Lead is cheaper. Tungsten is thinner, and it is not on a restricted-substances list.
Plansee and Wolfram Industrie make the same physical argument for tungsten shielding that we do. The comparison worth having is on geometry, toxicity and where the metal comes from.
The shielding is in operational use rather than trial: collimators, casks and containers for radioactive isotopes, syringe shields and LINAC shielding, machined to precise geometries on more than 25 years of powder metallurgy.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by UnstratRadiation shielding | Plansee SEDENSIMET collimators and LINAC shielding1Austria | Wolfram IndustrieTRIAMET heavy metal2Germany | Elmet TechnologiesK1700 to K1850 tungsten alloys3United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield density123 | ~18 g/cc against lead's ~12 g/cc | 17.0 to 18.8 g/cm³ | 13.9 to 18.9 g/cm³ across the TRIAMET range | 17.0 to 18.5 g/cm³ |
| Attenuation stated against lead123 | Denser, stronger, less toxic and higher-temperature than lead; same protection in a thinner shield | High absorption capacity for X-rays and gamma rays; described as harmless to health and environment | High absorption of gamma and X-rays, enabling compact shielding; non-toxic and RoHS-compliant | Tungsten high density composites stated as more than 1.5 times as effective as lead; absorption in direct proportion to density |
| Product forms123 | Collimators, casks, isotope containers, syringe shields, LINAC shielding | Collimators and shielding components for linear accelerators, machined to customer drawing | Finished parts to drawing plus rods, plates and blocks; isotope containers and radiotherapy shielding named | Enclosures for data logging instrumentation and isotopes; sinker bars |
| Toxicity and compliance position123 | Less toxic than lead | Stated as harmless to health and the environment; used as a lead substitute in sports equipment | Non-toxic and RoHS-compliant; needs no coating, easy to clean and sterilise | Lead-free parts stated to meet legal requirements and environmental recommendations |
| Dimensional stability in a beam line12 | Higher-temperature tolerance than lead; machined to precise geometries | Exceptional stability and freedom from distortion stated versus other materials | High-temperature strength to 1,000 °C; modulus to 390 kN/mm²; around 40% less deflection than steel at equal dimensions | Not published |
| Mechanical data published123 | Not published | Young's modulus 330 to 385 GPa; tensile, yield, hardness and elongation curves per grade | Tensile strength above 600 up to 1,000 N/mm²; hardness 230 to 350 HV10; tungsten content 71 to 98.2 wt% | UTS 760 to 860 N/mm²; hardness Rc 22 to 26; elongation 2 to 12% |
| Magnetic behaviour options12 | Not published | INERMET Ni-Cu grades paramagnetic; DENSIMET Ni-Fe grades weakly ferromagnetic | TRIAMET S paramagnetic, coercive force approx. 3 to 4 A/m; TRIAMET G weakly ferromagnetic, 200 to 400 A/m | Not published |
| Standards cited123 | Not published for shielding parts | AMS-T-21014, ASTM B-777-99; ASTM B-777/07 classes | ASTM B777 | AMS-T-21014, ASTM B777, AMS 7725 |
| Origin and supply politics123Jurisdiction inferred from stated production locations. | Independent, non-aligned source for critical material | Austrian production within the EU control regime | German production, stated as manufactured directly in Germany | United States production |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
Everyone agrees tungsten beats lead. Read the second paragraph.
Elmet puts a number on it: tungsten high density composites are more than 1.5 times as effective as lead, because absorption tracks density directly. Plansee and Wolfram Industrie make the same case in words, adding that tungsten needs no coating, can be sterilised and carries no lead-disposal problem. None of that is in dispute. The decision a hospital physicist or a defence radiography unit actually faces is who will still be shipping collimators in five years, and under whose licence.
The European producers document more, and it matters
Wolfram Industrie publishes coercive force figures for both binder families, which is the number that decides whether a shield can sit next to a magnetometer. Plansee publishes distortion behaviour and stock diameters. Our published shielding data stops at density, forms and the comparison with lead. That is a genuine gap in our documentation, not a gap in the material, and buyers should ask for the property certificate rather than infer one.
Isotope work is where supply politics bite
Casks, syringe shields and LINAC components are procured by health ministries and inspection agencies who rarely think of themselves as exposed to export control until a licence stalls. Tungsten shielding sourced from an independent producer removes that failure mode. It also removes the lead disposal liability that follows a shielded facility for its whole life.
Questions buyers ask
Is tungsten shielding actually better than lead, or is that a sales line?
It is physics, and the competition says the same thing. Absorption of X-rays and gamma rays scales with density, so at around 18 g/cc tungsten does in a thinner section what lead does at around 12 g/cc. Elmet states tungsten composites are more than 1.5 times as effective as lead. Tungsten also holds its shape at temperatures that soften lead, and it does not bring a toxic-waste obligation. Lead remains cheaper per kilogram, so the honest trade is cost against thickness, toxicity and temperature.
What is the best alternative to Plansee or Wolfram Industrie tungsten shielding for a buyer outside NATO procurement?
Our tungsten heavy alloy shielding covers the same part families: collimators, casks, isotope containers, syringe shields and LINAC components, at around 18 g/cc. Both European producers publish deeper property data, and Plansee holds semi-finished stock in fixed diameters. Where we differ is that the metal does not arrive through a European or American export desk, which for buyers in the Gulf, North Africa and South Asia is the part of the specification that decides delivery dates.
How does tungsten shielding compare with lead on total cost of ownership?
Lead wins on purchase price and loses on nearly everything after it. A tungsten shield is thinner for the same attenuation, which reduces the mass a gantry or a manipulator has to carry. It needs no encapsulation to control toxicity, is easy to clean, and at end of life it is not hazardous waste. Wolfram Industrie makes the same point about coating and sterilisation. Where budget is the binding constraint and geometry is unconstrained, lead is still rational.
Can you supply shielding to a stated ASTM class?
We do not currently publish an ASTM B777 class for shielding parts, and we will not claim one we have not published. Plansee, Elmet and Wolfram Industrie all cite the standard in their literature. If a class is a tender condition, make it contractual and ask for the certificate against your drawing.
Sources
- 1. Plansee SE, DENSIMET® INERMET® tungsten heavy alloys (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-30
- 2. Wolfram Industrie, TRIAMET® Heavy Metals: Buy Tungsten Heavy Alloy Directly from the ManufacturerRetrieved: 2026-07-30 · Official product page. No downloadable PDF datasheet published at this URL.
- 3. Elmet Technologies (formerly H.C. Starck Solutions), Tungsten Alloys: Radiation Shielding and High Density Materials for Well Logging Instrumentation (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-07-30