Resistivity of Tungsten

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The University of the State of New York Reference Tables for Physical Setting/Physics. New York: The State Education Department, 2002.

Resistivities at 20 °C
Material	Resistivity (Ω•m)
Tungsten	5.60 × 10⁻⁸

5.60 × 10⁻⁸ Ωm

Lide, D. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 75 edition. CRC Press, 1995: 12.

"electrical resistivity of tungsten R_W in n-ohm·m are given in R_W = 48.0 (1 + 4.8297 × 10⁻³ T + 1.663 × 10⁻⁶ T²"

n/a

Berkeley, U. Encyclopedia of Crystal Structures. MatSci, 1999.

"the electrical resistivity is 7.5 ohm-cm, a relatively low value for an intermetallic solid"

7.5 × 10⁻⁷ Ωm

Zerda, T.W. Stefan Boltzmann Law. Texas Christian University. 2001.

[see table 1]

5.65–115.0 × 10⁻⁸ Ωm

J. W. Davis (US) and S. Fabritsiev (RF). Pure Tungsten - Electrical Resistivity. ITER Material Properties Handbook. University of California, San Diego.

[see table 2]

5.5–105 × 10⁻⁸ Ωm

Tungsten is a metallic element that has the highest melting point of any metal. Tungsten, symbol W on the periodic table, is one of the transition elements on the periodic table. The atomic number is 74. Tungsten resistivity is 52.8 Ωm at 20 °C, however as temperature increases, also does resistivity.

Table. 1. Resistivity of tungsten as a function of temperature
R/R_300K	Temp [K]	Resistivity μΩ·cm	R/R_300K	Temp [K]	Resistivity μΩ·cm	R/R_300K	Temp [K]	Resistivity μΩ·cm	R/R_300K	Temp [K]	Resistivity μΩ·cm
1.0	300	5.65	5.48	1200	30.98	10.63	2100	60.06	16.29	3000	92.04
1.43	400	8.06	6.03	1300	34.08	11.24	2200	63.48	16.95	3100	95.76
1.87	500	10.56	6.58	1400	37.19	11.84	2300	66.91	17.62	3200	99.54
2.34	600	13.23	7.14	1500	40.36	12.46	2400	70.39	18.28	3300	103.3
2.85	700	16.09	7.71	1600	43.55	13.08	2500	73.91	18.97	3400	107.2
3.36	800	19.00	8.28	1700	46.78	13.72	2600	77.49	19.66	3500	111.1
3.88	900	21.94	8.86	1800	50.05	14.34	2700	81.04	20.35	3600	115.0
4.41	1000	24.93	9.44	1900	53.35	14.99	2800	84.70
4.95	1100	27.94	10.03	2000	56.67	15.63	2900	88.33

Table 2 Pure Tungsten - Resistivity
Temperature	micro-ohms-cm
(℃)	Ref. 1	Ref. 2
20	5.5
27		5.6
227		10
427		15
627		21
827		27
1000	33
1027		33
1227		40
1500	48
1527		51
2000	66
2500	84
3000	105

Pure tungsten is silver-white in color and is ductile; however it is more easily obtained in its impure state as steel-gray, which is hard and brittle. Tungsten melts at about 3410 °C (6170 °F), boils at about 5660 °C (10,220 °), and has a specific gravity of 19.5. The atomic weight of tungsten is 183.85 u.

Tungsten ranks 57th in abundance among the elements in the crust of the earth. It is never found free in nature, but occurs in combination with the other metals, notably in the minerals scheelite and wolframite, which are the important tungsten ores. To separate the element from its ore, the ore is first combined with sodium tungstate is then extracted with hot water and treated with hydrochloric acid to yield tungstate acid, H₂WO₄. The compound is then washed and dried to produced is treated in molds in an atmosphere of hydrogen and pressed into bars, which are hammered and rolled at high temperature to compact them and make them ductile.

Tungsten is mostly used in electrical appliances that give off heat and light because it is ductile and has a high resistivity. The principal uses of tungsten are as filaments in incandescent lamps, as wires in electric furnaces, and in the production of hard, tenacious alloys of steel. It is also used in the manufacture of spark plugs, electrical contact points, and cutting tools, and in X-ray tubes.

Deanna Stewart -- 2004