Tungsten Carbide Plates & Sheet – The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Among the many types of wear plates, tungsten carbide plates are part of the most famous. Because of the durability that it has, it easily became one of the favorites and the best.

Should you be wondering what it is, this guide will tell you everything about it. Today, you’ll know many more things about tungsten carbide plates & sheets; from what it is, how it can help you, and what you need to do.

What is Carbide?

Carbides are known to be the basic building blocks of cutting tools and equipment. It is a binary compound with carbon as its base element.

It is then made carbide when you combine it to an element with a decreased electronegativity.

What is a Carbide Plate?

It is a plate made out of different compounds and elements with carbide as its base.

You use it to improve or enhance a certain part or material in terms of utility and effectiveness.

The most common other elements that you can combine it with include:

• Tungsten
• Silicon
• Calcium
• Boron

What are Some Examples of Carbide Plates?

There are a lot of different types and kinds of carbide plates in the market. There are even companies innovating on different electromagnetic structures and compounds.

However, the most common types and kinds of carbide plates include the following:

• Tungsten Carbide (WC)
• Silicon Carbide (SiC)
• Boron Carbide (B4C)

There are more types and kinds. However, these three are among the most sought after and the most known because of their uses.

What are Carbide Wear Plates?

They are steel plates with a composite alloy cladded onto them.

Technically, it’s the same as a carbide plate – you can use the two interchangeably.

Both have the same uses and the same purposes why they were created.

What are Boron Carbide Plates?

A Boron carbide plate is a type of plate that is perfect for low temperature applications.

It’s typically harder than Silicon Carbide and Alumina. When exposed to high temperatures, it can produce a protective skin or coating, because of its oxidation product.

You can use Boron carbide plates for various low temperature, high-pressure applications like:

• Scratch and Wear Resistant Coating
• Dies and Cutting Tools
• Nozzle Blasters
• High Pressure Water Jets
• And Many More

What are Silicon Carbide Plates?

Silicon carbide plates or SiC, is a compound made from oxygen and Silicon Metalloid.

Its natural color is black and it can be used in high-hardness and high-impact applications.  While it’s not as hard as B4C, Silicon carbide has its own applications, some of which include:

• Structural and Construction Materials
• Diesel Filters
• Cutting Tools
• Heating Instruments
• Disc Brakes
• And Many More

What are Tungsten Carbide Plates?

Tungsten carbide plates or WC are the known to be the hardest of all. Made from Tungsten metal and Carbon, they’re also known by the nickname “Hard Metals.”

Sitting next to it is diamond – which is named as the hardest material on earth. Because of this property, its usual applications would include high-impact and stress situations.

The most common example of its applications are:

• High-Temperature Activities and Applications (Alloys)
• Tubing & Piping in the Oil and Gas Industry
• Armor-Piercing Ammunition
• And The Like

Where is Carbide Found?

Carbide’s most basic form is dust and it’s usually fine grey.

You can get huge loads of it in China and neighboring countries; we’re not just sure if you can get it elsewhere.

You can get it from mining site.

Where Can You Use Carbide Plates?

Carbide plates boast of its ability to have a wide variety of uses.

The most common uses and applications would be in the following industries:

• Nuclear Industry
• Mining & Foundation Drilling Industries
  • Roller Cutters
  • Downhole Hammers
  • Tunnel Boring Machinery and Equipment
  • Raiseboring Reamers
• Cutting Tools and Machinery
  • High-Speed Steel Tools (HSS Tools)
  • Welding Equipment and Electrode
• Surgical Machines
  • Hemostats
  • Graspers
  • Needle Holders
  • Cautery
  • Scissors & Forceps

Apart from its usual use, they’re also used for heat and wear-resistant parts.

You can also use and see them for making and creating progressive tools and equipment.

How are Carbide Plates Produced?

Different types and kinds of carbides have different procedures and processes.

Ideally speaking, the most general process would involve heating the material (Tungsten, Silicon, or Boron), with the Carbon to high and demanding temperatures.

Usually, you’d need to heat it in a graphite resistant furnace to avoid unwanted reactions. This can create and form fine powder or a mass that needs to be crushed and milled appropriately. Then, that’s when you can use it.

Tungsten Carbide Plates For Sale

In case you’re looking for Tungsten carbide plates, there are a lot of manufacturers online.

However, you might not get what you’re expecting because you won’t see and feel it firsthand.

So, in buying or purchasing Tungsten carbide plates, it is best to:

• Contact the manufacturer first
• See the product for yourself (touch it & feel it)

What is a Tungsten Carbide Plate?

It is a kind of wear plate that is made from tungsten steel material.

You might be confused when you hear tungsten steel plate; it’s the same.

What is Tungsten Carbide?

To understand better, let’s dissect it from the two (2) compounds.

