Ferritic Stainless Steel:  Ferritic stainless steels have approximately of 17% chromium. Tough and impact-resistant, these steels are most often found in axes and hatchets. It has one of the highest attainable hardnesses of the corrosion and heat resisting grades. This is a high-end, bearing grade stainless alloy made with high carbon content. They should, though. When properly heat-treated, non-stainless steels make strong, reliable knife blades, although they are more for outdoor use and are not recommended for kitchen or cutlery knives. For this reason, it is a U.S. Military standard for marlin spikes on folding rigger knives used by the Navy and Coast Guard. 1095: 1095 is the steel used in many US Military fighting knives and is the de-facto industry standard for combat knives. Their carbon content can be compared to steels such as 440A, 440B, and 440C, respectively. It is consdiered a a forerunner to S30V. It is one of the 10-series steels.  The 95 stands for .95% carbon content in the steel.Â. The steel is non magnetic and makes a lousy knife blade. Zamak (Zamack) : A trademark name for any variety of Zinc alloys sometimes used in the production of knife scales. Can be heat treated for high strength and hardness. The Steel was developed by Dick Barber of Crucible Materials Corporation in collaboration with knifemaker Chris Reeve. The term usually refers to knives made by Ka-Bar. To be considered a stainless steel it must contain a minimum of approximately 11% Chromium. However, because it is used on making certain surgical tools some people will call it 420J2 tool steel in a less than scrupulous sales pitch. Unfortunately unless the person says what type of tool steel is being used, it becomes a somewhat innocuous term that is meaningless. Assume that if the type of tool steel is not mentioned, it is just plain-carbon steel, the lowest grade of tool steel. When it comes to knives, zamak is often used for knife handles, cross-bars hilts, etc. 440 Tested Sharp (Anvil): Another Rough Rider Trademark blade etch used on their 440 series stainless steel. 12C27:  A Steel with .6% carbon that originated in Scandinavia.  It is roughly equivalent to 440A. Both AISI 430 stainless steel and AISI 440C stainless steel are iron alloys. The following formula is a break down in the steel: Around 13% chromium and 5% carbon. 18-8 Stainless is virtually useless as a  knife blade because edge retention is virtually non-existent. Cutlery-grade stainless generally contains more than 13 percent chromium, the oxide of which helps to form a passive film that protects against corrosion and staining. The Aerospace Materials Specification lists it as 5880, a "premium aircraft quality product." While Martensite gives great hardeness to the steel it also casue the steel to be brittle so few steels are fully hardened.  However, 316 is often used for other knife materials where edge retention is not required but corrosion resistance is highly valued. This grade provides excellent wear resistance and high toughness, but at a cost. The problem is some knife manufacturers  will use varying grades of steel from year to year or even pattern to pattern and thus  lump all of their blades  under the generic and meaningless terms of “surgical steel” for easy of advertising. It is a common sword steel, especially for European style swords but is also common among survival knives due its tougness. 440A is used in many production knives because of its edge retention, ease of resharpening, and corrosion resistance. 1080, A carbon steel blade used on survival combat knives and some of the better quality Kukris. Stainless Steel Material Comparision GB1221-92 AISI、ASTM DIN17440 DIN17224 JIS NF A35-572/584 NF A35-576～ 582 BS 970 BS 1449 ISO683/13 ISO683/16 5CrmN9Ni4N SUH35 349S52 8( ①) 2Cr21Ni2N 2Cr23Ni13 309，S30900 SUH309 Z15CN24.13 309S24 2Cr25Ni20 310，S31000 CrNi2520 SUH310 12CN25.20 310S24 1Cr16Ni35 330 SUH330 Z12NCS35.16 Assisted Opening: A knife that uses a spring or other device to assist in the opening of the blade. A high chromium content stainless (14 percent) that contains molybdenum and vanadium, which enhances the toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge holding ability. Properties with values for just one material (5, in this case) are not shown. Damascus steel refers to a process whereby two different steel grades are forge-welded together and acid-etched to create steel with unique and eye-catching patterns. Unlike switchblades, assisted opening knives require the operator to touch the blade in order for it to open.  This is usually done with the aid of thumb stud that is an integral part of the blade. Bell, Terence. Based on their crystalline structure, they aredivided into three types such as ferritic, austenitic, and martensiticsteels. It is also called carbon steel or plain carbon steel. Damasscus Steel is more correctly termed Pattern Welded Steel and alsmost always is made with carbon steel and is prone to rusting. 