Medical Titanium Rod

"Medical titanium rod" is not one thing. Two different material families fall under that name. Commercially pure titanium (Grade 1, 2, 4) is soft and ductile. Ti-6Al-4V ELI (Grade 23) is about three times stronger and goes into load-bearing implants.

Medical grade and commercial grade are different. Commercial rod is made to ASTM B348. Medical Titanium Rod is made to ASTM F67 (pure titanium) or ASTM F136 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy). The chemistry is tighter. The oxygen limits are stricter. The traceability is complete.

A buyer might send an RFQ for "medical titanium rod, 20mm diameter." But the missing information matters more than the size. Which standard? Which grade? Is the rod for an implant or for structural tooling? The answer changes the material route. A single diameter could be Grade 2 pure titanium for a surgical pin or Grade 23 ELI for a spinal rod - completely different applications, different specs, different price.

Grade 23 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI) is the alpha-beta alloy. 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium. ELI stands for Extra Low Interstitial – lower oxygen and lower iron than commercial Grade 5.

ELI's lower interstitial content gives it better fracture toughness than commercial Grade 5. Fatigue cracks start at inclusions. Fewer inclusions means longer implant life. For a hip stem that cycles millions of times, that matters. The fatigue strength at 10⁷ cycles is typically 500-600 MPa, significantly higher than pure titanium. When you're ordering Medical Titanium Rod, this is the alloy you specify for anything load-bearing.

Grade 1 is the softest and most ductile. Tensile 240 MPa. Used for cranial plates and healing abutments – parts that get contoured during surgery.

Grade 2 is the workhorse. Tensile 345 MPa. Used for general medical applications where high strength isn't the primary requirement.

Grade 4 is the strongest pure titanium. Tensile 550 MPa. Some researchers are exploring ultrafine-grained Grade 4 as a potential alternative to Ti-6Al-4V, addressing concerns about aluminum and vanadium toxicity. Processing methods like equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) can push Grade 4's yield strength above 1300 MPa.

Hip Stems – The femoral stem in a total hip replacement. Goes into the femur canal. Grade 23 ELI. Diameter typically 25mm to 50mm. The stem must withstand repeated loading cycles equal to 4-5 times body weight during walking. Some designs use a tapered or cylindrical rod that gets machined with proximal fins and a neck for the femoral head. Collarless and collared stems both start from the same rod stock.

Bone Screws – Trauma fixation. Cortical screws for long bone plates. Cancellous screws for metaphyseal bone. Grade 23 ELI for load-bearing. Grade 2 for low-stress screws. Small diameter rod, typically 2.0mm to 8.0mm. The rod is machined into threaded fasteners. Cannulated screws require a hole down the center, starting with hollow rod or drilling after machining. Self-tapping and self-drilling screws both start from rod.

Spinal Rods – Posterior spinal fixation. Long rods, typically 5.0mm to 6.5mm diameter. Grade 23 ELI. The rod is pre-bent to match the patient's spinal curvature. Fatigue life is critical – spinal constructs cycle 10-20 million times over a patient's lifetime. The rod must have consistent surface finish to prevent crack initiation. Some spinal rods use cobalt-chromium for higher stiffness, but titanium rods are preferred for their modulus closer to bone. For these applications, Medical Titanium Rod is specified with tight straightness and surface finish requirements.

Intramedullary Nails – Long rods inserted into the medullary canal for femur, tibia, and humerus fractures. Grade 23 ELI. Cannulated (hollow) for guide wire placement. Typically 8.0mm to 15.0mm diameter. The rod is machined with proximal and distal locking holes. Some nails are flexible and curved to match the bone's anatomy. Solid and cannulated nails both start as rod.

Dental Implant Fixtures – Threaded rods that go into the jawbone. Small diameter. High precision. Grade 23 ELI for permanent fixtures. Grade 2 for temporary healing abutments. Diameter typically 3.0mm to 6.0mm. The fixture has external threads on the bone side and internal threads for the abutment screw. Some designs use a conical connection. All start from precision-ground Medical Titanium Rod.

External Fixator Pins – Temporary fixation rods that pass through skin into bone. Grade 2 or Grade 4. Diameter 3.0mm to 6.0mm. Machined with self-drilling tips. Removed after fracture healing. The rod stock becomes pins with threaded and smooth shank sections. Some pins have a trocar point for insertion without pre-drilling.

Surgical Instruments – Guide pins, drill shafts, and instrument rods used in surgical procedures. Grade 2 or Grade 23 ELI depending on load requirements. The rod becomes a tool that must be autoclavable and corrosion resistant. Instruments include cannulated drill shafts, broach handles, and depth gauges. Diameter typically 2.0mm to 20mm.

Dental Abutments – Custom CAD/CAM abutments machined from small diameter rod. Grade 23 ELI for permanent abutments. Grade 2 for healing abutments and transfer copings. Diameter 3.0mm to 8.0mm. The abutment connects the implant fixture to the crown. Machined with a customized emergence profile and internal hex connection. Some abutments are pre-milled and finished by the lab.

Orthopedic Cables and Staples – Small diameter rod (2.0mm to 4.0mm) drawn further into wire for surgical fastening. Grade 1 or Grade 2. Cables are used for cerclage around bone fractures. Staples are machined from rod and formed into U-shapes for bone fixation. These are often used in foot and hand surgery where smaller implants are required.

Cranial Mesh and Plate Stock – Small diameter rod can be rolled or drawn into wire for cranial mesh fabrication. Grade 1 or Grade 2. The mesh is laser-cut and contoured during surgery. Some cranial implants are machined from plate, but smaller fixation rods and screws for cranial applications start as rod stock.

Maxillofacial Plates and Screws – Thin rod stock for facial bone fixation. Grade 2 or Grade 23 ELI. 1.0mm to 2.5mm diameter for screws. The plate is typically made from sheet stock, but screws and pins come from rod. Orbital floor fractures, mandibular fractures, and zygomatic fractures all use titanium hardware from rod.

Cardiovascular Interventional Devices – Beta-type titanium alloys like Ti-15Mo or Ti-12Mo-6Zr-2Fe are used for guidewire cores and stent components. Grade 23 ELI is also used for some structural components. Diameter 0.5mm to 3.0mm. Lower elastic modulus (75-85 GPa) compared to Ti-6Al-4V (110 GPa) makes these alloys better suited for vascular applications where flexibility is critical.

Commercial Grade 5 (ASTM B348) is common for aircraft parts and structural components. But it's not approved for surgical implants.

Grade 23 ELI (ASTM F136) is implant grade. Lower oxygen (0.13% vs 0.20%). Lower iron (0.25% vs 0.30%). Better fracture toughness. Better fatigue life.

If it's going inside the body and it's load-bearing, you want ELI. Not because commercial Grade 5 is bad. Because ELI is safer. That's why any reputable supplier of Medical Titanium Rod will confirm which spec you need before quoting.

Diameter tolerance classes per ISO 286-2: h6, h7, h8, or h9. For Swiss machining, h7 is common. For precision instruments, h6. Centerless ground is standard for most Medical Titanium Rod applications. Surface condition is more important than polish - straightness and tolerance are what the machinist actually needs.

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Email: shawn@mt-titanium.com
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