WC-Ni is the coating you reach for when the regulation writes the spec, not the load chart. Ninety percent tungsten carbide, ten percent nickel — cobalt-free.

We spec WC-Ni (commonly WC-10Ni or WC-12Ni — Praxair's WC-724, Oerlikon's Woka 3400, peer analogues of the older LW-104) when cobalt is off the table. Food-processing surfaces under EDQM guidance. Pharmaceutical equipment whose compliance file asks about every metal on the contact surface. Medical-device components where cobalt worker-exposure is a concern. European supply chains living under REACH Annex XVII's CMR 1B cobalt entries as of 2023. In those rooms a cobalt-bound WC coating is a non-starter — WC-Ni is the drop-in answer.

Applied by HVOF on the same guns that run WC-Co. Hardness 900-1100 HV, bond strength 9,000-11,000 psi, porosity under 1%, service below 900°F. Grinds and superfinishes to mirror Ra. Better corrosion resistance than WC-12Co in dilute acids and saline.

Be honest about the trade-off. WC-Ni runs 100-300 HV softer than a cobalt-bound equivalent; on pure mechanical wear it loses to WC-CoCr. If the part isn't touching food, pharma, or an EU supply chain, usually step up to WC-10Co-4Cr. If the problem is a cobalt regulation you can't design around, this is the chemistry.

Send us the part, the service, and the compliance driver. We'll tell you which coating earns its keep.

Technical data

Hardness: 900-1100 HV300 typical HVOF (cast WC-10Ni / WC-12Ni); 1100-1200 HV0.3 on optimized HVOF runs; consistently 100-300 HV softer than an equivalent WC-Co or WC-CoCr sprayed on the same gun
Bond strength: 9,000-11,000 psi (62-76 MPa) typical HVOF; ~68 MPa measured on optimized WC-10Ni coupons; runs slightly below WC-Co's 76+ MPa in side-by-side tests
Max service temp: 900°F
Max service temp: 480°C
As-sprayed porosity: <1% (HVOF, optimized runs ~0.7-1.0%); HVAF can push below 0.5% but WC-Ni powder is less commonly qualified on HVAF than WC-Co/CoCr
Typical thickness: 3-12 (75-300 µm); pump shafts and sleeves commonly run 5-10 mils finished
Surface finish (Ra): 90-120 as-sprayed; 4-8 diamond-ground; 1-2 superfinished for dynamic seal service

Where it earns its keep

Cobalt-free — the direct answer to REACH CMR 1B cobalt restrictions, EDQM food-contact guidance, and OSHA cobalt PELs; your procurement team can actually ship the coated part into the EU without a derogation letter
FDA- and pharma-friendly binder chemistry — nickel's specific release limit is well-characterized (EDQM 0.14 mg/kg), cobalt's is not; spec sheets that call out 'no cobalt' now clear compliance review without exception
Better corrosion resistance than WC-12Co in mildly acidic and saline environments — the nickel binder handles dilute process chemistry that strips the cobalt matrix out of WC-Co in months
HVOF-friendly with standard guns (DiamondJet, WokaJet, JP-5000) — a shop running WC-Co can run WC-Ni on the same equipment with parameter tuning; no new gun, no new grit-blast media
Grinds and superfinishes to mirror Ra (<2 µin) — compatible with the same diamond-wheel practice used for WC-Co, so sealing surfaces against elastomer seals are not a problem

