What Is Ferro Tungsten, and How Is Off-Grade Material Traded?
Pure tungsten melts at over 3,400°C, far above any steel bath, so a steelmaker cannot simply drop tungsten metal into a heat and expect it to dissolve. Alloyed with iron, it goes into solution far more readily. That is the whole purpose of ferro tungsten: a dense, brittle iron-tungsten alloy, made by reducing wolframite or scheelite concentrate, crushed to size and added to the melt. Most commercial material sits between 75 and 85% tungsten, and ASTM A144 is the usual reference specification.
The steels that need it carry a lot of tungsten. The classic T1 high-speed steel has about 18% tungsten, and M2 about 6% alongside molybdenum. Hot-work die steels, some valve and heat-resistant steels, and hardfacing rods and powders use it too. Because the additions are large, tool steel shops buy ferro tungsten in tonnes and keep sized material in drums near the furnace.
Off-grade lots arise in a handful of ways. Crushing to a 10 to 50 mm or similar band produces undersize that furnace users dislike. A lot may test a few points under its contracted tungsten, or over a limit for copper, tin or phosphorus. A plant that stops making a tungsten grade sells off what is left. None of this changes what the material is; it changes which buyer suits it, and a lot with a clean analysis can usually be placed.
Ferro tungsten should not be confused with tungsten carbide scrap or pure tungsten scrap; each goes to a different processor. For background on the steels it serves, see ferro tungsten uses.
Typical Composition
| Element or property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Tungsten (W) | 75–85% (common commercial grades) |
| Iron (Fe) | Balance |
| Carbon, silicon, manganese | Low; limited by grade |
| Phosphorus, sulfur, copper, tin | Low; limited by grade |
Typical values for commonly traded material. The certificate or analysis of each lot governs.
Forms Ferro Tungsten Scrap Comes In
- Lumps
- Crushed sizes
- Fines and powder
- Off-grade lots
- Part-used drums
Where Ferro Tungsten Is Used
- High-speed steels
- Hot-work and other tool steels
- Heat-resistant steels
- Hardfacing and welding alloys
What Buyers Check in a Lot
Tungsten Content
Tungsten is the paying element, so the lot is described by its measured tungsten percentage.
Tramp Elements
Copper, tin, phosphorus and sulfur are restricted in tool steel melting and are reported alongside tungsten.
Carbon and Silicon
These are limited by grade and need laboratory analysis for an accurate figure.
Size and Fines
Lots are described by size range and how much fine material they contain.
Sampling
Ferro tungsten is dense and can segregate, so a representative sample taken across the lot matters more than a single piece.
Documentation
A producer certificate helps, and older or mixed lots are usually re-analysed before sale.
How to Recognise Ferro Tungsten
Ferro tungsten is grey and crystalline like other ferro alloys, but its weight gives it away. Analysis fixes the grade.
| Check | What it shows for Ferro tungsten |
|---|---|
| Weight in the hand | A lump of FeW80 is far heavier than the same size of ferro chrome or ferro vanadium, because tungsten is one of the densest metals. |
| Tungsten by XRF or wet chemistry | Gives the tungsten figure the lot is paid on and confirms the iron balance. |
| Copper, tin, phosphorus and sulfur | Tool steel specifications limit these tramp elements tightly, so they are reported with tungsten. |
| Carbon and silicon by laboratory analysis | Needed for a complete certificate; handheld XRF cannot measure carbon. |
| Representative sampling | Dense lumps and fines separate in a bag, so samples are drawn across the lot and from several containers. |
| Sieve test | Shows the size band and how much of the lot is fines. |
Grades Most Often Confused with Ferro Tungsten
- Tungsten carbide: also very heavy, but shaped as inserts, rods, buttons or dies and bonded with cobalt or nickel instead of iron.
- Ferro vanadium: similar grey, brittle appearance and also used in tool steel, but much lighter and showing vanadium on XRF.
- Ferro molybdenum: another tool steel addition, lighter than ferro tungsten and reading molybdenum on XRF.
Very Heavy for Its Size
Ferro tungsten is noticeably denser than other common ferro alloys such as ferro chrome or ferro vanadium, so a lump feels unusually heavy in the hand.
Not Tungsten Carbide
Tungsten carbide is a cemented material with a cobalt or nickel binder, usually in the shape of tools or inserts; ferro tungsten is irregular crushed alloy with an iron balance.
Confirm by Analysis
Ferro alloys share a grey, brittle look, so XRF or laboratory analysis is the reliable way to confirm tungsten content.
Where Ferro Tungsten Scrap Comes From
Ferro tungsten scrap is almost entirely unused alloy: material that never reached a furnace, or reached the wrong one.
Crushing and Screening
Sizing to a contracted band leaves undersize and fines that are sold separately.
Tool and High-Speed Steel Melt Shops
Surplus drums remain after campaigns, product changes or plant closures.
Hardfacing and Welding Consumable Makers
Excess or off-size ferro tungsten bought for milling into powder for rods and flux-cored wire.
Rejected Shipments
Lots refused for tungsten below the contracted figure, high tramp elements or excess fines.
