Tungsten's boiling point reaches a staggering 10,030°F, along with other astonishing facts about this incredible element.

Tungsten is used in a variety of high-performance products, including armor-piercing ammunition, rocket engine nozzles, and drill bits designed to cut through solid rock, thanks to its remarkable hardness and heat resistance.

Tungsten, like many metallic elements, doesn't naturally appear as a gleaming metal. Instead, it must be chemically extracted from compounds like the mineral wolframite. Its symbol on the periodic table is 'W'—short for 'wolfram'—while the name tungsten derives from Swedish, meaning 'heavy stone', a nod to its incredible density. Tungsten’s atomic number is 74, and its atomic weight is 183.84.

Spanish chemists and brothers, Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar, are credited with the discovery of tungsten in 1783, having successfully isolated the grayish-white metal from wolframite.

The Metal with the Highest Melting Point

One of tungsten's most remarkable features is its incredibly high melting point, the highest among all metals. Pure tungsten melts at an astounding 6,192°F (3,422°C), and it won't boil until temperatures reach 10,030°F (5,555°C)—the same temperature as the sun’s photosphere.

For perspective, iron has a melting point of 2,800°F (1,538°C), while gold melts at just 1,947.52°F (1,064.18°C).

According to chemist and materials scientist John Newsam, all metals possess relatively high melting points due to the tight metallic bonds that hold their atoms together. These bonds are exceptionally strong because electrons are shared across a three-dimensional atomic network. Newsam explains that tungsten outperforms other metals due to the unique strength and directional properties of its metallic bonds.

"Why does this matter?" asks Newsam. "Consider Edison working on filaments for the incandescent light bulb. He needed a material that would not only glow but also resist melting from the intense heat."

Edison tested various filament materials, such as platinum, iridium, and bamboo. However, it was another American inventor, William Coolidge, who is credited with creating the tungsten filaments that powered most light bulbs during the 20th century.

Tungsten's high melting point also has other practical uses, especially when alloyed with materials like steel. These tungsten alloys are used to coat parts of rockets and missiles that must endure extreme heat, such as the engine nozzles that expel high-temperature rocket fuel.

Why Tungsten Is So Heavy

The density of elements is determined by the size of their atoms. As you move down the periodic table, the atoms become progressively larger and heavier.

"Heavier elements, such as tungsten, have more protons and neutrons in their nucleus, as well as more electrons orbiting around them," says Newsam. "This means that as you go down the periodic table, the weight of an individual atom increases significantly."

In practical terms, if you held a piece of tungsten in one hand and the same volume of silver or iron in the other, the tungsten would feel much heavier. Tungsten has a density of 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter, whereas silver is about half as dense (10.5 g/cm), and iron is nearly one-third as dense (7.9 g/cm).

Tungsten's impressive density offers benefits in specific applications. It is often used in armor-piercing ammunition due to its weight and hardness. Additionally, the military uses tungsten in so-called "kinetic bombardment" weapons, which launch a tungsten rod like a flying battering ram to penetrate walls and tank armor.

During the Cold War, the Air Force reportedly explored a concept known as Project Thor, which involved dropping 20-foot (6-meter) tungsten rods from space onto enemy targets. These so-called 'rods from God' would strike with the destructive power of a nuclear weapon, but without the accompanying radioactive fallout. However, the cost of launching the heavy rods into orbit was deemed prohibitively expensive.

Tungsten Carbide: Only Diamonds Are Harder

Pure tungsten isn't particularly hard — you can easily cut through it with a handsaw — but when it is combined with small amounts of carbon, it transforms into tungsten carbide, one of the toughest and hardest materials on the planet.

"When small quantities of carbon or other metals are added to tungsten, it stabilizes the structure and makes it resistant to deformation," explains Newsam.

Tungsten carbide is so tough that it can only be cut by diamonds, and even then, diamonds only work if the tungsten carbide isn't fully cured. This material is up to three times stiffer than steel, can endure up to 100 times longer than steel under abrasive conditions, and boasts the highest compressive strength of any forged metal, meaning it won't dent or bend under extreme pressure.

Tungsten carbide is primarily known for its role in the creation of specialized tools, with the majority of mined tungsten being allocated for this purpose. Drill bits, in particular, rely on tungsten carbide for its exceptional durability. When it comes to cutting metal or solid rock, these drill bits must endure intense friction without becoming dull or breaking. While only diamond drills surpass tungsten carbide in hardness, they come at a much higher cost.

Additional Fascinating Applications of Tungsten

Tungsten's remarkable properties such as its hardness, density, and resistance to heat make it the perfect material for a variety of specialized uses: