This is a page listing the four main categories of steel commonly used in outdoor knives, along with the characteristics and representative steel names within each category.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel is essentially made from iron and a small amount of carbon.
Carbon steel is categorized based on its carbon content into low carbon steel, medium carbon steel, high carbon steel, and extremely high carbon steel.
Common Steel Materials
A-2
This steel is commonly used by Bark River and, of course, it’s made in the USA!
Originally intended more for tool applications than knife steel, it’s one of the standard carbon steels used by Bark River. It strikes an excellent balance between toughness and hardness, resulting in excellent edge retention.
Among the steel options Bark River employs, it’s the easiest to sharpen and also relatively budget-friendly. While it may be slightly prone to rust, its ease of sharpening and overall performance make it a steel with more pros than cons for those who can properly maintain it.
XC-90
This steel is used in Opinel’s carbon models and is produced in France.
It offers outstanding sharpness but is more prone to rust compared to the carbon steel used in Morakniv knives, making it less corrosion-resistant.
C100
This steel is used in Mora knives’ carbon models and is produced in Italy.
Its composition is nearly identical to the American 1095 steel.
1045、1050、1055、1060、1084、1095
An American-made carbon steel.
It ranges from 1006 to the highest at 1095, with higher numbers indicating increased carbon content.
白紙2号(Shirogami #2)
This is Hitachi Metals’ carbon steel, commonly used in Japanese knives like chef’s knives (Gyuto) and others.
It excels in wear resistance, toughness, and edge retention but falls a bit short in corrosion resistance. The name of this steel is derived from the color of the paper used to wrap the steel, as steel types can be less apparent from their appearance.
白紙1号(Shirogami #1)
This is a carbon steel from Hitachi Metals, where they increased the carbon content of Shirogami #2 steel to enhance its hardness.
Because of its higher carbon content, this steel is known to be challenging to work with during manufacturing due to the need for precise temperature control.
青紙2号(Aogami #2)
This is a carbon steel from Hitachi Metals that adds tungsten and chromium to Shirogami #2 steel to improve hardenability and wear resistance.
Similar to other Hitachi steel types, its name is derived from the color of the paper used to wrap the steel because steel types can be less apparent from their appearance.
青紙1号(Aogami #1)
This is a carbon steel from Hitachi Metals that increases the carbon content of Aogami #2 steel to enhance its hardness.
Due to its higher carbon content, this steel is known to be challenging to work with during manufacturing because precise temperature control is required.
青紙スーパー(Aogami SUPER)
This is a carbon steel from Hitachi Metals that increases the carbon content of Aogami #1 steel while adding tungsten and chromium to enhance its hardness and wear resistance.
Because of its higher carbon content, it’s considered even more challenging to manage the temperature during manufacturing compared to Aogami #1 steel.
Recommended Knives Using Carbon Steel
Mora Knife – Heavy Duty
Recommended Points
Excellent Cost-Performance Ratio (Available for around 3,000 yen)
Utilizes C100 carbon steel, resulting in an incredibly sharp edge.
Noteworthy Aspects
Not a full tang construction (slightly less robust).
Carbon steel (C100) is more susceptible to rust compared to stainless steel.
Not suitable for tasks like thinly slicing vegetables (due to the Scandi edge profile).
Opinel
Recommended Points
Excellent Cost-Performance Ratio (Available for around 2,000 yen)
Thin blade profile suitable for tasks like thinly slicing vegetables during cooking.
Noteworthy Aspects
Not Suitable for Batoning and Similar Applications. Not Recommended for Those Who Want a Single Knife for All Tasks.
Prone to Rust Quickly.
The Blade Edge Is Extremely Sharp, Which Might Raise Concerns when Used Around Children.
BARK RIVER KNIVES
Recommended Points
Extremely Robust Construction (Full Tang).
Highly Recommended for Those Who Want a Single Knife for All Tasks.
A Knife Using A2 Steel. Easy to Sharpen, Making It Great for Learning Sharpening Techniques.
Noteworthy Aspects
Nothing.Awesome!!
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is made by adding chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), and other elements to iron and a small amount of carbon.
These elements enhance corrosion resistance when added to carbon steel, and the specific properties of stainless steel vary depending on the quantity of these additives. While stainless steel doesn’t achieve the same level of hardness as carbon steel, it can still attain sufficient hardness.
Common Steel Materials
12C27
Mora knives’ stainless steel models use this type of steel.
Opinel’s stainless steel knives also utilize this steel.
