Properties of Tungsten Carbide. Tungsten carbide is a dense, metal-like substance, light gray with a bluish tinge, that decomposes, rather than melts, at 2,600o C (4,700o F). It is prepared by heating powdered tungsten with carbon black in the presence of hydrogen at 1,400o-1,600o C (2,550o-2,900o F). For fabrication, a process developed in the ...