To provide a fine-particulate cemented carbide which contains Ta and/or Nb so as to obtain the effect of inhibiting grain growth, and has a small average diameter of WC particles, adequate hardness, high toughness, superior breakage resistance and superior chipping resistance.

The fine-particulate cemented carbide has a composition comprising, by mass%, 2-15% Co, 0.5-0.9% Cr, 0.05-0.3% Ta and/or Nb so as to control a weight ratio of (Ta+Nb)/Cr to 0.05 to 0.5, and the balance WC with unavoidable impurities; and when a particle diameter of a dispersed hard phase consisting mainly of WC existing on a polished surface is determined by a circle-equivalent diameter of a diameter when a circle area is substituted for a particle area, and particle size distribution according to the accumulated number is shown by d10, d50 and d90, has the particle size distribution expressed by d10 ≤ 0.15 μm, d50 ≤ 0.35 μm, and d90 ≤ 0.6 μm.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI