Reference
Tungsten vs every other heavy metal
Tungsten sits at 19.3 grams per cubic centimetre. Gold is 19.32. Lead is 11.34. Osmium, the densest element that occurs in nature, is 22.59. The table below is every metal worth comparing, with the weight of a 1.5-inch cube of each.
| Metal | g/cm³ | 1.5″ cube | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OsmiumOsThe densest naturally occurring element. | 22.59 | 1.25 kg | |
| IridiumIrA statistical coin-flip with osmium. | 22.56 | 1.25 kg | |
| PlatinumPtDenser than gold, and rarer. | 21.45 | 1.19 kg | |
| GoldAuEffectively identical to tungsten. | 19.32 | 1.07 kg | |
| TungstenWRoughly 1/100th the price of gold. | 19.30 | 1.07 kg | |
| UraniumUSlightly less dense than tungsten. | 19.10 | 1.06 kg | |
| MercuryHgLiquid at room temperature. | 13.53 | 0.75 kg | |
| LeadPbThe folk benchmark for heavy. Tungsten is 70% denser. | 11.34 | 0.63 kg | |
| SilverAgBarely half the density of tungsten. | 10.49 | 0.58 kg | |
| SteelFeA steel cube weighs 41% of a tungsten one. | 7.85 | 0.43 kg | |
| TitaniumTiStrong, but light. Under a quarter of tungsten. | 4.51 | 0.25 kg | |
| AluminiumAlOne seventh the density of tungsten. | 2.70 | 0.15 kg |
Tungsten vs gold
The gap is 0.02 g/cm³, roughly one tenth of one percent. No human hand can feel that difference, which is the entire reason tungsten has a documented history as a counterfeit gold substrate. The practical difference is price: tungsten costs on the order of one percent of what gold does per kilogram.
If you want the sensation of holding a solid gold cube without spending six figures, a tungsten cube is not an approximation of that experience. It is that experience.
Tungsten vs lead
Lead is most people’s mental benchmark for heavy, and tungsten is about 70% denser. A 1.5-inch tungsten cube weighs 1.07 kg. The same cube in lead weighs 0.63 kg. That gap is what produces the double-take when someone picks one up expecting lead.
Tungsten vs osmium and iridium
Both beat tungsten, at 22.59 and 22.56 g/cm³. Neither is a practical object to own: they are vastly rarer, priced accordingly, and osmium tetroxide is genuinely toxic. Tungsten is the densest metal you can reasonably hold in your hand.
Head-to-head comparisons
Tungsten vs gold
19.32 g/cm³ · Effectively identical to tungsten.
Tungsten vs lead
11.34 g/cm³ · The folk benchmark for heavy.
Tungsten vs osmium
22.59 g/cm³ · The densest naturally occurring element.
Tungsten vs depleted uranium
19.1 g/cm³ · Slightly less dense than tungsten.
Tungsten vs titanium
4.51 g/cm³ · Strong, but light.
Tungsten vs steel
7.85 g/cm³ · A steel cube weighs 41% of a tungsten one.
Next
Work out the weight of any cube size on the tungsten cube weight page, or see the cubes we offer.