Buy a Tungsten Cube – Guide With Sizes, Uses, and Cheap Alternative

Tungsten cubes are incredibly heavy, strong, and amazing to look at.

Find out how much tungsten cubes cost and where to buy them in this guide.

In the following list of topics covered in this article, make sure to review the different sizes of high quality tungsten cubes and the cheap alternative to see which option is best for your needs.

Introduction

Tungsten is one of the most dense naturally occurring elements found on earth.

It is incredibly heavy, extremely strong, and has a wonderful silver appearance.

A great way to enjoy this fascinating metal is to buy a tungsten cube.

Polished tungsten alloy cubes are typically machined from aerospace grade tungsten and are a great addition to your classroom, office, or collection.

Students will marvel at the weight of a tungsten cube, and your friends will think the tungsten block looks amazing sitting on your office desk.

Tungsten metal cubes are great conversation starters no matter the setting or intended use.

Where to buy a tungsten cube online (high quality)

There are a number of sources online that sell tungsten cubes.

The following are different kinds of polished tungsten cubes for sale with varying sizes and weights.

1 inch tungsten cube

The 1″ tungsten cube is small yet still impressive.

Due to the high density of tungsten, these metal cubes weigh 10.4 ounces which is equivalent to 0.65 pounds or 295 grams.

Great attention has been paid to smoothing the surfaces and the edges have been rounded for safe handling.

Unlike the larger cubes, this one inch tungsten cube is the perfect size and weight to throw in your pocket.

If you are looking for something even smaller, there is a half inch tungsten cube.

1.5 inch to 2 inch tungsten cubes

The next step up is the 1.5″.

If you buy a 2″ tungsten cube you get a 1″ tungsten block for free (at the time of this writing).

Similar to the cubes above, these have comfortable rounded edges and smooth surfaces.

Although they are only one inch thicker in size, the 2″ cubes weigh around eight times more than the 1″ at 5.2 pounds (83.2 ounces or 2359 grams).

The two inch tungsten cube option is a good choice considering you get a 1″ cube for free.

3 inch tungsten cube

Now we get into the large tungsten cube category.

The 3″ tungsten cube is still relatively small in shape but considerably heavy.

These cubes weigh in at 17.6 pounds (281.6 ounces or 7983 grams).

You can display the three inch tungsten cube flat or at an angle with the included base.

4 inch tungsten cube

The largest tungsten cube we could find is the 4″ tungsten cube.

You will have a hard time holding this monster of a cube with one hand as it weighs 41.6 pounds (665.6 ounces or 18869 grams).

As with the other cubes, great care has been taken to make sure this cube can be safely handled.

The four inch tungsten cube is the thickest, heaviest tungsten cube on amazon and possibly across the internet.

This and the 3″ version are best used for decorating your desk or bookshelf, and no polished tungsten cube collection would be complete without this final piece.

The larger wolfram cubes are great conversation starters and really are beautiful indestructible pieces of art.

Is there a 5 inch tungsten cube?

There is indication a 5″ tungsten cube exists, but it required a special order and international shipping.

If you want to buy a large tungsten cube without the wait or hassle, its suggested to go with the 4″ cube.

Price of tungsten cubes

We scoured the internet to find the price of polished tungsten cubes based on their size.

The table below outlines average cost for half inch cubes through the larger four inch tungsten cubes.

It is important to note that these prices may change.

Metal prices vary in general depending on a number of factors such as availability of the materials, supply, and demand.

Why are tungsten cubes so expensive?

The price of tungsten itself is not that expensive, but there are a number of factors that make polished tungsten cubes pricey.

First, the process to fabricate a tungsten block is quite involved and requires specialized equipment and manufacturing capabilities.

For this reason, there are only a handful of fabricators that are even capable of creating a finished product that is both safe to handle and appealing for consumers to buy (i.e. smooth polished finish).

Secondly, this is the type of product everybody should want, but they do not necessarily need.

Similar to sculptures or fine art, buyers definitely exist but the market itself is very niche.

In short, tungsten cubes are expensive because they are a niche product in which supply is controlled by a handful of manufacturers that demand a premium for their expertise.

Why is there such a big difference between the weight and price of a 1″ and 2″ tungsten cube?

The Square-cube law is the best way to explain the weight and price difference between a 1″ vs 2″ tungsten cube.

The Square Cube Law is a mathematical principal that explains the relationship between surface area and volume as a shape’s size increases or decreases.

The following image uses the Cube Square Law to demonstrate how volume multiplies as the surface area is increased.

Using the cube volume calculation above, the following table provides the volume of tungsten cubes across various sizes.

Referencing the above table:

• 2″ cubes have 8x the volume of a 1″ cube.
• 3″ cubes have about 70% more volume than 2″ cubes.
• 4″ cubes have roughly 58% more volume than 3″ cubes.

So what does this all mean?

The volume of a tungsten cube multiplies significantly as the size in inches increases.

