Hardmetals, tungsten and their strategic value
Why hardmetals play a key role today and why their price is rising?
Hardmetals (English: hardmetal, abbreviation HM or Czech TK) have in recent years become one of the most important commodities of modern industry. Tungsten-based materials (chemical symbol W) are indispensable in machining, the automotive industry, energy and aviation. At the same time, however, they are coming into focus for another reason – their availability is limited and prices are rising significantly.
Tungsten (W): a strategic raw material with limited resources
The basic element of hardmetals is tungsten – the metal with the highest melting point of all elements (over 3,400 °C). Its physical properties give hardmetals their unique combination of hardness, strength and thermal resistance. From the perspective of availability, however, tungsten is a problematic raw material:
- more than 80% of the world’s tungsten production comes from a single country (China),
- mining in Europe is minimal,
- new mines are opened very slowly and at high cost.
The European Union therefore classifies tungsten as a critical raw material.
Why has the price of tungsten risen recently?
The rise in tungsten prices is not accidental. It is the result of several key factors coming together:
- Geopolitical risks and dependence on Asia
A limited number of producers means high sensitivity to political, trade and logistical changes. - Growing industrial demand
Automotive, aerospace, energy and engineering are increasing their consumption of hardmetals, especially in high-performance and high-precision applications. - Insufficient primary sources
Mining cannot keep pace with demand. New projects are time-consuming, capital intensive and often face legislative and environmental constraints. - Sustainability pressure
Companies are seeking stable, transparent and more environmentally friendly sources of raw materials. This further increases the importance of recycling and secondary materials.
What are hardmetals and why are they so important?
Hardmetals (most commonly tungsten carbide – WC) are among the hardest engineering materials available. They feature:
• extreme hardness and wear resistance,
• high thermal stability,
• the ability to operate under very high mechanical and thermal loads.
Thanks to this, they are indispensable, for example, for:
• cutting tools, milling cutters and turning inserts,
• drills and tools for precision machining,
• tools for metal forming,
• mining and construction equipment.
Without hardmetals, today’s modern manufacturing – from automotive to aviation – could practically not function.
Recycling hardmetals: the key to the future
In this situation, recycling is gaining crucial importance. Hardmetals have one major advantage – they can be repeatedly recycled without significant loss of quality. This makes them an ideal material for the circular economy.
Recycling hardmetals brings:
• reduced dependence on primary mining,
• more stable and predictable prices,
• a significantly lower environmental footprint,
• more secure and flexible supplies for industry.
For Europe, tungsten recycling is not just an environmental choice, but a strategic necessity.
CRONIMET Ostrava and its role in the circular economy
As a company specialized in purchasing, processing and trading scrap from alloyed steels, we also include hardmetals in our portfolio, thereby actively contributing to returning tungsten back into the production cycle.
CRONIMET focuses on:
• purchase of hardmetal tools, inserts, drills and production waste,
• precise identification and sorting of materials by quality and composition,
• efficient logistics and processing,
• close cooperation with leading European processors and manufacturers.
Our goal is to ensure that tungsten continues to have a secure place in industry in the future – regardless of fluctuations in global markets.
Why sell your hardmetals right now
The current market situation is exceptionally favorable for hardmetal suppliers:
• tungsten prices remain at elevated levels,
• demand for secondary (recycled) material is growing significantly,
• industrial companies are actively seeking new and reliable sources of raw materials.
The result is that:
Your hardmetals are worth more today than ever before.
Find out the true value of your hardmetals from our specialists
Do you have used tools, inserts, drills or production scrap containing tungsten?
Contact us using the details below – we will prepare an individual offer for you and show you the true value of your hardmetals.
Let your materials work for you once again – through recycling.
Your CRONI CONTACT:
Petr Vaněk
vanek.petr@cronimet.cz
+420 725 451 167
Jiří Bihunec
bihunec.jiri@cronimet.cz
+420 605 273 252