Knife Steels
Popular Steels
All Steels
Steel | Edge Retention | Toughness | Corrision Resistance | Ease of Sharpening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 440A | Fair | Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| 440B | Average | Average | Very Good | Very Good |
| 440C | Good | Average | Good | Good |
| 420 | Below Average | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| 420HC | Average | Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| 420J2 | Below Average | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| AUS-6 | Fair | Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| AUS-8 | Average | Good | Good | Very Good |
| AUS-10 | Good | Average | Good | Good |
| VG-1 | Average | Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| VG-10 (V-Gold 10) | Very Good | Good | Excellent | Good |
| VG-MAX | Very Good | Good | Excellent | Good |
| N690 (Böhler N690) | Very Good | Good | Excellent | Good |
| N695 | Good | Very Good | Excellent | Good |
| N680 | Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Very Good |
| CTS-XHP | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| CPM-154 (Crucible 154CM PM) | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good | Good |
| AEB-L (Sandvik 13C26 equivalent) | Good | Very Good | Good | Excellent |
| 12C27 | Good | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| 14C28N | Very Good | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Nitro-V | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent | Very Good |
| Cronidur 30 | Very Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Good |
| H1 | Average | Very Good | Exceptional | Very Good |
| LC200N (Z-FiNit) | Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Good |
| Vanax SuperClean (Vanax) | Very Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Good |
| X50CrMoV15 (Wüsthof Steel, Zwilling Steel) | Average | Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Nitrinox | Good | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Cronifer 30 | Very Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Good |
| HWS-1 | Good | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| MOX 27CO | Very Good | Very Good | Excellent | Good |
| Sandvik 19C27 | Good | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| RWL34 (Equivalent to CPM-154) | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good | Good |
| Z-FiNit (Similar to LC200N) | Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Good |
| Nitrox | Good | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| 1095 | Good | Very Good | Fair | Excellent |
| 1075 | Good | Very Good | Fair | Excellent |
| 1084 | Good | Very Good | Fair | Excellent |
| 1055 | Average | Excellent | Below Average | Excellent |
| 5160 (Spring Steel) | Good | Exceptional | Fair | Very Good |
| 52100 (Ball Bearing) | Very Good | Very Good | Below Average | Excellent |
| W1 | Very Good | Good | Poor | Excellent |
| W2 | Very Good | Good | Poor | Very Good |
| 75Cr1 | Good | Very Good | Fair | Very Good |
| 80CrV2 (L2 Steel) | Very Good | Excellent | Average | Very Good |
| C80 | Average | Very Good | Fair | Excellent |
| C100 | Good | Good | Below Average | Very Good |
| D2 (SKD11, Bohler K110) | Excellent | Average | Fair | Average |
| A2 | Very Good | Excellent | Average | Good |
| O1 | Good | Excellent | Below Average | Very Good |
| M2 | Excellent | Fair | Below Average | Fair |
| S7 | Good | Exceptional | Fair | Good |
| H13 | Good | Exceptional | Fair | Good |
| 1.2519 | Good | Excellent | Below Average | Very Good |
| F2 | Average | Very Good | Fair | Very Good |
| VascoWear (Predecessor to CruWear) | Very Good | Exceptional | Average | Average |
| 1.2419 | Good | Very Good | Fair | Very Good |
| 15N20 | Good | Excellent | Average | Very Good |
| L6 | Good | Exceptional | Fair | Very Good |
| SUJ-2 (Equivalent to 52100) | Very Good | Very Good | Below Average | Excellent |
| SG2/R2 (Microclean® SG2) | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| T15 (High-Speed Steel) | Excellent | Below Average | Poor | Below Average |
| A8 Mod | Very Good | Excellent | Fair | Good |
