Comparison
Tungsten vs lead
Lead is most people's mental benchmark for heavy, which is exactly why tungsten produces a double-take. Tungsten is 19.3 grams per cubic centimetre against lead's 11.34, making it about 70% denser.
A 1.5-inch tungsten cube weighs 1.07 kilograms. The same cube in lead weighs 0.63 kilograms. That gap is the entire experience.
- 19.3
- Tungsten g/cm³
- 11.34
- Lead g/cm³
- 1.70×
- Tungsten is denser
Cube weight, tungsten vs lead
| Cube size | Tungsten | Lead | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1″ | 316 g | 186 g | +130 g |
| 1.5″ | 1.07 kg | 627 g | +440 g |
| 2″ | 2.53 kg | 1.49 kg | +1.04 kg |
| 3″ | 8.54 kg | 5.02 kg | +3.52 kg |
Why the comparison lands so hard
Almost everyone has held something lead-weighted: a diving belt, a fishing sinker, a wheel weight. That establishes an internal ceiling for how heavy a small dense object is allowed to be.
Tungsten sits 70% above that ceiling. The brain does not have a reference class for it, which is why the standard reaction to picking one up is to immediately put it down and pick it up again.
Toxicity and handling
Lead is a cumulative neurotoxin, and handling it barehanded is a genuine if modest exposure route. It is banned or restricted in paint, plumbing, fuel, ammunition in many jurisdictions, and consumer products generally.
Tungsten in solid metallic form is not considered toxic and requires no handling precautions. This is one of the reasons tungsten has replaced lead in fishing weights, shot, and radiation shielding where cost permits.
Hardness
Lead is soft enough to dent with a thumbnail and will deform if dropped on a hard floor. Tungsten is among the hardest metals in use and will damage the floor before the floor damages it.
A lead cube becomes a rounded, scuffed lump within a year of handling. A tungsten cube does not change.
Common questions
Is tungsten heavier than lead?
Yes, substantially. Tungsten is 19.3 g/cm³ and lead is 11.34 g/cm³, making tungsten about 70% denser. A tungsten cube weighs roughly what a lead cube one and a quarter times its edge length would.
How much heavier is tungsten than lead?
About 1.70 times. A 1.5-inch cube is 1.07 kg in tungsten and 0.63 kg in lead, a difference of 440 grams in an object you can close your hand around.
Is tungsten safer to handle than lead?
Yes. Lead is a cumulative neurotoxin with real exposure risk from handling. Solid metallic tungsten is not considered toxic and needs no handling precautions.
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