440 grade stainless steel has a resistivity of 600 nano-ohm meters at 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees … . Midway USA. The follwoing formula is a break down in the steel: 8CR part means it is 8% chromium and the 17MoV means .17% molybdenum  and .17% VanadiumÂ. X55CrMo14: A type of stainless steel. In fact the steel is going to possess the weakest qualities of both steels. While Damascus steel is often made with importance placed on aesthetics, strong, functional and durable knives can result from the proper choice of steel and careful forging. 440 Razor Sharp Steel:  A Rough Rider Trademark blade etch normally found on the reverse side of the main blade.  While not specified, these knives usually have a Rockwell hardness rating of around 56-58HRC. Martensitic Stainless Steel:  Martensitic steels are low carbon steels built around the Type 410 compostion It normally contains 12% chromium, and 0.12% carbon. AUS-6 / AUS-8 / AUS-10 (also 6A / 8A / 10A). It is a popular knife steel due to its edge retention. L6 Tool Steel (carbon steel): L6 is an oil-hardening tool steel that is characterized by very good toughness.  It contains approximately 1.25-2.0% Nickel, 0.65-0.75 % Carbon,   0.6 - 1.2% Chromium and  0.25 - 0.8% Manganese.  It has a maximum of 0.5%  Molybdenum. It is called German Marine because it used in many nautical knives. Many high-end custom knife makers use damascus steel because of the ability to fold a varity "patterns" in the steel. 440 Stainless Steel: Any of the 440 series Stainless Steel.  When not specified it should be considered 440 A. (2021, February 16). 440 A - 440 B - 440C stainless steel The carbon content (and hardenability) of this stainless steel goes up in order from A (.75%) to B (.9%) to C (1.2%). Resistivity is the fundamental electrical property that is used to define the electrical properties of a material, and is a measure of how much a material impedes electron flow. Get a knife made from high carbon steel like 1095, O1, D2, A2. (See also Rostfrei and Surgical Steel), J2 Tool steel:  A non-sensical term often applied to 420J2 Stainless Steel to make a person think they are buying a better quality knife. Sandivk 13C26 is similar to 440A Stainless, SK-5: A Japanese high-carbon and also includes manganese. Chromium 14.00%, Lee Gearhart Zamak  is zinc alloy with  around 3-5% aluminum added as well as a small percentage of Copper and magnesium.  It is disparagingly called “pot metal”. AUS-6: Japanese stainless steel, roughly comparable to, if not slightly better than 440A (AUS-6, .65% carbon), AUS-8: Japanese stainless steel, roughly comparable to, if not slightly better than 440B (AUS-6, .75% carbon), AUS-10: Japanese stainless steel, roughly comparable to, if not slightly better than 440C (AUS-1.1% carbon). Despite the claims I have never seen it used for blade steel. 1095 steel, which contains 0.95 percent carbon and 0.4 percent manganese, is reasonably tough, easy to sharpen, affordable, and hones to an edge superior to most stainless steels. 440C is an excellent, high-end stainless steel, usually hardened to around 56-58 Rc. It has a HRC of 52-55 making it relatively soft. You normally do not see blades made with 440B steel. This is a type of steel is sometimes used when making Damascus steel. VG-10: A cutlery quality steel made by Takefu Special Steel co of Japan. 6150: A CV steel with a medium to high carbon content (.50%) used in making automobile springs. Benefiting from 0.2 percent vanadium content, W-2 holds an edge well and is reasonably tough. Unlike the 440 grades, however, all three AUS grades have vanadium alloyed to increase wear resistance and edge retention. As the term Inox was was adopted by the Victoria Knife Company (now Victorinox) for its stainless steel blades, many consider it to mean a certain type of stainless steel. Its prpoerties are Carbon:1.0% Chromium:15.0% Molybdenum:1.0% Vanadium:0.2% Cobalt:1.5% The steel is used by Spyderco and Kershaw. 440c is better and can hold a good edge. The difference between these two grades is in hardness and ductility, due to the higher carbon content of the 440C. edge retention and strength is said to be on par with 440C but corrosion resistance is much higher. It can be hardened to about 57-61 HRC. A2 Tool Steel (carbon steel): A2 is the most common air hardening grade of tool steel currently used.  It contains 1.0% carbon, 5.0% chromium, and 1.0% molybdenum.  