Lead vs Tungsten
Lead and Tungsten are genuine alternatives to one another — a choice somebody actually makes — and differ on 6 measured properties, density most clearly.
Lead vs Tungsten
Tungsten
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The highest melting point of any metal, which is why lightbulb filaments were made of it and why it is used to drill through everything else.
| Property | Lead | Tungsten |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | 82 higher | 74 |
| Density | 11.34 g/cm³ | 19.3 g/cm³ higher |
| Electrical conductivity | 4.8 MS/m | 18.9 MS/m higher |
| Melting point | 327.2–328 °C | 3410 °C higher |
| Mohs hardness Mohs hardness is an ordinal scale: values can be ranked, but differences and ratios between them are not meaningful. | about 1.5 | about 7.5 higher |
| Molar mass | 207.2 g/mol higher | 183.84 g/mol |
Choosing between them
Tungsten is recorded as a substitute for Lead — less toxic.
What it gives up: Denser and far harder to form, and many times the price for a property lead had for nothing.
In this application, on the evidence cited above.