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    Optimize Your Car with Pinewood Derby Tungsten Weights | Pinewood Pro

    Boost your Pinewood Derby car's speed with Pinewood Pro's premium tungsten weights!

    Joe Gargiulo
    November 25, 2017
    Pinewood Pro Blog

    Tungsten is the Best Weight for Pinewood Derby Cars

    Tungsten weights are dense and small, giving you maximum car design flexibility. They also provide a precise center of gravity (COG) weight placement to maximize potential energy.

    Why Is Tungsten the Best Pinewood Derby Weight?

    Tungsten is the best Pinewood Derby weight because it is about 1.8 times denser than lead (a heavy metal) and 3 times denser than zinc.
    To demonstrate, below is a picture of a 0.5 oz tungsten cylinder (top) and a three-segment zinc cylinder that is  0.7 oz.

    tungsten and lead size comparison picture

    The single tungsten cylinder on top weighs 0.5 oz and is 7/16" long.
    The bottom zinc cylinders weigh 0.7 oz and are 1 5/8" long.


    Tungsten is the best weight for derby cars because it has many advantages:
  • You can pack more weight in a smaller area, giving you more flexibility in your car design.
  • You can place weight exactly where you need to the optimize center of gravity for maximum speed. (See weight placement in Winning Pinewood Derby Secrets)
  • Tungsten can be purchased in various forms: small BB spheres, 3/8" cylinders, 1/4" cubes, or tungsten putty which is malleable so weight can easily be  added or removed at check-in.
  • Tungsten has the added advantage of being safe to handle because it is non-toxic, making it kid friendly.


    • Added advantages:
  • Tungsten cylinders are 3/8" in diameter, so you can use a standard 3/8" drill bit to drill a hole anywhere in your car, slide them into the hole, and hide them inside the car. Use wood putty or glue to seal the hole.
  • If you need to pack weights even tighter, use our tungsten cube weights

    • To determine the amount of weight you need, weigh your wheels, axles, and car body AFTER it is cut and shaped.
    Then subtract that weight from 4.8 oz.
    This is the rough amount of weight you need.
    It should leave 0.2 oz for additional weight from paint or stickers.
    Once the car is completed, you can add small amounts of weight with tungsten putty or BB's to bring the car up to the maximum 5.0 oz.

    Tungsten 2 oz Weights

    tungsten 2oz derby weights picture

    Only $9.95

    Tungsten 3 oz Weights

    tungsten 3oz pinewood weights

    Only $16.95

    Tungsten Spheres

    Tungsten Spheres

    -Precise weight placement
    -Maximum car design flexibility

    1 oz bag of spheres (also known as BBs) allows you to add small increments of weight to bring your car to precisely the 5 oz limit.

    1 oz total weight

    Only $7.95

    Tungsten Putty

    Tungsten Putty

    -Precise weight placement
    -Maximum car design flexibility 1 oz blob of putty

    Allows you to add small amounts of weight anywhere on your car.
    Just break off the putty and stick it on!
    Our putty comes in a resealable plastic case.


    1 oz total weight

    Only $10.95

    What is Tungsten Putty? Why Use it?

    Pinewood Derby tungsten putty is a moldable material made from tungsten powder and a polymer binder. Tungsten putty will not harden under normal conditions, and has a density of 10 g/cm3.

    Tungsten Putty is an easy way to fine tune the weight of you Pinewood Derby car. It's made to be malleable, so you can quickly and easily place the last bit of weight to any derby car. Pinewood Derby tungsten putty can be used at home when building your car or brought to the track to help bring your car up to weight on race day.

    Simply add the tungsten putty to any small crevice or hole. Our tungsten putty is very sticky and doesn't need glue or anything added to help keep the putty in position. It can be pulled, pinched, cut, and formed into whatever shape you need.

    How to Use Tungsten Putty and the Advantages of Using

    Pinewood Derby tungsten putty can easily be used for final adjustments to the weight of Pinewood Derby cars. Simply pinch off a small piece of the tungsten putty, knead it until it's pliable, and press it into any cavity or hole in the car.

    Pinewood Derby tungsten putty has many advantages:

    • Pinewood derby tungsten putty saves you time because you can easily add just the right amount without breaking off weights or having to worry about finding the right size weight you may need.
    • Pinewood derby tungsten putty can be easily molded to any shape, so you can use it anywhere on your car, regardless of your design.
    • Pinewood derby tungsten putty is nearly 2 times denser than lead, so it adds lots of weight in a very small area.
    • Pinewood derby tungsten putty is very sticky, allowing it to stay on your car fairly well.
    • Pinewood derby tungsten putty is child-safe; there are no toxic materials in it.

    Add Weight Anywhere on Your Car!

    Pinewood Derby tungsten putty is soft and malleable, so it can be changed into virtually any shape, and it can be broken into separate pieces.

    Tungsten is child-safe. There are no toxic materials in it. Packaged in 1 oz pieces.

    Main Advantages and Disadvantages of Each Metal:

    Caution While Using Tungsten Putty and Tungsten Spheres

    Although Pinewood Derby tungsten putty is made from non-toxic ingredients, it is not a toy for children to play with. Always wash your hands after use, and keep it away from food and your mouth.

    Keep all weights away from children under 6.

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    Tips & Hints

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