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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — that is 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.
