Tungsten-doped porous ZrB2-20 vol.% SiC specimens with a high strength skeleton were fabricated by reactive sintering using metastable reactants, i.e., as-synthesized amorphous hydrous ZrO2-WO3/ZrO2, amorphous boron, nanocarbon, and beta-SiC. Doping with tungsten clearly promoted sintering and improved mechanical properties; the optimum tungsten concentration to obtain high mechanical properties was investigated. A single-phase solid solution (Zr,W)B-2 was formed in the specimens with tungsten. We suggest that sintering was promoted by self-accelerated diffusion owing to the formation of point defects caused by doping with tungsten. The improvement of mechanical properties could be attributed to solid solution strengthening. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.