Insights · Field notes

The Carbide Journal.

Practical, no-fluff notes on sourcing, grade selection, tool economics and materials science — written by the same engineers who run our furnaces and grinders.

JR/016 min read

Supply & Sourcing

24 Jun 2026

Tungsten Supply Shock: A 2026 Procurement Playbook for Carbide Buyers

China's export controls have redrawn the tungsten map. Here's how carbide buyers can de-risk price, lead time and continuity this year.

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JR/026 min read

Grade Selection

20 May 2026

Grain Size & Cobalt: How to Actually Choose a Tungsten Carbide Grade

Hardness or toughness — you rarely get both. A practical guide to reading grain size and binder content so you spec the right grade the first time.

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JR/035 min read

Tool Economics

22 Apr 2026

Price Per Tool Is a Trap: Costing Carbide by the Part

The cheapest insert on the quote is rarely the cheapest insert in production. A simple framework for costing tooling by output, not sticker price.

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JR/045 min read

Strategy

4 Apr 2026

Make It Here: Why 2026 Is the Year to Localise Your Carbide Supply

Tungsten is now a controlled critical mineral, and India is investing to build a domestic value chain. Sourcing carbide close to home has become good risk management, not just good sentiment.

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JR/056 min read

Tooling

24 Mar 2026

Coated vs Uncoated Carbide: When a Micron of Coating Doubles Tool Life

A few microns of the right coating can double how long an insert lasts. A plain-language guide to PVD, CVD and which coating fits which job.

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JR/065 min read

Sustainability

18 Mar 2026

Your Worn Carbide Is an Asset: The Case for Reclaim & Recycling

With virgin tungsten scarce and pricey, that bin of dull inserts is one of the highest-value scrap streams in your plant. Here's how carbide recycling works — and why it pays.

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JR/075 min read

Quality

11 Mar 2026

Trust, but Verify: What to Demand From Your Carbide Supplier

In a tight, high-priced market, corner-cutting creeps in. Five things every buyer should insist on — and the certificates that prove them.

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JR/086 min read

Mining

19 Feb 2026

Faster Metres, Longer Bit Life: Matching Carbide Button Bits to the Rock

The same button bit that flies through soft shale gets destroyed in hard granite. How to match button shape, grade and drilling parameters to your formation.

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JR/095 min read

Applications

11 Feb 2026

Tungsten Copper, Explained: EDM, Switchgear & the Electrification Boom

Where you need copper's conductivity and tungsten's toughness in the same part, tungsten copper is the answer. A field guide to its applications as the world electrifies.

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