Comparison of Common Titanium Alloy Bar Grades

1. Price Difference

• TA1/TA2 (Commercially Pure Titanium): The most cost-effective option among titanium products. Raw materials and processing costs are low, with a competitive unit price.

• TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V, α+β type): The most universal titanium alloy. Its price is moderately high, much higher than pure titanium due to alloy composition and complex smelting procedures.

• TA15 (α-type High-temperature Titanium Alloy): High production cost. Premium alloy elements and strict high-temperature processing standards push up its overall price.

• TB6 (β-type High-strength Titanium Alloy): The most expensive grade. It boasts ultra-high strength and superior cold workability, requiring sophisticated production and heat treatment technology.

2. Corrosion Resistance

• TA1/TA2: Excellent corrosion resistance. A dense titanium dioxide passivation film forms on the surface, providing strong protection against seawater, neutral salt solution and dilute acid. It is not suitable for concentrated strong acid environments.

• TC4: Superior anti-corrosion performance close to pure titanium. It features strong resistance to stress corrosion and adapts well to marine and general chemical corrosive conditions.

• TA15: Good corrosion and oxidation resistance, especially stable under high temperature. It is mainly designed to resist thermal corrosion in high-temperature working scenarios.

• TB6: Reliable corrosion resistance, slightly lower than TC4. Its core advantages lie in fatigue resistance and fracture toughness.

3. Application Industry

• TA1/TA2: Chemical industry heat exchangers, reaction vessel accessories, seawater desalination equipment, electroplating facilities, dental implants and other medical devices.

• TC4: Aerospace landing gear, compressor components, medical artificial joints and bone plates, high-performance auto parts.

• TA15: Aero-engine components such as turbine discs and combustion chambers, missile structural parts and high-temperature tooling fixtures.

• TB6: High-strength fasteners for aviation, helicopter structural parts and high-end sports equipment.

4. Service Life

• TA1/TA2: Extremely long service life. It hardly corrodes in neutral atmosphere and seawater, and can serve stably for 30 to 50 years.

• TC4: Long service life. Under aerospace and medical working conditions, its service life ranges from 15 to 25 years with excellent fatigue resistance.

• TA15: Stable performance at high temperature. The effective service life is 10 to 15 years in long-term high-temperature environments.

• TB6: Great anti-fatigue capability. It can work reliably for 15 to 20 years under dynamic load conditions.

5. Processing Performance

• TA1/TA2: Excellent machinability with high ductility. It is easy to forge, roll, weld and turn, and suitable for various conventional processing technologies.

• TC4: Good overall processability. It is friendly to hot working, while cold working requires proper annealing treatment. Welding performance is stable and reliable.

• TA15: Average machinability. It has low plasticity and narrow hot working window, so cold forming is quite difficult.

• TB6: Favourable cold forming performance, supporting cold heading and cold bending. Its strength can be greatly improved after professional heat treatment.