Tungsten is no doubt the best material for Pinewood Derby weight for several reasons.

Advantages:

• 1.7 times heavier than lead
• 3.2 times heavier than zinc
• Extremely dense allowing you to place a lot of weight in smaller areas
• Allows for more flexibility with center of gravity (COG) placement
• Available in a variety of shapes and sizes
• Non toxic
• Environmentally friendly
• Its wicked cool to say “my car is weighted with tungsten”

Disadvantages:

• Tungsten is more expensive than lead or zinc
• Tungsten is not as easy to find as lead

3/8″ cylinders are probably the most used and most popular tungsten shape.  Cylinders are easy to install by first drilling 3/8″ holes in the car body.

Cubes are likely the next most used shape.  Tungsten cubes are available in ¼”, 3/16″ and 1/8″ sizes.  Cubes allow to compact weight in square cut weight pockets.  Cubes offer you a lot of control in the placement of your COG.

Tungsten plates are very useful pinewood derby weight.  The plates are approximately 36mm x 20mm x 1.5mm and weigh about 1/2oz each.  Plates allow you to attach weight directly to the underside of the car.  This is great for keeping the center of mass low in your car.  Plates are also god for when running out of room to place weight.

Tungsten putty has been very popular over the last few years.  Putty allows you to add minute amounts of weight in order to get your car to the exact maximum allowable.  It also gives you the flexibility to adjust the final weight by simply removing or adding a little at check in.

There are other tungsten configurations for pinewood derby car weights including spheres, discs, granules and powder. Look here for a complete list of Pinewood Derby Tungsten.

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