Multi-carbide cutting tools, including tungsten carbide with other carbides, especially titanium carbide and/ or tantalum carbide, permit the high-speed machining of steel. The hardness of this carbide is greater than that of most other tool materials at room temperature and it has the ability to retain it harness at elevated temperatures, making very high-speed machining possible.The more common alloying additions to he basic tungsten/cobalt are tantalum carbide and titanium carbide.For high-temperature operations, WC+TiC or TaC grades are used to improve wear resistnace. Alloying with Tantalum carbide and titanium carbide has distinct advantages. Titanium carbide reduces cratering of the tool significantly while tantalum carbide increases the hot hardness of the tool. Among the carbides, titanium carbide is not prone to brittleness unlike tungsten carbide.