Where it doesn't

Noticeably lower hardness than WC-Co or WC-CoCr — typically 900-1100 HV versus 1100-1400 HV for cobalt-bound equivalents; this is not the coating for heavy two-body abrasion or aggressive slurry erosion where WC-CoCr earns its keep
Lower bond strength than WC-Co in side-by-side HVOF tests (~68 MPa vs ~76 MPa) — adequate for most service but worth flagging on high-thickness builds or thermally cycled parts
Less common in North American shops — WC-Co and WC-CoCr dominate the powder inventory, so WC-10Ni / WC-12Ni can carry longer lead times and a small premium; plan the project around powder availability, not as a last-minute substitution
Maximum service temperature ~480°C (900°F), slightly below WC-CoCr's 500-540°C — decarburization and W₂C formation accelerate above that point; step to Cr₃C₂-NiCr for higher-temp oxidizing service
If the only driver is mechanical wear and no regulatory constraint applies, WC-12Co or WC-10Co-4Cr is usually the better-performing pick pound-for-pound — WC-Ni earns its spec when compliance, not pure wear, is the forcing function

Sources

Data points on this page draw on the following published references. Nothing here replaces a material-specific review by our process engineers — but it's the working starting point.

Astro Alloys — Praxair Tungsten Carbide Thermal Spray Powders (WC-724 / WC-10Ni)
“WC-724 / WC-724-1 (WC-10Ni): 10.0% Ni, 5.5% C, balance W; agglomerated and sintered; better corrosion protection than WC-Co; excellent low-temperature wear; superior deposition efficiency; operating temperature limit 900°F / 482°C.”
Characterization of WC-10Ni HVOF Coating for Carbon Steel Blade (ResearchGate)
“HVOF-sprayed WC-10Ni coatings showed microhardness ~1156 HV0.1 and bond strength to substrate of 68 MPa, with porosity of 0.74% at optimized parameters; phase composition mainly WC with small amounts of W2C and NiO.”
J. Thermal Spray Tech. — Advances in Thermally Sprayed WC-Based Wear-Resistant Coatings: Co-Free Binders, Processing Routes and Tribological Behavior
“Cobalt-free binders (Ni, NiCr, FeCrAl, NiAl) are replacing Co and CoCr in WC cermet coatings driven by REACH CMR classification of cobalt compounds and food/pharma regulatory pressure; Ni-bound WC delivers lower hardness (~900-1200 HV) than WC-Co (~1100-1400 HV) but superior corrosion resistance in saline and dilute acid.”
Surface & Coatings Technology — Cobalt-Free Metallic Binders for HVOF Thermal Sprayed Wear-Resistant Coatings
“Review of cobalt-free metallic binders (Ni, NiCr, Fe-based) for HVOF WC cermet coatings motivated by REACH Annex XVII cobalt entries and food-contact regulations; nickel-binder WC coatings retain acceptable wear performance at moderate abrasion loads while eliminating Co worker-exposure and product-contact concerns.”
Coatings (MDPI) — Optimisation of HVOF Spray Process Parameters to Achieve Minimum Porosity and Maximum Hardness in WC-10Ni-5Cr Coatings
“Optimized HVOF parameters for WC-10Ni-5Cr yielded dense coatings with low porosity and high microhardness; demonstrates that Ni-based binder WC cermets, with or without Cr addition, are HVOF-friendly and suitable for corrosion- and wear-resistant service.”
EDQM — Metals and Alloys Used in Food Contact Materials and Articles (2nd Ed., 2024)
“European technical guide sets Specific Release Limits (SRLs) for metals in food-contact surfaces; nickel SRL 0.14 mg/kg (well-characterized); cobalt flagged under separate CMR review and restricted in food-contact applications — drives cobalt-free binder selection for coated food-processing equipment.”
SGS — EU Revises CMR Lists Under REACH (Regulation (EU) 2023/1132)
“Cobalt metal and multiple cobalt compounds classified as CMR Category 1B under REACH Annex XVII Appendix 2; provisions effective December 1, 2023 — restricts cobalt supply into consumer-facing and food-contact applications across the EU, driving substitution to nickel binders in wear-resistant coatings.”

Material data on this page is provided as a general reference and can vary by lot, substrate, and application. Contact HTS to confirm the right material and specification for your specific part.

Tungsten Carbide · Nickel

Technical data

Where it earns its keep

Where it doesn't

Typical applications

Wear modes addressed

Industries

Substrates

Sources

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