Effetto Mariposa® CarboCut™ Replacement Blades are available in packs of five. Composed of Tungsten Carbide, each blade is 10 inches long, 19mm (3/4") tall and has a cutting surface of 1.6 mm.

What is Tungsten Carbide?

Tungsten Carbide (WC) is a chemical compound containing tungsten and carbon. Like most ceramic materials (especially carbides) it has very high hardness, high thermal/chemical resistance but, compared to metals, it's very brittle.

Measuring its hardness on the Mohs scale, WC rates 9 just below diamond (which rates 10 on the same scale, while titanium and steel rate respectively 6 and 6.5), making it a suitable material for cutting tools.

To reduce its brittleness WC is cemented: WC powder is "sintered" with Cobalt (a ductile metal) powder. The result is a metal-matrix composite, where cobalt (that enters the liquid stage during the process, unlike WC) embeds/cements WC grains. This composite has an higher shock resistance/toughness than WC alone, preserving most of its high hardness.