Native tungsten is an exceptionally rare elemental mineral usually found as microscopic grains in heavy mineral concentrates from alluvial deposits. It is incredibly dense and characterized by its metallic luster and extreme resistance to chemical weathering. Most specimens appear as small, irregular steel-gray grains and are highly sought after by advanced mineral collectors.
Is this native tungsten?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch native tungsten with a known reference. Native Tungsten sits at Mohs ~7.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: gray.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: metallic.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: silver white, steel gray.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: cubic. Typical habit: grains, microscopic scales.
Often confused with
Native Tungsten vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside native tungsten
Minerals reported to co-occur with native tungsten. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- W
- Mohs hardness
- ~7.5
- Density
- 19.226 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- Gray
- Luster
- Metallic
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Crystal habit
- Grains, microscopic scales
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector
- Host rock
- From gold placers in a river valley and in heavy concentrates from crushed quartz
Where rockhounds find native tungsten
Classic worldwide localities
- Bol’shaya Pol’ya river valley, Prepolar Urals (type locality), and in vein #91, Dodo mine, Mt. Neroyka rock-crystal field, Ust-Puiva, Tyumenskaya Oblast’, Russia (type locality)
- Confirmed from other localities in Russia
- Petroliferous conglomerates of the Volyn, in Ukraine
- Inclusions in diamonds in the kimberlites of Shandong Province, China
- Luobusha ophiolite, Tibet
- South Africa
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: From gold placers in a river valley and in heavy concentrates from crushed quartz. If you start seeing yttriaite-, quartz, siderite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: grains, microscopic scales. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify native tungsten?+
Where is native tungsten found?+
What rocks look like native tungsten?+
What minerals are found with native tungsten?+
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Find native tungsten on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
