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The OnlineMetals Guide to Titanium
Most of us know and love Titanium for the positive impact it has had on our golf games. When
titanium became available as a material for drivers and 3-woods, many of us rushed out to buy the
latest incarnation of Big Bertha. The light weight (especially compared to stainless steel) and high
strength of titanium makes it an ideal choice for lots of applications. Sadly, we don't sell the type
of titanium that would allow us to cast our own driver heads.
Titanium is known almost universally as a high-strength, low-weight material (approximately 60% of steel),
but it has other very desirable properties as well, most notably high corrosion resistance, and good electrical
conductivity. Additionally, in its pure forms (like Grade 2), it is very ductile
and easy to work.
Grade 2 Titanium
Grade 2 titanium, in its annealed state, is a ductile metal with the approximate strength of
6061-T6 aluminum. It is used where corrosion resistance is an important criteria, or
where operating temperatures preclude the use of aluminum.
| Grade 2 (a/k/a CP-2) Titanium |
| Minimum Properties |
Ultimate Tensile Strength, psi |
50,000 |
| Yield Strength, psi |
40,000 - 65,000 |
| Elongation |
20% min |
| Rockwell Hardness |
B70 - B90 |
| Chemistry |
Titanium (Ti) |
99.2% |
| Carbon (C) |
0.1% max |
| Iron (Fe) |
0.3% |
| Hydrogen (H) |
0.015% max |
| Nitrogen (N) |
0.03% max |
| Oxygen (O) |
0.25% max |
6Al-4V (a/k/a Grade 5) Titanium
This alloy of titanium shows a substantial strength improvement over aluminum, and is roughly twice as strong
as 7075-T6 aluminum. It is also substantially harder to work and/or machine than Grade 2
titanium. Most machinists rate this material as slightly more difficult to machine than T-316L stainless steel, and
recommend slow speeds and lots of lubrication.
| 6Al-4V (a/k/a Grade 5) Titanium |
| Minimum Properties |
Ultimate Tensile Strength, psi |
138,000 |
| Yield Strength, psi |
128,000 |
| Elongation |
14% |
| Rockwell Hardness |
C36 |
| Chemistry |
Titanium (Ti) |
90% |
| Aluminum (Al) |
6% |
| Vanadium (V) |
4% |
| Iron (Fe) |
0.25% max |
| Oxygen (O) |
0.2% max |
6Al-4V ELI (extra low interstitial) Titanium
The strength of this variant of 6Al-4V is slightly lower than its parent alloy, but it has improved fracture toughness
and fatigue strength characteristics. It is also bio-compatible, and is often used in jewlery for body piercings.
| 6Al-4V ELI (extra low interstitial) Titanium |
| Minimum Properties |
Ultimate Tensile Strength, psi |
125,000 |
| Yield Strength, psi |
115,000 |
| Elongation |
15% |
| Rockwell Hardness |
C35 |
| Chemistry |
Titanium (Ti) |
90% |
| Aluminum (Al) |
6% |
| Vanadium (V) |
4% |
| Iron (Fe) |
0.14% max |
| Oxygen (O) |
0.13% max |
At OnlineMetals, we all failed shop class. Multiple times. As a matter of fact, our employment applications
specifically ask to see people's grades for their high school shop classes. If they're too high, they go
into the rejected pile. We're also not engineers, and cannot make any specific recommendations about the suitability
of a given alloy, temper, or shape for your project or application.
All technical data is for comparison purposes only and is NOT FOR DESIGN. It has been compiled
from sources we believe to be accurate but cannot guarantee. This ends the part of the website
that our pointy-headed lawyers made us put in.
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