It’s a stainless steel commonly used in Norwegian knives, often referred to as Scandinavian Sandvik steel, and shares similar properties with 440A. It’s a high-purity steel with good hardenability and wear resistance. Compared to 13C26, it offers higher toughness and corrosion resistance but slightly lower wear resistance. It has better edge retention than 440C.
420、420HC、420J、420J2
The BUCK110 also uses this steel (420HC).
The 420 series is a low-cost stainless steel known for its high corrosion resistance and toughness but relatively low wear resistance, resulting in less favorable edge retention. Because it can be easily machined and is cost-effective, it’s often used in budget-friendly knives. 420J2, due to its corrosion resistance, finds use in diving knives and fillet knives. 420HC, with its higher carbon content, is equivalent to 440A and offers relatively better edge retention compared to other 420 stainless steels, although its wear resistance is lower.
154CM
The Leatherman OHT uses this steel (154CM).
In the early 1970s, when the world’s largest civilian aircraft, the Boeing 747, made its debut, the steel used for the turbine blades in its engines was 154CM stainless steel.
It was manufactured by Crucible Materials Corporation.
The name 154CM is said to come from its composition, containing 15% chromium (Cr) and 4% molybdenum (Mo).
It’s well-known for its excellent wear resistance, toughness, and corrosion resistance and later became the precursor to the Japanese-made representative steel ATS-34.
CPM-3V
This is a vanadium tool steel created by the Crucible Materials Corporation, known for its excellent wear resistance and toughness. It boasts good corrosion resistance, but when corrosion occurs, it tends to be penetrating rust rather than surface rust. Its wear resistance is nearly equivalent to SKD11, and its impact resistance is approximately three times that of SKD11.
Sometimes it’s referred to as 3V (Three-Vee) when omitting “CPM.” It combines the sharp edge shaping and edge retention of carbon steel with the corrosion resistance of stainless steel, making it an excellent steel. While it’s more prone to rust compared to pure stainless steel, it’s less susceptible to rust than dealing with carbon steel, so it requires less fuss.
VG-10
This is a high-carbon, vanadium stainless steel known for its edge retention similar to BG-42 and AUS-8, as well as excellent wear resistance similar to 154CM. It offers better corrosion resistance compared to ATS-34 and 154CM, making it a well-balanced blade steel. It’s safe to consider it the same as V Gold 10 (VG-10), a special steel from Takeshi Tokushu Steel in Fukui, Japan.
AUS-6、AUS-8、AUS-10
It’s also known as 6A, 8A, and 10A stainless steel. AUS-6 is similar to 440A and competes with 420J. AUS-8 is akin to 440B and competes with ATS-55 and Gin-1. AUS-10, while slightly lower in corrosion resistance, is similar to 440C and competes with ATS-34 and 154CM. Unlike the 440 series, AUS series stainless steels contain vanadium. Vanadium enhances wear resistance, edge retention, and the ability to create a sharper edge.
ELMAX
This is a chromium-vanadium-molybdenum-based powder metallurgy alloy tool steel. While it contains a significant amount of chromium and exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, it can be classified as stainless steel. It offers high performance in terms of wear resistance, corrosion resistance, strength, and dimensional stability. Developed by Bohler-Uddenholm in Austria, it is a high-performance steel.
In the case of Buck knives, they are heat-treated to high hardness, allowing for thin edge shaping and, as a result, maintaining an extremely sharp cutting edge.
Recommended Knives Using Stainless Steel
肥後守 VG10(Higonokami VG10)
Recommended Points
A highly renowned knife in Japan, known for its exceptional sharpness, lightweight, and compact design.
Noteworthy Aspects
The locking mechanism is not very reassuring. It’s not suitable for batoning and might not be the best choice as a cooking knife.
BUCK 110
Recommended Points
A well-designed knife! It’s the most widely copied knife in the world. It boasts exceptional strength (for more details, please check the YouTube video below).
Noteworthy Aspects
Not a full tang.
Fällkniven F1x
Recommended Points
High completeness as a survival knife, and excellent sharpness.
Noteworthy Aspects
Expensive.
Powder Metallurgy Steel
Powder metallurgy steel is a type of metal that is produced by rapidly cooling molten metal into a powder, then compressing it into a desired shape using powder metallurgy press, and finally sintering it in a furnace at a temperature where the metal powder doesn’t melt. Compared to traditional processes for making steel from ingots, this method results in finer grain size, which leads to improved strength, edge retention, and grindability. However, it can be challenging to machine or process components made through powder metallurgy because they are typically used as-is after forming.