It is not a stainless steel. Most kitchen knives are made from martensitic stainless steel. The term usually refers to knives made by W.R. Case & Son but others also use the steel. Edge retention is said to be on par with 440C Stainless Steel but corrosion resistance is much better. Not being stainless, it will rust if not oiled and protected. The steel is austenitic (non-magnetic) due to the high chromium content but is used in surgical instruments due to it high stainless content. Spring Steel : 5160 Steel is often called spring steel because it was often used in the making of leaf springs for automobiles. Knife Steel & Handle Material Selection.URL: www.midwayusa.com/Theknifeconnection.net. ThoughtCo. Tool steel is more prone to rusting than stainless steel. The blade of a knife can be made from a variety of materials, the most common being carbon steel, stainless steel, tool steel and alloy steel. Like the 420HC stainless steel, the 440C stainless steel has the ability to developing a greater hardness than other grades in the 400 series when heat-treated. After that you'll need to resharpen. Buck uses this in its Chinese imports as well as many of its USA made knives. It is normally found on the obverse side of the main blade. Dues to its high chromium content it is often considered a semi-stainless steel. Stronger than the 440A group of stainless steels as a result of higher carbon content, 440C is a high-chromium stainless that has excellent hardness properties. They are also  used for making dinner wear because they are very stain/rust resistant. An air-hardened "semi-stainless" steel, D2 has a relatively high chromium content (12 percent), which makes it more stain-resistant than other carbon steels. Also known as W Steel or Plain Carbon Steel. A Swedish made stainless, 12C27 is composed of an alloy similar to 440A. However, there are some surgical steel that is magnetic and the quality is worse than the worst 420 Stainless, at least for knife blades. 1095 blades also tend to be thicker because a thin knife made of hard 1095 can be too brittle. Other trace elements do not need to be specified. Norwegian Steel:  The term normally refers to a stainless steel with .6% carbon. Most often they are made with the Japanese equivelent steel AUS8 steel. 440C stainless steel is a high carbon type of stainless, this is the alloy most often used for knife-making. 440B has a maximum hardness of 58HRC. On the other hand, it is tougher and thus can absorb more hacking punishment than 1095. When a knife is marketed as 440 Stainless, this is the steel they mean.  440A has a maximum hardness of 56HRC. Frozen Heat: A proceess developed by Robeson in which knife blades are heat treated, cooled to room temperature in an oil bath then placed in a deep freeze of around -170° F (-112° C) and then given another heat reatment to relieve stress before receiving a final tempering heat. This grade of stainless holds a good edge but can be difficult to sharpen because of its high hardness. This grade is magnetic at all times. In general, 440A has excellent hardening performance and high hardness, and its toughness is higher than that of 440B and 440C. File Steel: A tool steel used in the manufacturing of files.  It is also known as the ASTM standard W1 Steel.   When .2% vanadium is added it to W1 Steel it is known as W2 steel. It was first developed around the time of World War II It contains 1.5% carbon and 11.0 – 12.0% chromium; additionally it is composed of 0.45% manganese, 0.030% max phosphorus, 0.030% max sulfur, 1.0% vanadium, 0.7% molybdenum, and 0.30% silicon. Some manufactures are intentionally vague about the type of steel they use. Since the pictured 440C parts work alongside other metal components inside a valve assembly, and friction is involved, the customer did not want to risk corrosion inhibiting the function of the components. Manganese 0.50%, A. John, I'd consider the corrosion resistance of 440A and 440C to be so close as to be equal. Carbon generally decreases as numbers in the 10-series decrease, which results in less wear resistance but more toughness. It is often compared to 5160 steel with 5160 normally being considered the better of the two As this is a series 10XX steel, its carbon conten is around .60% giving it great toughness but poor edge retention something normally not considered important when doing major hacking.. 1070, 1075: 1070 and 1075 are common carbon steels used in machetes and large cutting blades such as Kukris. There are 31 material properties with values for both materials. 400 Series Stainless:  A term almost as misleading as “Surgical Steel”  304 Stainless Steel: Grade 304 is the standard "18/8" stainless; it is the most versatile and most widely used stainless steel. It makes lousy knife blade but is a type of surgical stainless steel. Assume that the steel will be 440A unless it is verified otherwise. The AUS stainless steel series is produced by Aichi Steel Corporation, Japan. This grade can be treated cryogenically to improve edge retention. Terence Bell wrote about commodities investing for The Balance, and has over 10 years experience in the rare earth and minor metal industries. 440C has highest carbon content in 440 group.  There is a myth that this somehow make the steel stronger and more resilient. 440C is considered a high-end stainless steel. 440C is a highly corrosion-resistant tool steel. Advantages of 440C stainless steel for knife blades The Machinery's Handbook states this about 440C stainless steel: "This steel has the greatest quenched hardness and wear resistance upon heat treatment of any corrosion-resistant or heat-resistant steel." Zknives.com. In the 440 series, the 440C has the highest level of carbon available for knife making. 