Long-Stored Trader Stock
Older lots whose certificates have been lost or whose bags have been repacked, which need fresh analysis.
Ferro Tungsten Scrap Buyer, Importer and Exporter in India
Mipra Steel deals in ferro tungsten from Khetwadi, Mumbai, buying off-grade, surplus and fines lots and supplying described material to tool steel producers, foundries and hardfacing makers.
Sell Ferro Tungsten Scrap
Have ferro tungsten left after a campaign or a rejected delivery? Send the tungsten figure and impurity results from the certificate or a recent analysis, the size band, the net quantity, how it is packed (drums or bags) and the location. Photographs of the lumps, any fines and every drum label help us understand the lot. We review incoming enquiries and respond with relevant next steps.
Buy Ferro Tungsten Scrap
Tool steel shops, foundries and hardfacing producers can request ferro tungsten lots by minimum tungsten, maximum copper, tin, phosphorus and sulfur, size band or powder fineness, and quantity. Fines and off-grade material can be a practical, lower-cost fit where the process mills or blends the alloy anyway. Each lot is described from its analysis and weight.
Preparing Ferro Tungsten Scrap for Sale
- Keep ferro tungsten in sealed, labelled drums apart from ferro molybdenum, ferro vanadium and carbide.
- Separate fines from sized lumps before weighing.
- Take samples from several drums and from top and bottom of each.
- Record net weights drum by drum.
- Photograph labels and keep the original producer certificate with the lot.
Ferro Tungsten Scrap Price per Kg: What Decides It
Ferro tungsten is bought for its tungsten units, and every other factor adjusts how many buyers can use the lot.
- Contained tungsten: the measured percentage multiplied by net weight is the starting point of every offer.
- Tramp elements: copper, tin, phosphorus and sulfur above the usual limits narrow the field of tool steel buyers.
- Size: a clean sized band charges easily, while fines are discounted unless a powder or hardfacing maker wants them.
- Carbon and silicon: higher levels limit use in some steel grades.
- Mixing: carbide pieces, ferro molybdenum or other alloys in the lot have to be found and removed.
- Documentation: a certificate that matches the bag marks saves the buyer a full re-analysis.
Ferro tungsten is often quoted per unit of contained tungsten and follows the tungsten concentrate and APT markets, so a ferro tungsten price per kg is dated as soon as it is given. Use the contained metal calculator to see the tungsten in a lot.
Ferro Tungsten Scrap Import and Export
Importing Ferro Tungsten Scrap into India
India mines very little tungsten, so tool steel and hardfacing producers rely on imported ferro tungsten, and surplus and off-grade lots from abroad add to that supply. Ferro tungsten is typically classified under HS 7202.80, which also covers ferro-silico-tungsten; check the national line with your customs broker. Shipments carry the producer or independent analysis, commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading, and remnant lots also follow pre-shipment inspection practice for imported scrap, usually entering at Nhava Sheva or Mundra. See India import procedure.
Exporting Ferro Tungsten Scrap from India
Surplus ferro tungsten in India can be re-exported to tool steel and hardfacing producers in the Gulf, East Asia and Europe. Export lots are invoiced with tungsten content, key impurities, size band and net weight, packed in sealed steel drums because of their weight and value, and shipped in containers. Our South Korea office works with buyers there and in Japan, and our Dubai office covers the Gulf. See export documents.
Customs heading: 7202.80. The HS code is the international tariff heading the scrap is declared under; national tariff lines add further digits, so confirm the full line with your customs broker.
Related Reading
Ferro Tungsten Scrap FAQ
What is ferro tungsten used for?
Mostly to put tungsten into high-speed steels such as T1 and M2, hot-work and other tool steels, heat-resistant steels and hardfacing alloys. Tungsten gives these materials hardness that survives high temperatures, which cutting tools and hot dies need.
What does FeW80 mean?
It is the trade shorthand for ferro tungsten with about 80% tungsten, the common commercial grade. Actual lots range from roughly 75 to 85% tungsten, and each one is sold on its measured figure rather than the label.
Why is ferro tungsten used instead of pure tungsten in steelmaking?
Tungsten melts above 3,400°C and dissolves slowly in liquid steel on its own. Combined with iron as ferro tungsten, it goes into the bath more readily and with better recovery, which is why melt shops buy the alloy rather than the metal.
Is ferro tungsten the same as tungsten carbide?
No. Ferro tungsten is an iron-tungsten alloy for steelmaking, crushed into irregular lumps. Tungsten carbide is a sintered material of carbide grains and a cobalt or nickel binder, used for tools and wear parts, and recycled by a different route.
Which HS code should be used for ferro tungsten scrap?
Ferro tungsten, including off-grade and remnant lots, is typically declared under HS 7202.80, which covers ferro-tungsten and ferro-silico-tungsten. Each country adds its own digits, so confirm the line with your customs broker.
Can I sell ferro tungsten fines to Mipra Steel?
Yes. Fines are a regular part of the ferro tungsten trade, especially for hardfacing and powder makers. Share the tungsten and impurity analysis, the size distribution if known, the quantity and photographs of the drums and labels.
Published by Mipra Steel, Khetwadi, Mumbai · Updated