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3003 Aluminum vs. Tungsten Carbide

3003 aluminum and tungsten carbide belong to fundamentally different material chemistries. 3003 aluminum is a metal, while tungsten carbide is a ceramic material. Therefore, their performance will be even more dissimilar than would be suggested by the difference in properties. There are 14 material properties with values for both materials. Properties with values for just one material (23, in this case) are not shown. Please note that the two materials have significantly dissimilar densities. This means that additional care is required when interpreting the data, because some material properties are based on units of mass, while others are based on units of area or volume.

For each property being compared, the top bar is 3003 aluminum and the bottom bar is tungsten carbide.

Metric UnitsUS Customary Units

Mechanical Properties

Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus, GPa 70
630
Poisson's Ratio 0.33
0.24
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS), MPa 110 to 240
350

Thermal Properties

Maximum Temperature: Mechanical, °C 180
1000
Specific Heat Capacity, J/kg-K 900
280
Thermal Conductivity, W/m-K 180
85
Thermal Expansion, µm/m-K 23
5.4

Otherwise Unclassified Properties

Density, g/cm3 2.8
15

Common Calculations

Stiffness to Weight: Axial, points 14
24
Stiffness to Weight: Bending, points 50
20
Strength to Weight: Axial, points 11 to 24
6.6
Strength to Weight: Bending, points 18 to 30
7.5
Thermal Diffusivity, mm2/s 71
21
Thermal Shock Resistance, points 4.7 to 10
7.2