-   Melting Point - the highest in any metal

- Very Hard - tungsten tensile strength and very high corrosion resistance , while compounds are widely used in industry , tungsten carbide , with hardness close to diamond .

- Very heavy - equivalent proportion of tungsten with gold

With these unique features , tungsten is used in a variety of industrial applications which can hardly replace another metal if not affect performance :

· Metal hardware - Due to high hardness and wear resistance , over 50 % of world tungsten is used for the production of hard metals . This is based on tungsten carbide materials , with very diverse applications , including use in metal cutting tools and stone ; tools such as drills scale mining ; subtle tools like drills used in dentistry ; shaping tools in the steel industry ; weapons ( artillery shells , grenades and missiles ) , and even the pen tip .

· Steel and super alloys - hardness and high melting point of tungsten can be applied in the steel industry . It is used in cutting tools and super alloys used in applications such as jet engine turbines .

· Filament - Perhaps the most famous applications of tungsten is its role in the hair bulb . However, the use of tungsten in this industry is gradually declining due to development of new materials bring more efficient light sources are being developed and put into use .

· The electrical and electronic applications - Tungsten has many electrical and electronic applications , such as circuit boards used in the production and in electrical contacts and electrodes .

· Application of chemical and other applications - Tungsten also has a wide range of chemical applications and other applications in the glass industry , ceramics , paint , and oil and gas .

Basic needs of the world's tungsten by industry in 2010

Global supply

China dominates the market of tungsten base worldwide with more than 83 % tungsten output in 2011 ( estimate ) , and around 60 % have identified deposits of tungsten ( source : USGS ) . In recent years , China has adopted quotas for production and exports while domestic demand for tungsten continues to rise . The country is trying to rise higher in the value chain by shifting from supply of raw materials to the sale of tungsten into tungsten products to consumers around the globe . In 11/ 2011 China announced tungsten export quota for 2012 . New export quotas for 2012 cut 300 tons , reducing supplies to the world from 15,700 tonnes to 15,400 tonnes .

A recent report by the European Union tungsten is considered one of the " raw ingredients important " for Europe to consider the economic importance and the concentration of the metal supply .

Production and reserves of the world's tungsten base (unit : tons of tungsten )