First synthesized in powder form by Henri Moissan in 1893, hexagonal α-WC has a Young's modulus of 530–700 GPa — roughly three times as stiff as steel — and twice steel's density.
Cemented carbide cutting tools, developed in the 1920s, liquid-phase sinter WC grains at 1,400–1,600 °C in a ductile cobalt binder matrix.
Beyond machine-tool inserts, rock drills, and armor-piercing penetrators, WC forms the tiny rotating sphere in ballpoint pen tips and served as the neutron reflector in the 1945 Los Alamos 'demon core' accident.