Titanium Rod

What titanium Rod is, and how it is made

Titanium rod is solid titanium stock produced by forging, hot rolling or cold drawing a remelted ingot into a straight section. It is the starting form for almost every machined titanium part, and the grade you specify determines its strength, its corrosion behaviour and how it responds to heat treatment.

Commercially pure titanium, Grades 1 through 4, differs from one grade to the next almost entirely in oxygen content. Oxygen sits in interstitial solution and raises strength directly: Grade 1 at 0.18 percent maximum oxygen gives a 240 MPa minimum tensile strength, while Grade 4 at 0.40 percent reaches 550 MPa. Grade 2, with 0.25 percent, lands in between at 345 MPa and accounts for most of the rod we ship, because it keeps the corrosion resistance and weldability of the pure grades at a strength level that is actually useful in pressure-boundary work.

Alloyed grades work differently. Grade 5, Ti-6Al-4V, is an alpha-beta alloy strengthened by aluminium and vanadium and capable of being heat treated. Annealed it gives 895 MPa minimum tensile strength; solution treated and aged it reaches around 1100 MPa. That combination, at a density of 4.43 g/cm³, is why Ti-6Al-4V accounts for more than half of all titanium alloy consumed worldwide.

Between those two families sit the near-alpha grades, which trade some strength for specific corrosion or forming behaviour. Grade 7 adds 0.12 to 0.25 percent palladium to a Grade 2 chemistry and solves the one genuine weakness of unalloyed titanium: attack in reducing acids and in crevices below pH 3. Grade 12 achieves most of the same result with 0.3 percent molybdenum and 0.8 percent nickel, at considerably lower cost since neither element is a precious metal. Grade 9, Ti-3Al-2.5V, is the alloy buyers reach for when a part needs more strength than Grade 2 but has to be cold formed, which Grade 5 does not tolerate well.

From ingot to rod

Choose a grade and see its full data

Minimum mechanical values are taken from ASTM B348 for rod in the annealed condition. Typical tensile ranges are our mill averages and will vary from heat to heat, so treat them as planning figures and rely on the certificate for acceptance.

Mechanical properties — Grade 1

The softest and most formable of the unalloyed grades. Chosen where deep drawing, spinning or severe cold forming matters more than strength.

Typical applications

• Chemical linings and cladding
• Heat exchanger tube plates
• Architectural and jewellery stock
• Anode baskets for plating lines

Chemical composition limits for Grade 1 (R50250) per ASTM B348, weight percent

Element	Limit, %
Oxygen	0.18
Iron	0.20
Carbon	0.08
Nitrogen	0.03
Hydrogen	0.015
Titanium	balance

Not sure which grade fits your part? Tell us the service environment, the design stress and whether the part will be welded or cold formed. We will recommend a grade and, where two options both work, quote both so you can decide on cost.

Diameter ranges, process route and surface finish

Rod is supplied in straight lengths, standard 3 m, 4 m or 6 m, and can be cut to your finished length on request. Tolerances below follow our standard offering; tighter classes to h7 or ground to a specific Ra are available on inquiry.

Titanium rod dimensional range, production route and surface condition

Straightness. Standard delivery is 1 mm per metre for turned rod and 2 mm per metre for hot rolled. Precision ground rod to 0.5 mm per metre is available for automatic lathe feeding; state the requirement at enquiry because it needs a separate straightening pass.

Grade cross-reference: ASTM, UNS, GB, ISO and EN

Procurement teams quote different standards depending on where the drawing was made. This table maps the common equivalents so you can place an order against whichever designation your specification uses.

Titanium rod grade equivalents

Specification by end use

Which standard to cite on your purchase order

Physical constants

Physical properties of commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V

Equivalents are not interchangeable without checking. GB TA2 and ASTM Grade 2 overlap closely but their impurity limits are not identical, and ISO 5832-2 CP2 differs again on oxygen. If your drawing calls out one standard, we certify against that standard rather than substituting an equivalent. State the governing specification on your enquiry.

Applications by industry

Titanium is specified where a lighter metal must survive an environment that would attack steel. These are the six sectors that account for most of our rod shipments, with the grades each one normally calls for.

Gr 5, Gr 5 ELI, Gr 9, Gr 23

Aerospace & Defence

Engine fasteners, airframe pins, landing gear components and compressor parts. AMS 4928 rod for annealed Ti-6Al-4V and AMS 4921 for CP grades, ultrasonically tested to AMS 2631

Gr 2, Gr 7, Gr 12

Chemical Processing

Reactor internals, pump shafts, valve stems, heat exchanger tube sheets and agitator rods in chloride, brine and dilute acid service.

Gr 2, Gr 5, Gr 12

Marine & Offshore

Propeller shafts, riser tensioners, seawater cooling hardware and subsea fasteners. Titanium does not pit in natural seawater and tolerates chlorination.

