Tantalum is a greyish silver, heavy, and very hard metal. When pure, it is ductile and can be drawn into fine wire, which can be used as a filament for evaporating metals such as aluminium. Tantalum is almost completely immune to chemical attack at temperatures below 150°C, and is attacked only by hydrofluoric acid, acidic solutions containing the fluoride ion, and free sulphur trioxide. The element has a melting point exceeded only by tungsten and rhenium. Tantalum is available in many forms including foil, sheet, wire, plate, rod, powder and other various forms.

Tantalum metal has a number of important uses. It is used to make steels with desirable properties such as high melting point, high strength, good ductility. These find use in aircraft and missile manufacture. It is very inert and so useful in the chemical and nuclear industries to line reactors. Tantalum wires were those used first for light bulbs (now tungsten is preferred). The metal is immune to body liquids and the body tolerates the metal well. Therefore, tantalum has widespread use for surgical use. For instance, it can be used in sutures and as cranial repair plates. The metal is used in the electronics industry for capacitors.