Frequently Asked Questions
The questions buyers and shops ask most about how this site works and about tungsten machining itself.
For buyers
Sending an RFQ, who sees your drawing and how matching works.
Is this service free for buyers?
Yes. You pay nothing to send an RFQ or to receive quotes. Price, terms and delivery are agreed between you and the shop.
Who sees my drawing?
Shops first see a short preview with part type, grade, size, quantity and tolerance. It does not include your name, company or files. Your contact details and files go only to the shops we match, up to 3. If you ask for an NDA, we hold the files until it is signed.
Do you machine tungsten parts yourselves?
No. We are a matching service, not a machine shop. The shops that quote you run the machines, buy or accept the material and ship the parts. You place the order with them.
Can pure tungsten be CNC machined?
Yes, with limits. Pure tungsten is brittle at room temperature, so edges chip and thin walls crack if the setup is not rigid. Shops use carbide tooling, light finishing passes and often grinding or wire EDM for fine features. If your design allows it, tungsten heavy alloy machines far more easily and is the usual choice for shielding and weights.
Should I supply the tungsten material?
Either works. Most shops buy sintered blanks or bar from a tungsten mill and include it in the quote. If you have an approved material source or certified stock, say so in the RFQ and we match shops that accept customer supplied material.
Where are the shops located?
That depends on the part and on the region you pick on the RFQ form. You can ask for shops in North America, Europe, Japan, Korea or the rest of Asia, or leave it open and let us match on fit alone.
For suppliers
Registering your shop, terms and how previews work.
Is one RFQ sent to many shops?
No. Each RFQ goes to 3 shops at most, and only to shops that cut the grade and part size in the request.
How do the terms work?
We explain them one-to-one before the first request is sent. Use the form on this page or email us.
What if a lead is not what the preview described?
Tell us and we check it. If the buyer contact does not respond or the request differs clearly from the preview, we follow up with you directly.
We only cut heavy alloy, not pure tungsten. Can we register?
Yes. Tell us which grades you cut and which you decline. We only send previews for the grades and processes you list, so a heavy alloy shop does not get pure tungsten parts that need grinding or wire EDM.
More questions, answered in our guides
Every guide below ends with its own frequently asked questions on that specific topic.
Materials
Which tungsten grade fits your part: pure tungsten, heavy alloy, tungsten copper, carbide and how they compare to tantalum and molybdenum.
Process
How tungsten actually gets machined: CNC turning and milling, grinding, wire EDM, tolerances, threading and the defects to design around.
Sourcing
How to write an RFQ, choose a shop, read a material certification and specify parts for specific industries and applications.
Cost
What drives the price of a machined tungsten part, from material and quantity to freight, packaging and scrap value.
Still have a question?
Email for a buyer question, or if you run a shop.