Gr 2, Gr 5 ELI, Gr 23

Medical Devices

Bone screws, dental implant blanks, surgical instruments and orthopaedic components to ASTM F67, F136 and ISO 5832-3.

Gr 2, Gr 12

Energy & Power

Condenser and turbine hardware, geothermal wellhead parts, desalination plant components and nuclear waste handling fixtures.

Gr 2, Gr 5

Precision Machining

Ground and turned rod to h9 tolerance for automatic lathe and Swiss-type CNC work, supplied straight to 0.5 mm per metre or better.

How every heat is verified before it ships

Certification is only as good as the sampling behind it. Our tensile and chemistry samples come from the same heat and the same rod as the delivered material, not from a reference lot, and the heat number follows the rod through every stage.

Inspection route

1. Melt route
   Double or triple vacuum arc remelt from certified sponge. Ingot chemistry taken at head, middle and tail.
2. Forging & rolling
   Multi-pass forging below the beta transus for alpha and near-alpha grades, with intermediate annealing to break down as-cast structure.
3. Heat treatment
   Mill anneal as standard. Solution treated and aged (STA) available for Grade 5 where higher strength is specified.
4. Non-destructive testing
   Ultrasonic testing to ASTM E2375 or AMS 2631, liquid penetrant to ASTM E1417, and visual plus dimensional check on 100 percent of rod.
5. Mechanical verification
   Tensile, hardness and, where specified, Charpy impact and bend tests taken from the same heat and the same rod as the delivery.

Frequently asked questions about titanium rod

The questions we are actually asked in RFQs, answered in enough detail that you can specify correctly the first time.

What is the difference between Grade 2 and Grade 5 titanium rod?

Grade 2 is commercially pure titanium with a minimum tensile strength of 345 MPa, chosen for corrosion resistance and weldability. Grade 5 is Ti-6Al-4V with a minimum tensile strength of 895 MPa, chosen where load carrying matters. Grade 2 costs less and is easier to machine and weld; Grade 5 carries roughly 2.6 times the strength at slightly lower density. If your part sees chlorides or oxidising acids and no significant structural load, Grade 2 is normally the right call. If it is a fastener, shaft or load path, specify Grade 5.

Which standard should I put on my purchase order?

ASTM B348 covers titanium and titanium alloy rods and billets and is the standard most international buyers quote. Pair it with the grade, the diameter and tolerance class, the condition (annealed is standard), and any supplementary testing. Aerospace orders add AMS 4921 for commercially pure rod, AMS 4928 for annealed Ti-6Al-4V rod, or AMS 4967 where the part will be solution treated and aged after rough machining. Medical implant orders reference ASTM F67 for CP grades or ASTM F136 for Ti-6Al-4V ELI. Chinese domestic orders may quote GB/T 2965 instead, and our mill issues certificates against both.

What is the minimum order quantity?

Stocked grades in common diameters ship from 50 kg with no minimum order value, and we can supply single rods for prototyping. Made-to-order grades, including Grade 7, Grade 9 and Grade 12, and any forging above 200 mm diameter, normally start at 300 kg because a full melt is required. Mixed-grade orders count toward the total weight, so a 300 kg basket of several grades is accepted.

How is titanium rod packed for export?

Rods are wiped clean, wrapped in VCI anti-corrosion paper, bundled with steel strapping over protective edge guards, and placed in fumigated wooden crates with the heat number marked on both the bundle tag and the crate. Small diameter rod under 20 mm is packed in cartons lined with foam. Crates are built for forklift handling, and long lengths above 4 m are packed in open timber frames. Every package carries a waterproof label with grade, heat number, diameter, length and net weight.

Can titanium rod be machined like steel?

Not with the same parameters. Titanium has low thermal conductivity, so heat concentrates at the cutting edge rather than leaving with the chip, and it work hardens under light cuts. Use sharp carbide tooling, a rigid setup, a cutting speed of roughly 40 to 60 m/min for Grade 2 and 20 to 35 m/min for Grade 5, a positive feed of at least 0.15 mm per revolution, and flood coolant at high pressure. Never let the tool dwell without cutting. Grinding needs an aluminium oxide wheel and light passes to avoid alpha case and surface burning.

Do you supply rods for medical implant use?

Yes. We supply Grade 23 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI) to ASTM F136 and CP grades to ASTM F67, both in the annealed condition with oxygen controlled to 0.13 percent maximum for the ELI grade. Implant rod is supplied with ultrasonic testing to ASTM F136 requirements, full traceability to the vacuum arc remelt ingot, and biocompatibility documentation on request. Please state the implant standard and the required test method when you enquire, because the melt route differs from industrial rod.