There are two strategies to counter the extreme price increases for solid carbide tools: greater efficiency in tool usage and the highest precision in regrinding processes. ZOLLER offers the right solutions for both: measurement technology, inspection technology, and digital tool management.

Anyone currently ordering solid carbide tools in Germany is rubbing their eyes in disbelief. While uncoated carbide rods were priced at around 30 euros per kilogram in October 2025, the price settled between 200 and 240 euros per kilogram in May 2026—an 800 percent price increase in seven months. Other markets were also hit hard, with price increases ranging from 300 to 500 percent.

Tungsten—an important raw material—is rising in price

The driver behind these price increases is well known: the element tungsten. Tungsten is indispensable for solid carbide tools, not least because of its melting point of 3,422 °C—no other element can withstand higher temperatures. In tools, tungsten occurs as tungsten carbide. The benchmark in international pricing is the intermediate product ammonium paratungstate (APT). In October 2025, the price stood at around 580 euros per ten kilograms (equivalent to one metric ton unit, MTU). By early June 2026, it had skyrocketed to around 2,560 euros. According to experts, the price situation is unlikely to change much in the medium term.

China is the main supplier. Eighty percent of tungsten deposits and the majority of the processing infrastructure are located there. In early 2026, the resource giant restricted tungsten exports, setting off alarm bells on the global market.

Limited Recycling Potential

There is no material that can take over the role of tungsten in solid carbide tools, nor does tool recycling offer sufficient potential to bridge the supply gap. According to figures from the European Commission from 2023, the recycling rate for tungsten at that time was 42 percent. According to a recent statement by the European Cutting Tools Association (ECTA), the available facilities are operating at near full capacity. The cycle is at its limit.

Where a Lot of Money Is Lost: Tool Preparation

Manufacturers do not have many options for action. Increasing tool efficiency is one of the most important. This means reducing tool wear and making the best possible use of tool life. As a result, tool preparation is gaining importance as a strategic cost-saving measure. In the past, minor oversights in tool handling hardly mattered. By 2026, everything will be different. Service life has become too valuable to be wasted.

Adjustment, Measurement, and Balancing Extend Service Life

Tool service life is inextricably linked to precise measurement data on tool geometry and imbalance. Tool cutting edges have been proven to withstand the stresses of the manufacturing process longer when the tool and CNC machine are matched using geometric data.

Setup and measurement devices such as “smile” and “venturion” from ZOLLER capture comprehensive, µm-accurate data on a tool’s concentricity, clamping length, and geometries. This enables a CNC machine to machine with significantly greater precision and less tool wear. ZOLLER’s setting and measuring devices are designed to automatically transfer the data to the CNC machine in a format compatible with the machine’s control system. No errors, no loss of efficiency.

Integrating tool balancing into the tool preparation process further extends tool life. Balancing reduces wear on the cutting edges and also relieves stress on the expensive machine spindles. Empirical data from ZOLLER customers confirm that this can double tool life. ZOLLER’s “toolBalancers” perform this precision task with balancing results of < 0.4 gmm.

Managing Service Life in Digital Tool Management

In modern tool management, tool service life is a key component of every tool data record. Only by knowing tool service life can you maximize its use. The limitation often lies in the tool management systems themselves, as many solutions cannot automatically update remaining service life. This results in a lack of data necessary for greater tool efficiency.

ZOLLER’s TMS Tool Management Solutions can automatically read remaining tool life from the CNC machine and store it in the respective tool data record. This data enables you to precisely select tools for a production run and use them right up to their technical limit. With continuous service life monitoring, you can prevent tools from being discarded too early or being overused beyond their service life.

The Cost Trap of Tool Storage

When tool prices are high, it’s essential to keep other cost factors as low as possible. This includes unproductive search times in the tool storage area. Every minute spent searching delays quick tool changes and prolongs costly machine downtime. You can easily avoid such cost traps. The combination of TMS Tool Management Solutions and ZOLLER’s tool cabinets, Smart Cabinets, keeps the tool storage area organized. You can specifically select the right tools and access them immediately without time-consuming searches. Efficient processes in the tool storage area keep costs under control.

Making the Right Decision: Should You Regrind or Retire a Tool?

If you have a clear picture of a tool’s wear, you can make a reliable decision about its end-of-life scenario. The “pomBasic” series of testing devices from ZOLLER, designed for use right on the production line, simplify this decision. In just a few seconds, the devices measure over 70 tool parameters and provide clear information on which option is the right one: regrinding or scrapping.

Wear testing soon available with setting and measuring devices

Analyzing tool wear based on data is more important today than ever before. ZOLLER has recognized this need and will soon enable meaningful wear testing using the “smile” or “venturion” setting and measuring devices. The next software update will include the “wearCheck” function. Specialized devices such as “hobCheck” will also benefit. After the update, you’ll be able to not only measure gear cutting tools but also check them for wear.

Grinding Shops: Crucial for Efficient Tool Life Cycles

Many tool cutting edges can be reconditioned after their use in production. The success of this process depends on the precision work performed by grinding shops. ZOLLER also offers the right products to meet the challenges of “regrounding.” With “pomBasic,” grinding shops can check grinding results directly at the machine in real time and have correction data transferred to the CNC machine.

One of the most comprehensive options for wear inspection is the “edgeControl” measuring machine. It automatically generates a 3D model of the cutting edge and performs a complete analysis. For grinding shops striving for peak performance, this is an indispensable specialized device.

Tungsten Is Not an Isolated Case

There are other key players influencing prices in the global market for tool-grade metals. Two examples: cobalt and molybdenum. Cobalt has risen in price by about 65 percent year-over-year. Here, too, there is one major producer—the Democratic Republic of the Congo—with a market share of just over 70 percent. The price of molybdenum has climbed by about 25 percent over the past twelve months and remains stable.

The situation in the solid carbide business therefore remains complex. The most powerful lever manufacturers have is to fully exploit all tooling potential.