Tungsten is seen as a dark and glossy type of element with “W” as its symbol. Carbide, on the other hand, is a compound of carbon with another element; preferably of a comparable or a lower level of electronegativity.

Tungsten carbide is a chemical compound that has the same parts of carbon and tungsten.

How Tungsten Carbide is Prepared and Created

It’s not a naturally occurring material; it’s created and produced. The process is actually simple:

1. Tungsten oxide or powdery tungsten metal is prepared and proportioned
2. Graphite or carbon black is used to convert with it
3. Both are heated at temperatures between 1400 degrees Celsius and 2000 degrees Celsius
4. The material to be used would be a furnace that’s graphite lined
5. Once done, it’ll produce a powdery material – and thus, tungsten carbide

Process of Creating Tungsten Carbide Plates & Sheets

After making tungsten carbide, what is the process of manufacturing plates?

Here’s a quick summary of the complex procedure:

1. Proportioning of raw materials
2. Wet milling and blending
3. Drying
4. Sieving
5. Quality test (mixture)
6. Granulation and adding of rubber
7. Pressing & shaping
8. Quality checking w/ drying
9. Sintering
10. Treating the surface
11. Final inspection

This is the general process of how tungsten carbide plates and other materials are made. Differences with procedures would depend on your manufacturer or the company you’ll work with.

What Properties Do Tungsten Carbide Have?

The following are the given physical and chemical properties of tungsten carbides:

Physical Properties

• Has a high melting point (5200 degrees Fahrenheit or 2870 degrees Celsius); Boiling point is at (10830 degrees Fahrenheit or 6000 degrees Celsius)
• Ranks between 9 to 9.5 on the Mohs scale
• Has low electrical resistance
• High hardness and high strength at high temperature

Chemical Properties

• Oxidation starts at a high temperature (932 – 1112 degrees Fahrenheit or 500 to 600 degrees Celsius)
• Acid resistant and not reactive to dry Hydrogen
• Can decompose to carbon and tungsten at high temperature activities
• Excellent and amazing corrosion resistance

These are just the most common properties tungsten carbide plates have.

What’s the Most Basic Form of Tungsten Carbide?

In its simplest and most basic form, tungsten carbide is a gray powder that has fine texture.

What are Tungsten Carbide Sheets?

Contrary to thick plates, tungsten carbide sheets are thin sheet materials, of course made from tungsten carbide.

Similarly, it also has a considerable amount of resistance to high impact and high temp areas.

Where Can You Use Tungsten Carbide Plates?

You can use tungsten carbide plate for many different things. Its most famous is in the line of jewelry.

However, you can also use it for cutting tools and machinery. The most common applications for the use of tungsten carbide plates include:

• Mining and Construction Machines and Equipment
• Pulverizing and Crushing Mechanisms and Machines
• Recycling Equipment
• Grinding Machines and Equipment
• Electrical Machines and Equipment
• And Many More

How Many Grades Do Tungsten Carbide Have?

Enumerating the different grades of tungsten carbide can be tedious. It has at least 5,000 different grades.

Moreover, it’s sold in more than 1,500 different trade names by thousands of companies. You can find it anywhere!

What Composes a Tungsten Carbide Plate?

Usually, it’s made up and composed of Tungsten (W) and Carbide (C) and raw materials.

The plate is made through high heat and temperature.

How Can Using Tungsten Carbide Plates Benefit You?

Since they’re used for their hardness and resistance, you can find it beneficial in different ways:

• Exhibit a high level of hardness of materials
• High quality wear resistance
• Helps you create scratch and abrasion-proof materials
• Creates temperature resistant parts and components
• And many more

You will find many benefits to it depending on how you’ll use it; whether for the prevention of wear, development of resistance, prolonging the lifespan of parts, etc.

Overall, it’s safe for you to think that it’s the strongest material you can add to your parts.

What’s the Process in Hardfacing or Cladding Using Tungsten Carbide Plates & Sheets?

It follows the same structure of how usual wear plates are hardfaced and cladded. For hardfacing, it can be through thermal spraying, spray fusing, or welding.

For cladding, however, you would need a tungsten carbide electrode instead of a plate. You will weld the material into the part of the equipment or the component.

Where Can You Get Tungsten Carbide Plates & Sheets?

There are a lot of manufacturers and organizations that produce tungsten carbide plates. In fact, as we mentioned above, there are over 1,500 trade names of tungsten carbide.

But if you’re going to need it, wouldn’t it be better if you source it from a trusted company? Here in China, there’s no other company more trusted than us here at Waldun.

Waldun is known to be the most reliable supplier of tungsten carbide plates. We supply to many different countries in various continents. When you work with us, you’ll get the chance to source the best quality of tungsten carbide plates!