Tungsten is renowned as one of the hardest and most durable metals in the world. Here's a concise overview:

Key Facts About Tungsten:

• Symbol: W (from its German name Wolfram)

• Atomic Number: 74

• Density: 19.25 g/cm³ (very dense, almost as much as gold)

• Melting Point: 3422°C (6192°F) – highest of all metals

• Hardness: Rated around 7.5 on the Mohs scale; alloys and tungsten carbide are much harder

Why It's Considered the Hardest Metal:

While pure tungsten is extremely hard, it’s tungsten carbide (a compound of tungsten and carbon) that’s especially famous for hardness—close to diamond-level (Mohs 9–9.5). Tungsten carbide is used extensively in industrial cutting tools, mining equipment, and armor-piercing ammunition.

Common Uses:

• Light bulb filaments (due to high melting point)

• X-ray tubes and electrical contacts

• Aerospace and military applications

• Wedding rings and luxury watch parts (for scratch resistance)

Interesting Fact:

Tungsten doesn’t occur in nature as a free metal. It’s extracted from minerals like wolframite and scheelite.

Would you like a comparison between tungsten and other hard metals like titanium or chromium?