Types of Barrel Materials

Types of Barrel Materials

Back to Dart Barrels

Darts come in a variety of materials, weights and grips. The most common metals used in the production of darts are brass, nickel silver and tungsten. Brass is inexpensive and is perfect for the home recreational player and the occasional pub game. Nickel Silver has the same attributes of brass but is tarnish resistant. Tungsten is extremely dense, three times denser than brass & nickel silver, and is popular because of its weight to size ratio resulting in a heavier weight in a smaller mass. If two barrels, one made of brass and one made of tungsten, the same weight were compared you would see that the tungsten barrel is 3 times smaller than the brass barrel. These important features make tungsten the material of choice for the more serious dart shooter.

Brass
Brass barrels are economical and perfect for the beginner. An advantage is that brass is extremely consistent - each dart's barrel has the same weight and balance.

Nickel Silver
Nickel silver is similar to brass but harder and stronger. Its barrels have a silvery, corrosion resistant finish. Brass and nickel silver barrels are big and in darts big isn't necessarily better. Why could a thinner dart be better for you? First, a thinner dart meets with less air resistance. And second, you'll score highest by packing three darts tightly into the doubles and trebles of the dart board. For that, slimmer darts may be better for you but they might be too light and difficult to throw with accuracy. Nickel silver barrels are certainly better than brass barrels, but the best dart barrels are made of high quality tungsten. Tungsten has a higher density and gives darts weight without the bulk.

Tungsten
Tungsten darts cost more than brass or nickel silver but there's no match for a quality set of Tungsten darts with harmonised weight and balance. Sleek and slim, these missiles earn big points for serious darters. All tungsten darts are produced to a military grade specification.

Why Tungsten?
Tungsten is incredibly heavy, packing more mass into every dart. The darts below both weigh 21 grams. Note how much slimmer the tungsten barrel is. Players looking to advance their game choose trim tungsten-alloy barrels for their accuracy, confident their darts will hit where you want.

Tungsten barrels can sharpen anyone's game. They give you the stabilising weight of a heavier dart and the tighter groupings possible only with a slim dart.