Boron carbide was discovered in the 19th century as a byproduct of research into metal borides and was not scientifically studied until the 1830s. It has a Moh hardness of 9.3, making it the third known hardness after diamond boron nitride.

Boron carbide is insoluble in water and organic solvents, has strong chemical stability, acid and alkali corrosion resistance, hardly reacts with acid and alkali solution, and it has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, acid and alkali corrosion resistance strength, good chemical stability, light specific gravity, etc., and has been widely used in many new material fields.