ForMatter/Materials/metal/Tantalum (Pure)
mat_tantalum_pure

Tantalum (Pure)

refractory metal, anodizable, biocompatible · Ta
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

Tantalum sits between platinum and titanium in the cultural memory of jewelry — heavier, denser, and grayer than titanium, grayer and cheaper than platinum. Anodizes to color the way niobium does. Resistant to nearly every acid except hydrofluoric. The metal capacitor electrolytes are made of, repurposed for wedding bands when somebody wanted something other than tungsten without the platinum cost.

BCC structure, density 16.65 g/cm³ — denser than steel and approaching gold. Melting point 3017 °C, fourth-highest among metals (after tungsten, rhenium, osmium); among all elements only carbon also exceeds it. Hypoallergenic and biocompatible (used in surgical implants since the 1940s), corrosion-immune to all common reagents except HF and SO₃. Vickers ~100 HV annealed. Anodizes electrolytically to structurally-colored Ta₂O₅ films across 0–150 V.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa_annealed220
  • yield_strength_mpa_annealed180
  • hardness_vickers_annealed100
  • density_kg_m316650
source: ASM Handbook Vol. 2; H.C. Starck datasheet

thermal

  • melting_point_c3017
  • thermal_conductivity_w_mk57
source: CRC Handbook

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg360
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitymoderate — specialty-refiner recoverable; supply-chain ethics complicated by conflict-mineral history (3T-tantalum)
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsASTM F560 (medical implant grade), RMI conflict-free smelter program
  • localityprimary mining concentrated in DRC, Rwanda, Brazil, Australia
visual
blue-gray as polished, distinctly cooler-toned than titanium
tactile
noticeably heavy for its volume
weight perception
heavy

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere iridescent finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      iridescent
albedo        #5a6878
metallic      0.70
roughness     0.30
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.50
sheen         0.50
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#5a6878",
  "metallic": 0.7,
  "roughness": 0.3,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.5,
  "sheen": 0.5,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Tantalum (Pure) · finish: iridescent
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_tantalum_pure")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.1022, 0.1384, 0.1878, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.700
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.300
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.500
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.500
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Tantalum (Pure) · finish: iridescent
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_tantalum_pure", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (90, 104, 120))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.700)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.300)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.500)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Tantalum (Pure) \u00b7 finish: iridescent",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.1022,
    "g": 0.1384,
    "b": 0.1878
  },
  "metallic": 0.7,
  "roughness": 0.3,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_tantalum_pure",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.1022,
          0.1384,
          0.1878,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.7,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.3
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        },
        "KHR_materials_clearcoat": {
          "clearcoatFactor": 0.5
        },
        "KHR_materials_sheen": {
          "sheenColorFactor": [
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0
          ],
          "sheenRoughnessFactor": 0.5
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Tantalum (Pure) · finish: iridescent
def Material "mat_tantalum_pure" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_tantalum_pure/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.1022, 0.1384, 0.1878)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.700
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.300
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.500
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessAnodizing · Laser Cutting · CNC Milling
Substitutes
Niobium (Pure)
Platinum 950 (Pt950)

Citations