---
title: "Does tungsten float in water? No"
description: "Tungsten sinks — its density is 19,250 kg/m³ against water's 1,000. Why density and not weight decides it."
url: https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/tungsten/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Does tungsten float?

**Does tungsten float?: No**

19,250 kg/m³ against water's 1,000

Tungsten sinks. At 19,250 kg/m³ it is 19.25 times denser than water.

## Why

Floating is decided by density alone — mass divided by volume — compared against the fluid. Weight has nothing to do with it directly: a 200-tonne ship floats and a 2-gram pebble sinks, because the ship encloses enough air to bring its average density below that of water. That is also the only reason a steel hull works.

## The numbers

- **Density:** 19,250 kg/m³
- **Relative to fresh water:** 19.250×
- **Floats in fresh water:** No
- **Floats in seawater:** No

## Compared with other materials

| Material | Density | Floats |
| --- | --- | --- |
| mercury | 13,534 kg/m³ | No |
| tungsten carbide | 14,900 kg/m³ | No |
| tungsten ← | 19,250 kg/m³ | No |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | No |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | No |

## Common questions

### Does tungsten float in water?

No — at 19,250 kg/m³ it is denser than water's 1,000.

### Does weight decide whether something floats?

No, density does. A 200-tonne ship floats and a small pebble sinks, because the ship encloses enough air to bring its average density below water.

## Related pages

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## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]