EDC & Everyday Carry

Custom titanium pendants: Grade 5, small batches

Titanium pendants are quoted the way any EDC part is: from a STEP file and a PDF, in Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) unless the drawing names another grade. No minimum: one piece to production runs of 10,000. Two or three designs can go on one quote, and a one-off is welcome, whether it is a first sample before a run or a single piece for yourself. Grade 5 is the default because it is significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium (source 2), which can matter on a thin bail or a small hole for a jump ring or cord, and it is light, at a density of 4.43-4.51 g/cm³ (source 3); the titanium material page sets the grades side by side.

Bead blast is the finish pendant drawings usually call out: bead blasting is often used to create a uniform surface finish on machined parts (source 5). Tumbled (stonewashed) and anodized color are the other common looks. Titanium takes its color from voltage rather than dye: the voltage sets the thickness of the oxide layer, and the color comes from light interfering in it, which gives an array of colors without dyes (source 4). The finish is specified on the print and quoted with the part, and every pendant is inspected before it ships.

What makes a pendant quote quick: the bail or hole size for the chain or cord it has to take, the thickness, any relief depth or engraving, the edge break, and which faces are cosmetic. Ti-6Al-4V conducts heat poorly, 6.7 to 7.5 W/m·K, which contributes to its relatively poor machinability (source 3), and titanium’s low modulus of elasticity makes it push away from the cutting tool (source 6). Fine relief and very small inside corners can take longer in titanium, and the free design review with the quote points out where a small change would help. Quotes come back in 24-48 hours.

Sources

All accessed 4 October 2026. Where a figure here differs from your print, the print governs.

1. Wikipedia, "Everyday carry": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_carry (the opening definition, and the items listed: wallets, knives, multi-tools, key rings and others).

2. Wikipedia, "Titanium alloy": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_alloy (Ti-6Al-4V as 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium, "the most commonly used alloy", and significantly stronger than commercially pure titanium).

3. Wikipedia, "Ti-6Al-4V": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti-6Al-4V (UNS R56400; density 4.429 to 4.512 g/cm³; thermal conductivity 6.7 to 7.5 W/m·K, which "contributes to its relatively poor machinability").

4. Wikipedia, "Anodizing", section on titanium: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing (color depends on the oxide thickness, set by the anodizing voltage, and comes from light interference; titanium anodizing generates an array of different colors without dyes).

5. Wikipedia, "Abrasive blasting", section on bead blasting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrasive_blasting ("often used in creating a uniform surface finish on machined parts").

6. Mark Larson, "Why Beta Titanium Alloys Pose Challenges for Machining", Cutting Tool Engineering, 15 June 2014: ctemag.com/articles/beta-titanium-alloys-machining-challenges (titanium’s low modulus of elasticity makes the material push away from the cutting tool).