The grades of titanium vary depending on the metal alloy. Titanium grades show how much resistance the metal has in relation to the strength. Although titanium is durable in its purest form, once it’s combined with other elements it becomes stronger – these are known as titanium alloys.
| Grade | Type | Tensile strength | Key trait | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Commercially pure | 240 MPa (35,000 psi) | Softest, most ductile CP grade | Chemical processing, marine hardware, medical instruments |
| Grade 2 | Commercially pure | 345 MPa (50,000 psi) | Industry workhorse – balanced strength & formability | Heat exchangers, pipework, architecture, medical devices |
| Grade 4 | Commercially pure | 550 MPa (80,000 psi) | Strongest of the pure (unalloyed) grades | Dental & surgical implants, airframe components |
| Grade 5 | Alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) | 895-950 MPa (130,000+ psi) | Highest strength-to-weight ratio; heat treatable | Aerospace, motorsport, marine, fasteners, implants |
| Grade 7 | Near-CP alloy (Ti-0.15Pd) | 345 MPa (50,000 psi) | Same strength as Gr.2, far better corrosion resistance | Aggressive chemical processing, flue-gas desulphurisation |
| Grade 12 | Alloy (Ti-0.3Mo-0.8Ni) | 483 MPa (70,000 psi) | Stronger than CP grades, excellent hot corrosion resistance | Tube heat exchangers, hydrometallurgy, welded structures |
Grade 1 Titanium
Grade 1 is commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) in its softest, most ductile form. With no significant alloying elements, it contains at least 99.5% titanium. This gives it excellent cold-formability – it can be bent, pressed and deep-drawn more easily than any other grade – along with outstanding corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.
Key Specifications:
- Minimum yield strength: 170 MPa (25,000 psi)
- Minimum tensile strength: 240 MPa (35,000 psi)
- Elongation at break: 24% minimum (most ductile of all grades)
- UNS designation: R50250
Common Uses: Chemical processing equipment, marine hardware, architectural cladding and roofing, medical and surgical instruments, and any application where maximum formability and weldability matter more than raw strength.
Grade 2 Titanium
Grade 2 is the most widely used commercially pure titanium grade – often called the industry’s ‘workhorse’ grade. It offers a step up in strength over Grade 1 while retaining excellent ductility, weldability and corrosion resistance, making it the default choice when engineers need a reliable, cost-effective, general-purpose titanium.
Key Specifications:
- Minimum yield strength: 275 MPa (40,000 psi)
- Minimum tensile strength: 345 MPa (50,000 psi)
- Elongation at break: 20% minimum
- UNS designation: R50400
Common Uses: Heat exchangers, industrial pipework and piping systems, desalination plants, marine engineering, architectural applications, and medical implants where a balance of strength and formability is required.
Grade 4 Titanium
Grade 4 is the strongest of the four commercially pure titanium grades. It has the highest oxygen and iron content of the CP grades, which increases strength considerably while still avoiding the need for alloying elements like aluminium or vanadium.
Key Specifications:
- Minimum yield strength: 483 MPa (70,000 psi)
- Minimum tensile strength: 550 MPa (80,000 psi)
- Elongation at break: 15% minimum
- UNS designation: R50700
Common Uses: Dental and surgical implants (a very common choice in medical devices), airframe components, and cryogenic vessels where higher strength than Grade 2 is needed without moving to a full alloy.
Grade 5 Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V)
Grade 5, known by its metallurgical name Ti-6Al-4V, is by far the most widely used titanium alloy, accounting for around half of all titanium usage worldwide. It’s an alpha-beta alloy containing roughly 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium, which gives it a dramatically higher strength-to-weight ratio than the commercially pure grades while retaining good corrosion resistance. It can also be heat treated to further increase strength, and performs reliably at elevated temperatures up to around 600F (315C).
Key Specifications:
- Yield strength: 828-880 MPa (120,000-128,000 psi)
- Tensile strength: 895-950 MPa (130,000-138,000 psi)
- Elongation at break: 14% minimum
- UNS designation: R56400
- Heat treatable: Yes, for increased strength
Common Uses: Aerospace airframes and jet engine components, motorsport, marine components exposed to extreme conditions, high-strength fasteners, and medical implants (surgical grade). The default choice whenever strength-to-weight ratio is the deciding factor.
Grade 7 Titanium
Grade 7 is mechanically identical to Grade 2 – same strength, same ductility – but with one key difference: it contains a small addition of palladium (0.12-0.25%). This gives it significantly improved resistance to corrosion in reducing acid environments and crevice corrosion, making it one of the most corrosion-resistant titanium grades available.
Key Specifications:
- Minimum yield strength: 275 MPa (40,000 psi) – same as Grade 2
- Minimum tensile strength: 345 MPa (50,000 psi) – same as Grade 2
- Elongation at break: 20% minimum
- UNS designation: R52400
- Contains: 0.12-0.25% Palladium
Common Uses: Highly aggressive chemical processing environments, flue-gas desulphurisation systems, pulp and paper manufacturing, and any application with a high risk of crevice or pitting corrosion where Grade 2 wouldn’t be sufficient.
Grades Of Titanium FAQs
Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) is the strongest commonly available titanium grade, with a tensile strength of up to 950 MPa. For pure (unalloyed) titanium, Grade 4 is the strongest option, reaching up to 550 MPa.
Grade 2 is commercially pure titanium – more ductile, easier to weld, and lower cost. Grade 5 is an alloy (with aluminium and vanadium) that’s roughly 2.5x stronger, but less ductile and more expensive. Choose Grade 2 for general fabrication; choose Grade 5 for aerospace-grade strength-to-weight performance.
Grade 4 and Grade 5 are the most common choices for medical and dental implants. Grade 4 offers a strong, pure titanium option, while Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI, a high-purity aerospace/medical variant) is used where higher strength is needed.
Yes. ‘Grade 5’ and ‘Ti-6Al-4V’ refer to the same alloy – Grade 5 is the ASTM/industry grade number, and Ti-6Al-4V describes its composition (6% aluminium, 4% vanadium). They are used interchangeably.
Grade 2 is the most common choice for general marine applications thanks to its excellent corrosion resistance and lower cost. For extreme or high-corrosion marine environments, Grade 7 offers superior resistance thanks to its palladium content.
Yes – Grade 1 is the most weldable and formable of all titanium grades due to its high ductility and low oxygen content, making it a popular choice for fabrication work.
It depends on your priority: choose Grade 1 or 2 for cost-effective general fabrication, Grade 4 for higher-strength pure titanium, Grade 5 for maximum strength-to-weight ratio, or Grade 7 for extreme corrosion resistance.
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