Tungsten carbide (WC) powder and silicon carbide (SiC) powder are two important hard materials. Tungsten carbide powder serves as the primary raw material for producing hard alloys. Silicon carbide powder is also a crucial abrasive and metallurgical material. So, which of these two powders has better properties?

Hardness is an important indicator of a material's ability to resist local deformation or scratching.

Tungsten carbide has very high hardness, with a Mohs hardness of approximately 9-9.5. Its high hardness makes it an ideal material for manufacturing cutting tools, drill bits, and wear-resistant components. However, silicon carbide (SiC) has an even higher hardness, with a Mohs hardness of about 9.5, approaching that of diamond. The hardness of SiC makes it perform excellently in extremely wear-resistant environments, such as abrasive materials and high-temperature structural ceramics.

Conclusion: Silicon carbide powder has a slight edge in hardness. Therefore, silicon carbide performs better in applications requiring extremely high wear resistance.

Toughness refers to a material's ability to resist fracture when subjected to impact or stress.

Tungsten carbide powder has good toughness, especially when combined with metals like cobalt (Co) to form hard alloys, significantly enhancing its toughness. This makes WC perform excellently under impact loads, such as in mining and cutting tool applications. In contrast, silicon carbide has lower toughness and is considered a brittle material. Although its hardness and strength are very high, it is prone to fracture under impact, making it unsuitable for applications with high impact loads.

Conclusion: Tungsten carbide powder is superior to silicon carbide powder in toughness, enabling it to better withstand impact and bending stresses.

Density is a fundamental physical property of materials that directly affects their weight and range of applications.

Tungsten carbide powder has a high density, approximately 15.6 g/cm³. Therefore, it performs excellently in applications requiring high strength. In contrast, silicon carbide powder has a density of about 3.21 g/cm³, much lower than WC. This makes SiC more advantageous in fields requiring lightweight design, such as aerospace and the automotive industry.

Conclusion: SiC has a significantly lower density than WC, making it more suitable for lightweight applications.

Thermal conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct heat, which is crucial for heat dissipation and high-temperature applications.

Tungsten carbide powder has good thermal conductivity, with a thermal conductivity of about 110 W/(m·K), making it suitable for applications requiring a certain level of heat dissipation, such as cutting tools. Moreover, silicon carbide has superior thermal conductivity. Its thermal conductivity ranges from approximately 120-200 W/(m·K), depending on its crystal structure. Therefore, SiC is an ideal material for electronic device cooling and high-temperature applications.

Conclusion: SiC has better thermal conductivity than WC, especially performing outstandingly in high-temperature and high-power electronic devices.

Electrical conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct electric current, which is very important for electronic and electrical applications.

Tungsten carbide powder possesses certain electrical conductivity, with a resistivity of about 2×10⁻⁷ Ω·m, classifying it as a semiconductor material. Its conductivity makes it useful for certain electrical contact materials and electrodes. In contrast, silicon carbide has poorer electrical conductivity, typically ranging from 1×10³ to 1×10⁴ S/m, and its resistivity is relatively high, approximately 1×10⁻³ to 1×10⁻² Ω·m. Similarly, SiC is also a semiconductor. By doping, the energy level structure of SiC can be altered, further regulating its properties.

Conclusion: Tungsten carbide far surpasses silicon carbide in electrical conductivity, making it more suitable for use as a conductive material. In comparison, while silicon carbide has lower electrical conductivity, its electrical properties can be adjusted through doping, making it widely used in semiconductors and high-power electronic devices.

Corrosion resistance is crucial for materials used in harsh environments.

At room temperature, tungsten carbide powder exhibits certain corrosion resistance to most organic acids, weak acids, and weak bases. However, it is easily corroded by strong acids (such as nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid) and strong bases (such as sodium hydroxide). Additionally, in high-temperature oxidative environments, WC tends to react with oxygen to form tungsten trioxide (WO₃), leading to a decline in material performance.

In contrast, silicon carbide powder has excellent corrosion resistance in acidic, alkaline, and oxidative environments. In high-temperature oxidative environments, the surface of SiC forms a dense silicon dioxide (SiO₂) protective layer, preventing further oxidation. It exhibits strong resistance to most strong acids and strong bases.

Conclusion: SiC has significantly better corrosion resistance than WC, especially in strong acids, strong bases, and high-temperature oxidative environments.

Not entirely. It cannot be simply stated that tungsten carbide's performance is inferior to silicon carbide. Both materials have their own performance focuses and are suitable for different application scenarios.

Although the hardness of tungsten carbide (WC) is not as high as that of silicon carbide (SiC), it still possesses relatively high hardness while also offering good toughness. As a result, it is highly suitable for mechanical processing and the production of wear-resistant components. Additionally, it exhibits good electrical conductivity, making it applicable in fields such as electrical contact materials.

On the other hand, silicon carbide powder stands out in hardness, corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, and lightweight characteristics, making it ideal for high-temperature, corrosive environments, electronic devices, and lightweight design applications.

Table 1. Properties Comparison

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM) is an experienced supplier. It offers alloy powders of various sizes, including zirconium, titanium, tungsten, aluminum, tantalum, as well as tungsten carbide powder and silicon carbide powder. If interested, you can Get a Quote to learn more about their product details.