Tungsten carbide

Tungsten carbide
Tungsten carbide is an inorganic chemical compound which contains equal numbers of tungsten and carbon atoms. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as simply "carbide." In its most basic form, it is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes for use in industrial machinery, tools, abrasives, as well as men's jewelry.
It is important to note that tungsten carbide is made in many different grades, which have different properties depending on what each will be used for. There are nearly two dozen different grades of carbide, but they are almost all variations of just a few parameters: grain size, hardness, and the degree to which a binder is used. Generally, the higher the percentage of the finished product that is composed of binding materials like nickel, the softer it will be and the more it will wear. The size of the original powder grains makes slightly less difference, but can affect the amount of shock that the product will be able to withstand.