Common Steel Materials
CPM-S30V
The Benchmade Bushcrafter 162 also uses this steel.
CPM-3V is a martensitic stainless steel with high carbon and high vanadium content created by Crucible Materials Corporation, an American manufacturer. It was specifically developed by Dick Barber of Crucible Materials Corporation for the cutlery industry. CPM-3V offers superior corrosion resistance compared to 440C, about 1.5 times better wear resistance than 440C, and 3-4 times better toughness. It also exhibits excellent hardenability during heat treatment. It is easier to machine than S60V or S90V and is roughly equivalent to D-2 in this regard. Due to its high carbon and vanadium content, CPM-3V provides excellent edge retention and wear resistance, similar to BG42.
CPM-S60V
This steel, created by Crucible Materials Corporation, is a high carbon, high vanadium martensitic stainless steel known for its excellent wear resistance and edge retention. However, it can be difficult to sharpen and machine. By adjusting the heat treatment, it is possible to reduce its hardness and increase toughness.
Recommended Knives Using Powder Metallurgy Steel
BENCHMADE 980SBK
Recommended Points
The ultimate all-around survival knife! Affordable and readily available when compared to knives using the same steel such as the Bark River Bravo 1 ELMAX.
Noteworthy Aspects
It’s still relatively expensive when viewed as a knife (cheaper than competitors but…). Using it as a knife might make you feel like you’re not making the most of it (depends on the person, though, haha)
Composite steel
Composite steel refers to a type of steel that is made by joining multiple materials into a single component through compression or forging. One of the most famous examples of composite steel is the Japanese katana (sword). In the forging process of a Japanese katana, three different types of steel are stacked and heated, then hammered together. The composition involves four different types of steel with varying carbon content: the core steel (shingane), the ridge steel (munegane), the edge steel (hanokane), and the side steel (gawagane). These steel pieces are stacked in the order of side steel, core steel, and side steel for a technique known as “yakihazushi-taekiriba,” then forged. The steel is then elongated into a blade shape, with the tang (nakago), the part that goes into the handle, also being forged as part of the process. The resulting katana has a blade with a hard, sharp edge and a tough, resilient core due to the combination of different types of steel.
Common Steel Materials
Japanese steel
To achieve the three essential qualities of a Japanese sword, namely, “not breaking, not bending, and cutting well,” Japanese swordsmiths have made ingenious innovations in the manufacturing, selection of materials, and forging processes of the steel used in katana (Japanese swords). The primary raw material that swordsmiths have used for centuries, from the Heian period onward, is a type of steel known as “tamahagane,” which is produced through a traditional smelting process called “tatara-buki” using iron sand.
The tatara-buki process of smelting iron sand was practiced in Japan as far back as the late 6th century, with archaeological evidence suggesting that it was established in the Kibi region (which later became Bizen) and later spread throughout the country. Japanese tatara furnaces are distinctive in shape, characterized by low, boxy structures, unlike the taller furnaces used in China and Korea.
It’s important to note that the term “tamahagane” was not historically used, and it was coined in the mid-Meiji period. Originally, it referred to a type of steel produced at the Akashi Steel Works in Shimane Prefecture and supplied as crucible steel for the Japanese Army and Navy. Analysis has shown that the quality of Japanese steel, especially in katana, peaked during the Kamakura period and gradually declined thereafter. Some suggest that changes in the steelmaking process could be a contributing factor to this decline.
For pre-Heian period ancient swords, often distinguished from Japanese swords, it has been revealed that small-scale furnaces called “kōseki-kei hako-gata-ro” were used, which utilized iron ore as the raw material. Today, traditional techniques like “oroshigane” (the production of steel suitable for sword-making by reducing iron material) are still passed down, and some swordsmiths use steel they’ve personally smelted. These techniques are considered part of Japan’s unique traditional craftsmanship.
Damascus steel
Damascus steel is often described as “lost technology” that originated in India. The precise methods of creating true Damascus steel are no longer known, which is why the term is often used to describe steel that mimics the appearance and performance of traditional Damascus steel. In many cases, Damascus steel refers to steel with a pattern that resembles the distinctive patterns seen when different types of steel are folded and forged together. These patterns create a unique and aesthetically pleasing look on the surface of the steel.
While the ancient methods of producing authentic Damascus steel have been lost to history, modern steelmakers have developed techniques to replicate its visual characteristics and some of its performance qualities. These modern Damascus steel variants are often used in the production of knives and other decorative metalwork.
