Zirconium metal, silver grey metal, like the appearance of steel, shiny; melting point 1852, boiling point 4377, density 6.49. Zirconium is easy to absorb hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, zirconium on the affinity of oxygen is very strong, 1000 oxygen dissolved in zirconium can make its volume increased significantly. Zirconium is relatively stable in the air; zirconium powder burns easily, fine zirconium wire available a match to light and high temperature can and dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen direct combination.

Zirconium is soft, mainly used in the manufacture of bulletproof alloy steel, also do the reactor uranium fuel cladding alloy; zirconium in high temperature easily emit electrons, zirconium was little for surgical knives and other industrial applications.

At present, there are two main applications of sponge zirconium in China, one is zirconium and the other is zirconium for general industry.. Atomic energy with zirconium sponge grades is divided into two levels, the current fair to meet market demand, and general industrial zirconium sponge in the original standard contains only a grade, the need to increase the new brand. The international application of the more extensive sponge zirconium standards is mainly the United States ASTM standards, the current standards are two, B349 ASTM (atomic energy industry) and B494 ASTM (general industrial use).

Zirconium has better corrosion resistance, mechanical properties and technological properties than stainless steel, nickel based alloys and titanium, and is suitable for chemical equipment such as containers and heat exchangers.. Especially in the reducing chloride solution with corrosion resistance, is widely used, the demand is increasing.