Diamond is widely believed to be the hardest known material to man, but is it really the case? What are the other hard materials apart from diamond? Well, today our list will answer these questions for you.

No 10. Alumina

Alumina is a common name for Aluminum Oxide, which is an amphoteric oxide and is more even more commonly known as Corundum in its crystalline form. Alumina in its alpha phase is the strongest and stiffest of the oxide ceramics; alpha phase is the most stable hexagonal phase achieved at high temperatures. Alumina is used in gas laser tubes, electronic substrates, ballistic armor and grinding media. Varieties of alumina exist and the more known of them are Ruby and Sapphire which are categorized based on impurities as well as color.

No 9. Boron carbide

This is an extremely hard ceramic material most notably used in tank armor and bulletproof vests. It finds its use in padlocks, neutron absorber in nuclear reactors, high energy fuel for solid fuel Ramjets and anti-ballistic armor plating.

No 8. Zirconium carbide

Appearing as a gray metallic powder Zirconium carbide is an extremely hard refractory ceramic material, commercially used in tool bits for cutting tools. Zirconium Carbide along with Zirconium Oxide are known as modern ceramics and is extremely hard, wear resistant, and chemically inert.

No 7. Titanium diboride

Titanium Diboride is an extremely hard material with very good high temperature corrosion resistance. It is a ceramic and therefore is a material of high interest due to being electrically conductive. Titanium diboride is more than three times strong the strongest steel available.