---
title: "Tungsten — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Tungsten has a density of 19,250 kg/m³. Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/tungsten/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Tungsten

**Density of tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³**

19.25 g/cm³ · 1201.7 lb/ft³

The highest melting point of any metal at 3422 °C, which is why it was the filament material for a century of light bulbs. It is also nearly as dense as gold and a fraction of the price, so it is the standard substitute wherever mass in a small volume is what you are buying — golf club weights, dart barrels, and fake gold bars. The 550-1900 MPa span is sintered bar to fine drawn wire; drawing aligns the grains and transforms it.

## Properties

- **Density:** 19,250 kg/m³ — 19.25 g/cm³
- **Melting point:** 3,422 °C
- **Tensile strength:** 550–1900 MPa
- **Young's modulus:** 411 GPa
- **Thermal conductivity:** 173 W/(m·K)
- **Thermal expansion:** 4.5 µm/(m·K)
- **Floats in water:** No
- **Magnetic:** No

## What it is used for

- Incandescent and halogen lamp filaments
- TIG welding electrodes
- Radiation shielding and aircraft ballast weights
- Armour-piercing and hunting projectiles

## How it compares

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.*

- air: 1.2 kg/m³
- expanded polystyrene foam: 20 kg/m³
- rigid polyurethane foam: 40 kg/m³
- Water — the float line: 1,000 kg/m³
- tungsten: 19,250 kg/m³
- gold: 19,300 kg/m³
- platinum: 21,450 kg/m³

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| Material | Density | Relative to water |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| tungsten ← | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |

## Does it rust?

Tungsten does not rust — rust is iron oxide specifically — but it does corrode, forming its own oxide or salts over time.

## Is it magnetic?

Tungsten is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.

## Common questions

### What is the density of tungsten?

19,250 kg/m³, or 19.25 g/cm³.

### Does tungsten float?

No. At 19,250 kg/m³ it is denser than water.

### Is tungsten magnetic?

Tungsten is not ferromagnetic. It is often assumed to be because it is a metal, but most metals are not — only iron, nickel, cobalt and a few alloys are attracted to an ordinary magnet.

## Related pages

- [Does tungsten float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/tungsten/)
- [Aluminum](https://atoneplace.net/material/aluminum/)
- [Copper](https://atoneplace.net/material/copper/)
- [Gold](https://atoneplace.net/material/gold/)
- [Titanium](https://atoneplace.net/material/titanium/)
- [Iron](https://atoneplace.net/material/iron/)
- [Lead](https://atoneplace.net/material/lead/)
- [Silver](https://atoneplace.net/material/silver/)
- [Mercury](https://atoneplace.net/material/mercury/)

## Sources

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