Titanium is a paradox. Supplies of pure titanium are rare, though titanium ores such as ilmenite and rutile are very common. The ores of these metals are concentrated in large, easily mined bodies, while titanium ores are dispersed throughout the earth's crust. Only five percent of the titanium mined today is used in its pure metal form. Titanium, which weighs forty percent less than carbon steels, can be strengthened by alloying it with elements such as aluminum and vanadium.
Titanium is nonmagnetic and possesses good heat transfer properties.
It has the ability to passivate, thereby giving it a corrosion resistance to acids. It is also nontoxic and biocompatible. These properties make titanium and its alloys useful in a wide range of structural, chemical, petrochemical, marine and biomaterial applications. The unique combination of this alloy's physical and mechanical properties with workability, fabricability, production experience and commercial availability allows it to be economically useful. Some uses of this alloy are aircraft gas turbine disks and blades, airframe structural components, and prosthetic devices.