Silicon Carbide (SiC) is one of the hardest ceramics, known for maintaining its hardness and strength at elevated temperatures, which gives it exceptional wear resistance. Additionally, SiC has high thermal conductivity, particularly in its CVD (chemical vapor deposition) grade, enhancing its thermal shock resistance. It is also significantly lighter than steel, weighing only half as much.

Due to its unique combination of hardness, wear resistance, heat resistance, and corrosion resistance, SiC is frequently used for seal faces and high-performance pump components.

Reaction Bonded SiC is the grade has the lowest production cost and a coarse grain structure. While it offers somewhat lower hardness and maximum use temperature, it has higher thermal conductivity.

Direct Sintered SiC is the grade superior to Reaction Bonded SiC and is commonly specified for high-temperature applications.

CVD SiC is a face-centered cubic, polycrystalline form is produced via chemical vapor deposition. It is extremely pure and is specified for its exceptional thermal conductivity, approaching 300 W/mK. However, it is considerably more expensive to produce than the sintered or reaction-bonded grades.