Top 10 Heaviest Metals on Earth: Metals Which are 22 Times Heavier Than Water!!

April 7, 2023

Metals comprise various properties that determine their heaviness based on their densities, atomic weights, and atomic numbers. Here, we will discuss the top 10 heaviest metals on Earth based on their density. These metals are shortlisted from the periodic table which consists of all kinds of metals, non-metals, and metalloids discovered on Earth.

Heaviness is a physical property of any material which is determined based on its density. Density refers to the mass per unit volume and it tells us how much a material weighs for a certain size. Here we will enlist the heaviest metals on Earth based on their density which is measured in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm^3) or (kg/m^3).

List of Top 10 Heaviest Metals on Earth

S.no.	Metal	Density (in grams per cubic centimeter)	Most common Application
1.	Osmium	22.59	Fountain-pen Nib
2.	Iridium	22.56	Compass Bearing
3.	Platinum	21.45	Jewelry & Medicine
4.	Rhenium	21.2	Jet Engine
5.	Plutonium	19.82	Nuclear Power
6.	Gold	19.30	Jwellery
7.	Tungsten	19.25	Filament in Bulbs
8.	Uranium	19.10	Nuclear Power
9.	Tantalum	16.69	Electronics
10.	Mercury	13.53	Thermometer

Heaviest Metals on Earth

Mercury- 10th Position

Density: 13.53 grams per cubic centimeter

Mercury ranks at 10th position in the list of the heaviest metals in the world with its weight 13.6 times more than water when compared with equal volumes. For better relevance, mercury is so heavy that even heavy-weighing materials like iron and stone can easily float over it.

Special Properties of Mercury:

Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.
Mercury freezes at around -40 degrees and boils above 357 degrees. (Temperature in Celsius)

Tantalum- 9th Position

Density: 16.69 grams per cubic centimeter

Tantalum is immensely strong with a high density of 16.69 gm/cm^3 standing at 9th position in the list of the heaviest metals on earth. It is a silvery-colored material with a high-melting point. For comparison, Tantulum is heavier than Tungsten and it is also more durable.

Special Properties of Tantalum:

Used in electronics and capacitors. It is also widely used in medical instruments for its high density.
Shiny, silvery, and very resistant to corrosion.

Uranium- 8th Position

Density: 19.10 grams per cubic centimeter

Uranium is a radio-active silver material with a very high density and is ranked 8th position in the list of heaviest metals on Earth. Uranium is one of the world’s heaviest metals that weigh 68.03 kilograms per gallon on the other hand one gallon of milk weighs just around 3.6 kilograms.

Special Properties of Uranium:

Best known for its use in nuclear weapons due to its radioactive properties.
Used for power generation and to produce isotopes used for medical, industrial, and defense purposes.

Also Read: US Scientists Announced a Major Fusion Energy Breakthrough, Could be a Game Changer

Tungsten- 7th Position

Density: 19.25 grams per cubic centimeter

Tungsten is one the heaviest metals in the world which weighs 18.5 kilograms for a 4-inch block that is small enough to hold in your palm. It is just slightly heavier than its predecessor Uranium. Tungsten is also known for being the metal with the highest melting point of all the materials on earth.

Special Properties of Tungsten:

Has almost the second highest melting point– 3422 degrees (in Celsius) [only carbon has a melting point higher than Tungsten].
Used for filaments in lamps and it also possesses great strength.

Gold- 6th Position

Density: 19.30 grams per cubic centimeter

Gold is known for its lavishness but very few know that it is also one of the heaviest metals on Earth. Gold has a greater density than water which also makes it heavier. One liter of water weighs very close to 1 kilogram. Whereas, gold weighs around 19.3 kilograms per liter making it more than 19 times heavier than water.

Special Properties of Gold:

One of the most precious metals in the world.
Gold is so malleable that it can be beaten out to 187 square feet (an extremely thin sheet called gold leaf).

Plutonium- 5th Position

Density: 19.82 grams per cubic centimeter

Plutonium is one of the rarest materials and is one of the world’s heaviest metals to exist. A coin made of plutonium would weigh around three times more than a coin made of zinc, nickel, and copper for which Plutonium is ranked at 5th position in the list of heaviest metals on earth.

Special Properties of Plutonium:

Plutonium is a radioactive material and it’s required for nuclear fusion.
Plutonium became world famous after the explosion of the world’s first atomic bomb over Nagasaki in Japan.

Rhenium- 4th Position

Density: 21.2 grams per cubic centimeter

Rhenium is a transition metal in group 7 of the periodic table which is also one of the heaviest metals on Earth. Rhenium is extremely hard and resists corrosion very well which is it is also used as an example of heavy metals found around the world. Rhenium has the highest melting point (3186 C) after carbon and tungsten.

Rhenium was invented around 1900 and is one of the most expensive metals in the world. According to Strategic Metal Invest, Rhenium costs $1611.90/kg which is equivalent to Rs 1,31,882.92/kg.

Special Properties of Rhenium:

Due to its high melting point, it is widely used in jet engines (as a component in superalloys for blades in turbine engines) where a huge amount of heat is released.
It is also widely used as an electrical contact material.

Platinum- 3rd Position

Density: 21.45 grams per cubic centimeter

Platinum is one of the most precious and heaviest metals in the world. Platinum also stands in the world’s most expensive metals list after gold, palladium, and silver. Platinum is around 60% more dense than gold making it the most expensive one in the list of heaviest metals on earth.

Special Properties of Platinum:

Platinum is a lot rarer than expensive metals like gold and silver.
Almost all of the platinum comes from South Africa.
Used in precious jewelry, glass, medicines, and anti-cancer agents.

Iridium- 2nd Position

Density: 22.56 grams per cubic centimeter

Iridium is the second heaviest metal in the world weighing 22,420 kilograms (1 cubic meter). For comparison, 1 cubic meter of steel weighs 7850 kilograms which makes Iridium around three times heavier than steel. Iridium is related to platinum as they come from the same compound and when it was first discovered as platinum it had a few impurities that were later extracted and pure platinum and pure iridium were separated.

Special features of Iridium:

It remains rust-resistant and sustains very high temperatures.
Iridium is majorly found in South Africa. It is also extracted from nickel ores in Russia and Canada.

Osmium- 1st Position

Density: 22.59 grams per cubic centimeter

Osmium is a metal with the highest density due to which it is the heaviest metal found on earth. Osmium is twice as heavy as lead and 1 cubic inch of it weighs 350 grams which are way more than any other metal in the world.

Osmium is extracted from platinum and the most interesting fact is that three substances extracted from platinum are the top-ranking metals in the list of heaviest metals on Earth. The top three ores extracted from metals which are also the world’s heaviest metals include:

Osmium
Iridium
Platinum

Special Features of Osmium:

Osmium is one of the rarest elements found on Earth. It is found in only 50 parts per trillion (ppt).
Osmium is 30 times more valuable than Gold because it is 1500 times rarer and has 10 times more purity than Gold.

FAQs

Which is the heaviest metal on earth?

Osmium is the heaviest metal on earth with a density of 22.5gm/cm^3. It is three times heavier than lead and is extracted from platinum ore.

Is gold the heaviest metal?

Yes, in fact, gold is the 5^th heaviest metal in the world. Alongside, it is also one of the most expensive metals and is used in most of the luxurious pieces of jewelry in the world.

Is tungsten the heaviest metal?

Tungsten is one of the heaviest metals ranking above metals like Mercury and Uranium. However, Osmium is the world’s heaviest metal in the world and is around 17 percent heavier than Tungsten.