What are dart barrels made out of?

Today's standard material used to make darts is Nickel-Tungsten. Tungsten is a very dense material, so darts with a considerable weight can be made quite thin. The invention of tungsten darts has had a big impact on the sport of darts. With these new darts it was possible to achieve much better grouping than before, and the averages in pro games have improved dramatically.

Before the tungsten darts came along, darts were mainly made of brass. Brass darts are still used by many players because they are much cheaper than Tungsten, but brass darts are not the newest in dart technology. Once you try tungsten, you won't turn back!

Because of difficulties with manufacturing a 100% tungsten darts are not available. All "tungsten" darts you can buy are made of tungsten alloys, with Nickel-Tungsten being the most common one. When you buy a dart, the amount of tungsten in the alloy is given by a percentage number. So a common 80% Tungsten dart has 80 percent tungsten and 20 percent Nickel. Tungsten darts are available from 80% to over 90%. The more tungsten the slimmer - and the more expensive - the dart is. If the high-percentage tungsten darts are worth the higher price is an open question. Personally I think that 80% tungstens are good enough for almost everyone.

Remember: the only benefit from a high tungsten share is that the dart can be made slimmer than a dart with the same weight and a lower tungsten share. In no way do higher tungsten percentages indicate some sort of overall better quality or better machining.

Until Next Time!
Tony