Tungsten screws are typically 50-200 times more expensive than ordinary stainless steel screws. This is primarily due to a combination of four factors: raw material scarcity, complex manufacturing processes, inelastic demand, and technological premium.
1. Raw Material Situation: Strategic Resource Scarcity and High Costs
Resource Endowment Limitations: Tungsten is a globally scarce strategic metal. China holds 52% of global reserves and 83% of global production, but total mining volume is controlled. Mining quotas were tight in 2026, and small and medium-sized mines were forced to close due to environmental and safety regulations, leading to a continued contraction in effective supply.
Surge in Raw Material Prices: In February 2026, the price of 55% black tungsten concentrate was 730,000 yuan/standard ton, and ammonium paratungstate (national standard grade 0) was 1.07 million yuan/ton, representing a significant increase compared to previous years. Furthermore, tungsten raw materials account for 60%-70% of product costs, directly driving up basic costs.
Global Supply and Demand Imbalance: The global tungsten supply-demand gap is projected to widen to 19,200 tons annually from 2026 to 2028, accounting for over 17% of the total supply. Explosive demand from emerging sectors such as photovoltaics and semiconductors (with photovoltaic tungsten wire penetration expected to exceed 80%) will further exacerbate the supply-demand imbalance.
2. Processing End: High Processing Difficulty, High Losses, and Energy Consumption
Complex Forming Process: Requires multiple steps, including powder metallurgy (isostatic pressing), high-temperature sintering (2200-2400℃), precision cutting, and thread rolling. Nanocomposite tungsten screws also require mechanical alloying + discharge plasma sintering. 3D printing of irregularly shaped parts requires electron beam melting technology, resulting in high equipment investment costs.
Strict Precision Control: Miniature screws require thread precision of ISO 3g-6g level and surface roughness Ra≤0.1μm. Machine vision inspection is necessary to remove defects, increasing the pass rate requirement from 90% to over 98%. The processing loss rate is 3 times higher than that of ordinary screws.
Energy Consumption and Environmental Costs: Traditional sintering processes are extremely energy-intensive. Even with optimization and the adoption of low-temperature sintering (2000℃), energy consumption is still five times that of ordinary metal processing. Environmental treatment requires supporting waste gas and wastewater purification equipment, further increasing production costs.
3. Technology Side: High R&D Investment, Significant Customization Premium
Core Technology Breakthrough Costs: To address the room-temperature brittleness of tungsten, research and development of nanocomposite strengthening technology and surface ceramic coating technology are underway, with single-project R&D investments exceeding ten million yuan. 3D printing of irregularly shaped screws requires structural designs adapted to different scenarios, shortening the R&D cycle from 3 months to 2 weeks, but the initial equipment and technology reserves are costly.
Customization Adaptation Costs: Different fields have vastly different performance requirements for tungsten screws (e.g., non-magnetic + biocompatible for medical use, high-temperature + vibration-resistant for aerospace use), requiring targeted adjustments to alloy formulations (tungsten-copper-nickel, tungsten-rhenium, etc.) and thread structures (self-aligning, hollow channels). Small-batch customization leads to persistently high unit costs.
4. Market Side: Tight Supply-Demand Balance, Extremely High Substitution Costs
No Effective Alternative Materials: In extreme environments such as temperatures above 2000℃, strong radiation, and strong corrosion, tungsten's melting point (3422℃) and density (19.3g/cm³) are irreplaceable. Downstream high-end manufacturing companies are willing to pay a premium to ensure product reliability.
Weak Bargaining Power in the Supply Chain: Tungsten resources are concentrated in a few companies, leading to difficulties for downstream processing companies in obtaining tungsten and a situation of "difficulty in sourcing and bidding wars for higher prices." Furthermore, the recycled tungsten system is not yet fully mature, with a current recovery rate of only around 98%, making it difficult to alleviate dependence on primary tungsten in the short term.
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