# What is the heaviest metal available to consumers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611 "2006-02-08T22:52:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/1 "2006-02-08T22:52:53Z")
Here’s the background. I build and fly a lot of model airplanes and we often balance them with a piece of lead in the nose. Lead is used, I think, because it’s heavy and can be melted down easily and shaped. Out of curiosity, what is the heaviest metal out there (by size) that can be purchased normally (no plutonium, sorry). I’m envisioning a little BB of some metal that weighs almost as much as a cubic inch of lead. I remember some thread about office toys and whatnot, and some posters mentioned various, exotic metal hunks that can be purchased on ebay that are curiously heavy for their size. Any suggestions? Doesn’t have to be meltable, but non-dangerous metals would be a plus! ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/2 "2006-02-08T22:59:17Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > non-dangerous metals would be a plus! Dense and non-dangerous? How about a BB made of 24K Gold? ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/3 "2006-02-08T23:01:12Z")
you’re asking for trouble with this thread title. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/4 "2006-02-08T23:02:47Z")
Why? Am I going to club someone over the head with some heavy metal, or what? ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/5 "2006-02-08T23:03:00Z")
The metal they use for non-DU KEP munitions is called [Tungsten](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten) . It is not radioactive and is pretty heavy as far as metals go, but might cause leukemia. I figure that is probably your best bet since they like to use the densest materials possible when making tank shells - hence the switchover to depleted uranium. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/6 "2006-02-08T23:05:00Z")
Interesting. Leukemia is no bueno, but lead isn’t exactly a walk-in-the-park as is. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/7 "2006-02-08T23:06:36Z")
**pantera** ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/8 "2006-02-08T23:09:28Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > **pantera** Nope, that’s only 15g (without the case). ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/9 "2006-02-08T23:20:15Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Why? Am I going to club someone over the head with some heavy metal, or what? I think he means you’ll be getting a few replies like \*\*Argent Towers’\*\*s. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/10 "2006-02-08T23:24:27Z")
[Iridium](http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/077/index.s7.html) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/11 "2006-02-08T23:39:37Z")
[Bismuth](http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/83.html) is one heavier in the periodic table than lead, and the heaviest element that has a stable isotope. Anything element on the table higher than bismuth is radioactive. ---
**Author:** ![charliefoxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@charliefoxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charliefoxtrot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/12 "2006-02-08T23:57:36Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > [Bismuth](http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/83.html) is one heavier in the periodic table than lead, and the heaviest element that has a stable isotope. Anything element on the table higher than bismuth is radioactive. Isn’t bismuth used as a substitute for lead in shotgun pellets? Supposed to be less poisonous. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/13 "2006-02-09T00:00:57Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > **pantera** Please. Pantera barely qualifies. If you want the heaviest metal out there, go with Electric Wizard or Crowpath. Although I’m confused about the “available to consumers” qualifier–I’m pretty sure everyone wants to sell as many copies of their album as possible. Seriously, the property you’re looking for is density. Otherwise, you could just use a lot of aluminum to get the weight you need. As far as I know, lead is the densest commonly occurring metal. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/14 "2006-02-09T00:31:55Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > … > Seriously, the property you’re looking for is density. Otherwise, you could just use a lot of aluminum to get the weight you need. As far as I know, lead is the densest commonly occurring metal. Probably correct, depending on what you mean by “commonly occurring”. The densest metallic element is osmium or iridium depending on which source you read (they are very close at any rate). They are about twice the density of lead, and you could probably obtain some if you wanted to. The problem is that osmium and iridium are precious metals, and a quick check shows that iridium is cheaper currently, only about $200 per troy ounce. Tungsten is very nearly as dense (about the same density as gold), and probably cheaper, since it’s an industrial, not precious, metal. Some densities: Osmium - 22.61 g/cm³ Iridium - 22.65 g/cm³ Platinum - 21.45 g/cm³ Gold - 19.3 g/cm³ Tungsten - 19.25 g/cm³ Lead - 11.34 g/cm³ Mercury - 13.534 g/cm³ Silver - 10.49 g/cm³ The trouble with tungsten from your point of view is that it’s going to be very difficult to work with. It’s noted for it’s extremely high melting point (3422 °C, 6192 °F), it’s incredibly difficult to machine, and very hard. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/15 "2006-02-09T00:34:19Z")
I don’t know how easy it is to get your hands on Iridium or Osmium but Platinum is commonly used in jewelry-making and it’s got an extremely high density (specific gravity of 21.4, higher than gold and tungsten at 19.3, uranium at 19.0 and lead at 11.3). So put some Bling On Your Wings 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/16 "2006-02-09T00:35:13Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Seriously, the property you’re looking for is density. Otherwise, you could just use a lot of aluminum to get the weight you need. As far as I know, lead is the densest commonly occurring metal. Gold is quite a bit denser then lead (19.3 grams/cm^3 vs 11.4 for lead) , and while expensive, it is something that a person can obtain by a quick trip to most malls. Gold is also fairly soft, making it easier to work with then many of the other dense metals like osmium, iridium, tungsten, or platinum. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/17 "2006-02-09T00:42:29Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > [Bismuth](http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/83.html) is one heavier in the periodic table than lead, and the heaviest element that has a stable isotope. [Not anymore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bismuth). > [@](#): > > Bismuth has long been thought to be unstable on theoretical grounds, but not until 2003 was this demonstrated when researchers at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale in Orsay, France measured the alpha emission half-life of Bi-209 to be 1.9 × 10[sup]19[/sup] years, meaning that bismuth is very slightly radioactive, with a half-life over a billion times longer than the current estimated age of the universe. Ok, so it’s not going to set off any radiation alarms, but still. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/18 "2006-02-09T00:48:45Z")
> [@charliefoxtrot](#): > > Isn’t bismuth used as a substitute for lead in shotgun pellets? > > Supposed to be less poisonous. Yes. Bismuth is generally believed to be comparitively non-toxic. It’s pretty dense, which makes it desireable as a substitute for lead shot, but not as dense as lead - 9.78 g/cm³. Some studies question the non-toxocity of bismuth: [http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/041115-679.asp](http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/041115-679.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/19 "2006-02-09T01:19:59Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Please. Pantera barely qualifies. If you want the heaviest metal out there, go with Electric Wizard or Crowpath. Although I’m confused about the “available to consumers” qualifier–I’m pretty sure everyone wants to sell as many copies of their album as possible. I was joking, hence the small text. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/20 "2006-02-09T03:42:49Z")
> [@faldureon](#): > > The metal they use for non-DU KEP munitions is called [Tungsten](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten) . It is not radioactive and is pretty heavy as far as metals go, but might cause leukemia. I figure that is probably your best bet since they like to use the densest materials possible when making tank shells - hence the switchover to depleted uranium. > [@](#): > > scientists from the CDC and state health departments concluded that exposure to tungsten was not associated with the incidence of childhood leukemia in Fallon [Pubmed](http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1314934) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611.md?page=2)