Ball milling of titanium mixed stearic acid yields the formation of the metastable face centred cubic phase upon sintering and water quenching at 1200 degrees C. Structural transformation was traced by the X-ray diffraction technique. Phase transformations were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry in flowing argon gas. The optical microstructure illustrated the needle and lath type morphology attributable to nonstoichiometric titanium hydride phase. In addition, the microstructure monitored by the scanning electron microscopy show the nonstoichiometric titanium carbide phase segregating along the grain boundaries. As a result, high average hardness value of 654 and 670 Vickers hardness was measured for sintered and quenched 15 h milled titanium-stearic acid. (C) 2015 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.