Considering tungsten’s density, the weight of a tungsten cube will naturally increase as the volume increases.

In theory, the price of a tungsten cubes should follow equally with the volume of the cube.

If this were true, a 2″ tungsten cube should be 8x more expensive than a 1″ cube.

Fortunately, this is not the case, as a 2″ tungsten cube averages around 4.5x the price of a 1″ tungsten cube.

How expensive is a block of tungsten?

The price for a block of tungsten varies based on purity, size, form, and market conditions.

Below are rough estimates based on a 1″ block of tungsten that almost weighs a pound.

• 1″ block of raw tungsten trioxide would cost around $0.07.
• 1″ block of scrap tungsten would cost about $2.28.
• 1″ collector tungsten block costs $100, and collector tungsten blocks from the 2″ – 4″ range anywhere from $200 – $3200.

With this information in hand, it is apparent regular tungsten blocks are not necessarily expensive unless you are buying a polished tungsten block made specifically for collectors.

A cheap tungsten cube alternative (not for collectors)

Polished tungsten cubes look amazing, but they are expensive.

Another way to appreciate the density of tungsten without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for a metal cube is to buy tungsten weights.

Tungsten weights usually have a dull finish and definitely do not look as nice as custom made tungsten cubes.

However, cheap tungsten cube weights will do the trick and are a great alternative if you are on a budget.

Weight comparison of tungsten cubes

As the size of a cube increases, the cubic volume increases as well.

Tungsten is extremely dense, so even a small size increase can add a significant amount of additional weight.

Using the table above, you will see that a 1″ tungsten cube weighs 7x’s more than a 0.5″ cube.

A 2″ cube is more than double the weight of a 1″ cube, yet a 3″ cube is over 3x’s the weight of a 2″ cube.

It really is interesting how such a small increase in a tungsten cube’s size can dramatically increase its weight.

How strong is a tungsten cube?

Tungsten cubes are incredibly strong.

As an example of just how strong tungsten really is, watch this video of a person shooting a tungsten block with small to large sized caliber bullets.

Nearly every bullet shattered upon hitting the surface, and noticeable dents were not made until larger armor piercing bullets were used.

Another example is this video of tungsten cube being dropped from a high distance.

Tungsten is strong, so strong that this tungsten was cube dropped from 135ft (45m), shattered through 10 concrete slabs, and came out unscathed with only a few minor scratches.

What is the largest tungsten cube?

The largest tungsten cube you can easily buy in today’s market is the 4″ version.

However, a tungsten machining shop is offering the worlds largest tungsten cube at 14.55 inches and weighing in around 2000 pounds (1 ton).

If you are wondering how much the worlds biggest tungsten cube costs, you will only need $200,000 to own this piece of history.

What is a tungsten cube used for?

There are a number of uses for tungsten cubes, but the most common reason people buy tungsten cubes are for:

• an interactive way for teachers to help their students learn about density
• office and desk decoration
• collections and hobbies

Let’s take a look at each of these further.

A tungsten cube is a great way to teach about density in the classroom

Teachers are notorious for covering topics out of books exclusively.

Some can grasp concepts by reading, but the majority of people learn better and faster through personal tangible experiences.

If you are looking to teach the concept of density, there is no better tool than a tungsten cube.

This is because tungsten cubes are a fun, interesting, and stimulating way to demonstrate how density works.

For example, let’s use the “cube comparison experiment” which is a simple and effective way to teach a student about density.

All you will need is a 2″ magnesium cube and a 2″ tungsten cube.

Start by explaining the concept of density by sharing the image below with your students.

Hold the similar looking cubes in separate hands, and make sure you do not advise the cubes are made from different materials.

Inform your students that the first cube weighs a half pound, whereas the other cube weighs over five pounds.

Ask you students how this could be possible given both of the cubes are the same size.

After the students have written down their hypothesis, have each student pick up each cube separately, and then hold a cube in each of their hands.

Finally, mention the first cube is made of magnesium and weighs a half pound, and the second cube is made of tungsten and weighs over five pounds.

The lightbulb will click, and your students should instantly grasp the concept of density.

Use a tungsten cube for decoration and to start conversations

Tungsten cubes are amazing to look and and even more impressive to handle.

Most custom made tungsten cubes come with a display stand, and they look great sitting on your office desk or bookshelf.

When a person sees a tungsten cube, their natural reaction is to pick it up or ask “what is that?” followed by “why is this so heavy?”.

This opens the door for social interaction and the ability to educate others about the properties of tungsten.

Metal cube collections and hobbies

People who have metal cube collections, or metal collections in general, also love tungsten cubes.

Of course, one can also work these cubes into other objects, provided they have the necessary metal working and smelting equipment.

Final thoughts

In short, nobody actually needs a tungsten cube, but they are a really neat way to teach about density or start a conversation.

If you have the money and want to add a fascinating item to your collection, buy a tungsten cube online and you won’t be disappointed.

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