

This steel is fairly easy to sharpen and generally low cost with great corrosion resistance.Ī high carbon, low chromium stainless steel which has proven itself to be the ultimate compromise between toughness and strength, edge holding and resistance to corrosion.Ī high quality, bearing grade alloy with significantly increased amounts of carbon and molybdenum content plus vanadium for improved edge retention and strength. It has good edge retention, and is fairly easy to resharpen with decent corrosion resistance.Ī Japanese stainless steel, with surperb toughness and good edge holding capabilities.

This steel has good edge holding properties and high corossion resistance, but is more difficult to resharpen than lower chromium steels.Ī medium to high carbon stainless steel, this steel holds a good edge and is particularly well suited for heavy, long blades that are subjected to a lot of stress while chopping and hacking. Extremely tough and impact resistant, this steel is most often used on blades which are hafted and/or thrown.Ī very high carbon, chromium stainless steel with additional amounts of molybdenum. This steel is ideally suited to blades with a very thick cross-section such as tomahawks and axes. The benefit of this steel is it's easy to sharpen, will take an extremely sharp edge and is generally available at a low cost.Ī medium carbon, low alloy steel that hardens well. This is a plain carbon steel, which means it has low resistance to corrosion, and low to medium edge retention. This steel takes a nice edge, and is fairly easy to sharpen even for a novice. A good balance of edge retention, easy resharpening and corrosion resistance.Ī high chromium stainless steel which exibits an excellent balance of hardness and corrosion resistance. The high carbon content makes this steel harder to resharpen, but the tradeoff is better edge holding properties.Ī high carbon stainless steel, used in many production knives.

Decent edge holding capabilities and fairly easy to resharpen, this steel is a good balance of the most desirable traits for knife steel.Ī high carbon version of 420 steel, this steel combines the excellent wear resistance of high carbon alloys with the corrosion resistance of chromium stainless steels. This stainless steel is commonly used in knife blades, and offers good corrosion resistance at a low cost. Fairly easy to resharpen.Ī hard, strong blade steel. In recent years, this steel has made a resurgence in the knife industry, offering good blade toughness, edge holding capability and corrosion resistance. Originally designed for jet engine fan blades, it is the precursor to the Japanese made ATS-34. Great corrosion resistance generally means a high chromium content, and this means knives made with this steel will be a little harder to sharpen than blades with a lower chromium content. This alloy is a chromium-nickel-aluminum precipitation hardening stainless steel with good edge retention. Good corrosion resistance, excellent for water sports applications. Knife Steel & Handle Material Selection Knife Steel Steel Type Knife Steel & Handle Material Selection.
