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Metalysis has produced C-103 alloy powder to commercial specification, creating a new source of a refractory material used in space, aerospace, defense and hypersonic systems. The niobium-hafnium-titanium alloy is valued for strength, corrosion resistance and performance in extreme heat.
“C-103 was developed in the 1960s but now we are seeing a huge surge in demand,” said Metalysis CEO Nitesh Shah. The company links that growth to renewed space activity, hypersonic development and wider adoption of additive manufacturing.
C-103 is used in rocket nozzles, thrust chambers and combustion chambers. Other applications include hypersonic leading edges, control surfaces, thermal protection units, turbine components and satellite propulsion hardware.
Supply remains constrained partly because of limited hafnium metal production and competing demand from the semiconductor sector. Metalysis uses hafnium oxide sourced from countries including the United States and Australia, reducing its dependence on processed hafnium metal.
Its FFC electrolysis process converts metal oxides into alloy powder through solid-state, in-situ alloying instead of co-melting the separate metals. The system can operate across several reactor sizes, from research quantities to units capable of producing tens of tonnes annually.
Metalysis describes the method as a “powder in, powder out” process. Controlling the oxide feedstock size produces alloy powder within a defined particle range. The resulting particles are naturally irregular, but the company can spheroidise them in-house to improve flowability and packing density for additive manufacturing.
The commercial-specification material contains less than 500 parts per million of oxygen. Low oxygen content is important in refractory alloy powders because excess oxygen can affect ductility, processing behaviour and the properties of finished components.
Metalysis estimates the C-103 market at about $46 million, with the potential to reach $200 million by 2032. Additive manufacturing could support that growth by producing complex, high-temperature components with less waste than conventional subtractive routes.
Commercial-specification powder gives manufacturers another route to C-103 at a time when long lead times and material security are shaping aerospace and defense procurement.
Image and Source: Metalysis, Metalysis Achieves Commercial Specification of C-103 Alloy, released 17 August 2026.
