Tantalum carbide has metallic luster, and the powder is dark or light brown. It is a carbide of transition metals and has good electrical conductivity. So it can be used for electrode materials, but also can be cut into complex shapes using wire EDM. This is an advantage that other ceramics do not have. At present, the main application of tantalum carbide in the industry is to add powder form to hard tool powder forming materials tungsten carbide and cobalt powder, which can prevent grain growth during the sintering process. In addition, tantalum carbide is also used for the surface protection layer of injection molds, which can reduce friction and prevent wear.

In order to avoid the grain growth of tantalum carbide during the forming process, the tantalum carbide is formed by an explosion treatment powder method. This method has been used in the past to form high hardness materials with great success. The formation mechanism in the case of explosions in ceramics has not yet been determined. There are two major mechanisms, one is local melting and bonding, and the other is local plastic deformation. Experimental evidence for the former mechanism is the presence of localized amorphous regions on the particle surface. Evidence for another mechanism is the highly dislocation-concentrated region inside the grain, accompanied by a broadening of the X-ray peak width. Another well-known fact is that ceramics can undergo plastic deformation under high pressure loads. The ceramic forming mechanism under explosive conditions may be the result of the combined action of these mechanisms.