| W-Nr 1.3505 (Another designation for 52100) | Very Good | Very Good | Below Average | Excellent |
| CPM-S30V (S30V) | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| CPM-S35VN (S35VN) | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| CPM-S45VN (S45VN) | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| CPM-S90V (S90V) | Exceptional | Fair | Good | Below Average |
| CPM-S110V (S110V) | Exceptional | Below Average | Good | Poor |
| CPM-3V (3V) | Very Good | Exceptional | Average | Average |
| CPM-M4 (M4) | Excellent | Good | Fair | Fair |
| K390 | Exceptional | Average | Fair | Fair |
| ZDP-189 | Exceptional | Below Average | Average | Poor |
| Elmax | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| M390 | Exceptional | Average | Excellent | Fair |
| REX45 | Excellent | Average | Fair | Fair |
| REX 121 | Exceptional | Poor | Below Average | Very Poor |
| K294 | Exceptional | Fair | Below Average | Below Average |
| CPM-10V | Exceptional | Fair | Below Average | Below Average |
| Z-Wear (Equivalent to CPM-CruWear) | Excellent | Excellent | Average | Good |
| CPM-D2 | Very Good | Average | Fair | Average |
| CPM-CruWear | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| ASP 60 | Exceptional | Fair | Below Average | Below Average |
| Sleipner (Modified D2) | Excellent | Very Good | Average | Average |
| XVC11TS | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| Vanadis 8 | Excellent | Good | Average | Average |
| Vanadis 4 Extra | Excellent | Good | Average | Fair |
| CPM-9V | Excellent | Average | Below Average | Fair |
| CPM-15V | Exceptional | Below Average | Poor | Poor |
| Shirogami #2 (White Steel #2) | Very Good | Good | Poor | Exceptional |
| Shirogami #1 (White Steel #1) | Good | Good | Very Poor | Exceptional |
| Aogami #2 (Blue Steel #2) | Very Good | Very Good | Below Average | Excellent |
| Aogami #1 (Blue Steel #1) | Very Good | Good | Below Average | Excellent |
| Aogami Super (Blue Super Steel) | Excellent | Very Good | Fair | Very Good |
| Ginsan (Silver #3, Ginsanko) | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| YSS SKD12 (Japanese equivalent of D2) | Very Good | Average | Fair | Average |
| ZDP-4 | Excellent | Fair | Average | Below Average |
| HAP10 | Excellent | Average | Fair | Fair |
| HAP40 (Hitachi PM Steel, Japanese REX 45 equivalent) | Excellent | Average | Fair | Fair |
| SRS-15 | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Average |
| 8Cr13MoV (Chinese AUS-8 equivalent) | Average | Good | Good | Very Good |
| 9Cr18MoV (Chinese 440C equivalent) | Good | Average | Good | Good |
| 7Cr17MoV (Chinese 440A equivalent) | Fair | Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| 5Cr15MoV (Chinese X50CrMoV15 equivalent) | Average | Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| 3Cr13 (Chinese 420J2 equivalent) | Below Average | Very Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| 4Cr14 | Fair | Very Good | Very Good | Very Good |
| 10Cr15CoMoV (Chinese VG-10 equivalent) | Very Good | Good | Very Good | Good |
| 1.4116 (German steel, widely used in China) | Average | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good |
| Cr12MoV | Very Good | Average | Fair | Average |
| 65MN (Common Chinese spring steel) | Good | Excellent | Below Average | Very Good |
| 60Si2Mn | Average | Excellent | Below Average | Good |
| SK85 (Japanese equivalent of 1085) | Good | Very Good | Below Average | Excellent |
| SK4 | Good | Very Good | Poor | Very Good |
| Damasteel (DS93X) | Very Good | Very Good | Excellent | Good |
| Maxamet | Exceptional | Poor | Average | Very Poor |
| Z-Tuff | Very Good | Exceptional | Good | Good |
| Niolox | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent | Good |
| Vascowear (Older version of CPM-CruWear) | Very Good | Excellent | Average | Average |
| SRS-13 | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Average |
| Nitrobe 77 | Very Good | Very Good | Exceptional | Good |
| MC66 | Exceptional | Below Average | Average | Below Average |
| DSR1K6 | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good | Good |