Tungsten Carbide Buyers Canada
Learn the science of tungsten scrap recycling. Sell cemented carbide, heavy alloys, and pure tungsten parts at competitive rates with instant scale verification.
Tungsten vs. Tungsten Carbide: Understanding the Difference
Many tool rooms and recycling departments use the terms "tungsten" and "carbide" interchangeably, but metallurgically they are different materials:
- Pure Tungsten (W): An elemental metal that is extremely heavy, with a silver-white color. It has the highest melting point of any metal and is primarily utilized in aerospace balance weights, ballast rods, TIG welding tips, radiation shielding, and high-temperature furnace elements.
- Cemented Tungsten Carbide (WC): A composite consisting of fine carbide particles bonded together by a metallic binder—typically cobalt (Co) or nickel (Ni). Cemented carbide is roughly twice as stiff and dense as steel, maintaining its cutting edges under extreme friction and high temperatures. This is the material used in indexable CNC inserts, milling end mills, dies, and mining drills.
What Tungsten Carbide Scrap Do We Buy?
We purchase all grades and categories of tungsten-bearing materials:
- Solid Carbide Tooling: Spent end mills, twist drills, taps, reamers, blanks, and round rods.
- Indexable Inserts: Milling, turning, boring, and threading inserts (coated and uncoated).
- Wear & Stamping Parts: Drawing dies, extrusion nozzles, cold-heading dies, punches, and seals.
- Mining & Excavation Scrap: Carbide rock buttons, road-planing teeth, and soil-trenching inserts.
- Sludge & Powders: Grinding swarf, dry dust collector powders, and raw tungsten carbide powders.
Key Factors That Determine Tungsten Carbide Pricing
Tungsten scrap prices are tied directly to global commodity markets, but several physical factors affect your local quote:
- Tungsten (W) Purity: Raw cemented carbide scrap averages 85% to 95% tungsten carbide. High-purity scrap commands premium rates.
- Cobalt (Co) Binder Matrix: The ratio of cobalt affects the chemical recovery processes. Handheld XRF analysis allows us to verify these ratios on-site.
- Physical Contamination: Materials attached to iron, brazing alloys, copper backing plates, or heavy lubricants are adjusted in price to account for separation costs.
- Logistical Travel Distance: Based in Ontario, we travel across Canada. Distance affects transport overhead, meaning closer regions (like the GTA and corridor) receive slightly higher net payouts.
Industries We Serve Across Canada
We act as a direct recycling outlet for a wide variety of sectors:
💡 Did you know?
- •Tungsten has a density of 19.3 g/cm³, which is virtually identical to that of gold.
- •Cemented tungsten carbide was first developed in Germany in the 1920s to replace expensive diamond drawing dies.
- •Recycling tungsten uses 75% less energy than mining and chemical extraction from raw wolframite.
- •We provide specialized handheld analyzer checks (XRF spectrography) on-site to verify material purity.
Common Metallurgy Questions
What is the difference between pure tungsten and tungsten carbide?
Pure tungsten (W) is an elemental refractory metal known for its extremely high melting point (3,422°C) and density, commonly used in filaments, TIG welding electrodes, and balance weights. Tungsten carbide (WC) is an alloy-like chemical compound made by combining tungsten atoms with carbon. In tool manufacturing, tungsten carbide powder is mixed with a cobalt metal binder and sintered (cemented) under heat and pressure to create indexable inserts, end mills, and heavy-duty drilling bits.
Do you buy pure tungsten as well as tungsten carbide?
Yes. While our primary volume consists of cemented tungsten carbide tooling, we also buy pure tungsten scrap, tungsten alloys (such as tungsten heavy alloys containing nickel, copper, or iron), and tungsten-copper contact materials.
How does the cobalt percentage affect tungsten carbide value?
Most cemented carbides contain 3% to 15% cobalt as a binder matrix. Cobalt holds its own market index value. Handheld XRF analyzers allow us to verify the exact chemical makeup of your scrap, ensuring we offer you a precise valuation reflecting both the tungsten and cobalt market prices.