.
Rettek produces high-quality tungsten carbide parts using precise in-house processes, ensuring the material is dense, uniform, and long-lasting. Compared with titanium carbide, tungsten carbide is much harder, denser, and tougher, although TiC can handle slightly higher temperatures. Choosing tungsten carbide for mining, road maintenance, or heavy machinery parts ensures longer service life, more consistent performance, and reduced maintenance costs. Using durable carbide parts is essential for keeping industrial equipment running efficiently and safely.
Why Does Tungsten Carbide Excel in Wear Resistance Over TiC?
Tungsten carbide’s fine grains and cobalt binder improve resistance to crack propagation, handling combined abrasion and impact where TiC is brittle. China manufacturers like Rettek optimize WC-Co grades such as YG8 and K20 to achieve 10x longer service life in HPGR studs and rotor tips. Transverse rupture strength surpasses 2000 MPa compared to TiC’s 1000 MPa, reducing downtime and increasing B2B cost efficiency.
How Do Titanium Carbide and Tungsten Carbide Compare in Hardness?
While TiC achieves 2800 HV nominally, its brittleness under load reduces practical wear life. WC maintains sharp edges under high stress and repeated impact. Rettek’s testing confirms tungsten carbide consistently outperforms TiC in industrial wear applications, ensuring longer-lasting components for crushers, snow plows, and shredders.
Which Applications Suit Titanium Carbide vs Tungsten Carbide?
Titanium carbide suits high-temperature coatings, light machining, and low-impact cutting tools. Tungsten carbide dominates heavy-duty wear applications including crushers, snow plows, shredders, and HPGR rollers. Rettek supplies WC blades and inserts for snow removal and mining, achieving 4-5x longer life than TiC components in comparable settings.
What Are the Cost Differences for China-Manufactured Parts?
China-manufactured tungsten carbide wholesale parts typically range from $20-50/kg, while TiC costs $15-35/kg. Despite lower upfront cost, TiC’s shorter wear life increases overall expenses. Rettek’s integrated manufacturing reduces WC pricing 20-30%, providing cost-effective, durable OEM solutions for B2B buyers.
| Factor | TiC (China Wholesale) | WC (Rettek OEM) |
|---|---|---|
| Price/kg | $15-35 | $20-50 |
| Wear Life Multiplier | 1x | 5-10x |
| Total Cost Savings | Baseline | 40-60% |
How to Choose Between Titanium Carbide and Tungsten Carbide for Wear Parts?
Select tungsten carbide for high-abrasion, high-impact applications like crushers, plows, and shredders. TiC is suitable for oxidation-focused or low-load uses. Rettek can advise on grade selection and geometry customization to match specific operational requirements, ensuring maximum service life and cost efficiency.
Why Source from China Carbide Factories Like Rettek?
China-based manufacturers offer cost-effective, high-quality carbide wear parts through full in-house production from raw powders to finished components. Rettek’s Zigong facility provides flexible MOQs, 7-30 day lead times, and global shipping. Clients in over 10 countries trust Rettek for consistent performance and durable OEM solutions.
Rettek Expert Views
"Tungsten carbide surpasses titanium carbide in wear resistance due to its balanced hardness and toughness, making it ideal for snow plow inserts and crusher tips. At Rettek, full-chain manufacturing—from alloy preparation to precision brazing—ensures WC parts achieve 5x longer life, reducing client downtime by 50%. For B2B OEM applications, tungsten carbide remains the preferred solution over brittle TiC alternatives." – Rettek Materials Engineer
Can China Suppliers Customize TiC or WC Parts?
Yes, Rettek provides full OEM services for both TiC and WC components, including grade selection and complex geometries. WC customization is preferred for heavy-duty wear parts requiring extended longevity and precise profiles.
What Grades Does Rettek Recommend for Maximum Wear Resistance?
Rettek recommends YG8 (89 HRA) for general wear applications and K20 for high-impact scenarios, emphasizing tungsten carbide for all primary load-bearing parts. TiC is not advised for critical, high-abrasion uses.
Conclusion
Tungsten carbide offers superior wear resistance, toughness, and longevity compared to titanium carbide. China manufacturers like Rettek provide reliable, cost-effective OEM solutions for crushers, snow plows, and industrial machinery. Key takeaways: choose WC for high-load operations, consult Rettek for grade selection, and integrate their parts to achieve significant reductions in maintenance costs and downtime.
FAQs
Is tungsten carbide harder than titanium carbide?
Yes, WC achieves higher effective hardness (89-93 HRA) with greater toughness for heavy-duty applications.
Why choose Rettek for carbide wear parts?
Rettek provides full-chain China production, ensuring consistent quality, competitive pricing, and OEM customization.
Which wears faster in abrasive environments?
Titanium carbide wears faster than tungsten carbide under impact and high-friction conditions.
Can Rettek supply both TiC and WC wholesale?
Yes, WC is the focus for high-performance parts, but TiC customization is also available.
How much longer do WC parts last?
WC lasts 5-10 times longer than TiC in mining, snow removal, and other industrial applications.
Is tungsten carbide harder than titanium carbide?
Tungsten carbide (WC) generally offers superior wear resistance due to its high density and toughness, with hardness around 1800–2400 HV. Titanium carbide (TiC) can be harder in pure form (2800–3200 HV) but is less dense, making WC better for heavy-duty, high-impact applications like mining and cutting tools.
What are the main advantages of tungsten carbide?
Tungsten carbide provides extreme hardness, excellent wear resistance, and good fracture toughness when combined with cobalt binders. It excels in heavy-duty machining, mining, and abrasive environments, delivering long-lasting performance and durability under high-impact conditions.
What are the main advantages of titanium carbide?
Titanium carbide offers excellent thermal stability, oxidation resistance, and lower density. It is ideal for high-temperature machining, lightweight components, and abrasive cutting tasks, often outperforming WC when heat and chemical exposure are key concerns.
Which material is better for heavy-duty wear applications?
Tungsten carbide is preferred for extreme wear conditions, heavy machining, and mining due to its toughness and ability to resist abrasion and impact over long periods, ensuring reliable performance under harsh conditions.
Which material is better for high-temperature or lightweight applications?
Titanium carbide excels in environments requiring thermal stability, oxidation resistance, or reduced weight. Its combination of hardness and heat tolerance makes it suitable for aerospace components, cutting tools, and applications exposed to high temperatures.
How does density affect the choice between WC and TiC?
WC’s higher density provides superior wear resistance and impact strength, making it suitable for heavy-duty tasks. TiC’s lower density reduces weight, benefiting aerospace or lightweight tooling, but it may offer slightly less toughness in high-impact conditions.
Can titanium carbide outperform tungsten carbide in certain conditions?
Yes. In high-temperature, oxidative, or thermally stressful environments, TiC often outperforms WC due to better heat resistance, oxidation stability, and lighter weight, making it ideal when thermal and chemical factors are critical.
Why are coatings like TiN applied to tungsten carbide tools?
Titanium nitride (TiN) coatings are often applied to WC tools to enhance wear resistance, reduce friction, and improve thermal performance. This combines WC’s toughness with TiC/TiN’s high-temperature and oxidation resistance, extending tool life and efficiency in demanding operations.