Rutile is most recognized by collectors as slender, needle-like inclusions within clear Quartz, often called 'rutilated quartz'. It forms distinctive tetragonal crystals that can appear in reticulated or 'sagenite' clusters and is a major ore of titanium.
Is this rutile?
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 rutile with a known reference. Rutile sits at Mohs 6-6.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Rutile leaves a pale brown to yellow streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Rutile typically shows a metallic to adamantine luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: reddish-brown, red, black, yellowish.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: tetragonal. Typical habit: prismatic, acicular, reticulated, massive.
Often confused with
Rutile vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Rutile leaves pale brown to yellow, Brookite leaves white to yellowish-white; luster reads metallic to adamantine on Rutile and submetallic on Brookite.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Rutile leaves pale brown to yellow, Anatase leaves white to pale yellow; luster reads metallic to adamantine on Rutile and adamantine on Anatase.
How to tell apart: Streak differs, so Rutile leaves pale brown to yellow, Tourmaline leaves white; luster reads metallic to adamantine on Rutile and vitreous on Tourmaline.
Often found alongside rutile
Minerals reported to co-occur with rutile. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- TiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6-6.5
- Density
- 4.2-4.4 g/cm³
- Streak
- Pale Brown to Yellow
- Luster
- Metallic to Adamantine
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Tetragonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic, Acicular, Reticulated, Massive
- Cleavage
- Good in Two Directions
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Industrial, Collector, Gemstone, Lapidary
- Host rock
- Granite Pegmatites, Metamorphic Rocks, Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $10-100 thumbnail, $200+ cabinet specimen
Where rockhounds find rutile
41 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- USA
- Norway
- Madagascar
- Australia
U.S. states with rutile
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce rutile.
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite pegmatites, metamorphic rocks, hydrothermal veins country, the host setting where rutile typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, hematite, ilmenite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic, acicular, reticulated, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in North Carolina, Virginia, Utah. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find rutile on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
