Titanium vs Zirconium
Titanium and Zirconium are genuine alternatives to one another — a choice somebody actually makes — and differ on 5 measured properties, density most clearly.
Titanium vs Zirconium
Titanium
Ti
As strong as steel at half the weight, abundant in the crust, and expensive because it is difficult to extract rather than rare.
| Property | Titanium | Zirconium |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | 22 | 40 higher |
| Density | 4.51 g/cm³ | 6.51 g/cm³ higher |
| Electrical conductivity Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | 2.4 MS/m | Not known |
| Melting point | 1668–1670 °C | 1857.2 °C higher |
| Mohs hardness Mohs hardness is an ordinal scale: values can be ranked, but differences and ratios between them are not meaningful. | about 6 higher | about 5 |
| Molar mass | 47.867 g/mol | 91.222–91.224 g/mol higher |
| Tensile strength Only one of the two has a figure we can stand behind, so there is nothing to compare. | 240–370 MPa | Not known |
Choosing between them
Zirconium is recorded as a substitute for Titanium — more corrosion-resistant.
What it gives up: Resists hot acids where titanium does not, and loses to titanium in seawater and chlorides.
In this application, on the evidence cited above.