A method of forming cemented tungsten tetraboride, by combining tungsten and boron in a molar ratio of from about 1:6 to about 1:12, respectively, and firing the combined tungsten and boron in a hexagonal boron nitride crucible at a temperature of from about 1600 C to about 2000 C, to form tungsten tetraboride, milling the tungsten tetraboride to a powder, adding a metal binder to the tungsten tetraboride powder to produce a metal-tungsten tetraboride mixture, compressing the metal-tungsten tetraboride mixture, and sintering the compressed metal-tungsten tetraboride mixture to form cemented tungsten tetraboride.