420 grade stainless steel has an electrical resistivity of 550 nano-ohm meters at 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit). the lower the carbon, the lower the hardness you can get from a heat treat. After heat treatment (quenching and tempering), it has excellent corrosion resistance and high polishing strength and wear resistance. Carbon V is a cutlery grade steel that shows reasonable corrosion resistance and good edge retention. 440B has a higher hardness and toughness than 440A and 440C for cutting tools, measuring tools, bearings and valves. A quick test is a magnet test. They are a combination of martensitic and austenitic steels. Good toughness and stain resistance. All three resist rust well, with 440A being the most rust resistant, and 440C … The steel contains 18% chromium and 8 % nickel. Therefore, if you can get a custom from the trusted maker, then it is probably worth it, otherwise not that good. Air-hardened tool steel. While W-1 is fine grade steel, the addition of vanadium in W-2 increases its wear resistance and hardenability. Itwas orginally designed for kitchen cutlery but quickly was adopted for sport and survival cutlery. High Carbon:  A term meaning a blade has more carbon than is normally found in the particular grade of steel.  Unless you know the grade of the steel, the term is meaningless. Slightly less corrosion resistant than 440A, 440C is more widely used and is better regarded because it takes and holds a sharp edge, that is tougher and more stain-resistant than ATS-34. Blade Steel Types.URL: www.theknifeconnection.net/blade-steel-typesTalmadge, Joe. While the obvious drawback of non-stainless carbon steel is that it rusts more readily than stainless steel, carbon steels can be differentially tempered to provide hardness and excellent, sharp edges. Surgical steels includes the 300 series or 18-8 Stainless  which have a make up 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Böhler n695 is equivalent to 440C. While not specified, these knives usually have a Rockwell hardness rating of around 56-58HRC. It is often used in scissors. 440C ( 9Cr18MoV ) stainless steel plates for sale Quality 440C ( 9Cr18MoV ) stainless steel plates for sale - buy cheap 440C ( 9Cr18MoV ) stainless steel plates . These grades of Japanese stainless are comparable to 440A (AUS-6), 440B (AUS-8), and 44C (AUS-10). It is aslo called Studebaker Steel because many knife makers used the steel specifically from the leaf springs of old Studebakers for knife blades. The Rockwell test is around HRC 58-61. The following formula is a break down in the steel: Around 13% chromium and 3% carbon. The steels composition is: Carbon-0.15%, Chromium-14.00-16.00%, Manganese-2.00%, Molybdenum-0.50-1.50%, Nickel-6.00-8.00%, Nitrogen-0.10%, Phosphorus-0.04%, Silicon-3.00-4.50%, Sulfur-0.03%. ATS-34 has good corrosion resistance, though not as high as the 400 series knife steel. The Characteristics of Austenitic Stainless Steel, Damascus Steel: Ancient Sword Making Techniques, An Introduction to Cryogenic Hardening of Metal, Properties and Composition of Type 201 Stainless Steel, www.theknifeconnection.net/blade-steel-types, zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml. There are many types of Japanese steels.Â. Doesn't hold an edge for crap. Inox: The French term for Stainless Steel and as such a common term for stainless steel in many European countries where French is spoken. (.68 Carbon, .13 Chromium). This grade of stainless can be tough and strong but loses its edge quickly. 316 Stainless Steel:  Grade 316 is the standard molybdenum-bearing grade stainless steel, second in importance to 304 amongst the austenitic (non-magnetic) stainless steels.  It is a surgical stainless steel. Grade 440C stainless steel is a high carbon martensitic stainlesssteel. 440 Series Stainless Steel: A term used to specify any of the 440 Stainless Steels. 10-series (1095, 1084, 1070, 1060, 1050, and other grades). High-carbon stainless steels, this grade of stainless can be hardened to a greater degree than 420-grade steel, allowing for greater strength and wear resistance. They use it mainly for pans and throw away blades. Slightly less corrosion resistant than 440A, 440C is more widely used and is better regarded because it takes and holds a sharp edge, that is tougher and more stain-resistant than ATS-34. It is a soft, brittle metal which does not stand up to harsh use. Knife Steel FAQ.URL: zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml. It is a stainless steel with a compostion of Carbon 1.45%, Chromium 14.00%, Vanadium 4.00%, Molybdenum 2.00%. Other less-common materials used in knife blades include: cobalt and titanium alloys, ceramics, obsidian, and plastic. Molybdenum 4.00%, and The balance of carbon and chromium content give it a high degree of corrosion resistance and also impressive physical characteristics of strength and edge holding. Stronger than the 440A group of stainless steels as a result of higher carbon content, 440C is a high-chromium stainless that has excellent hardness properties. ATS-34: A stainless steel considered superior to 440C Stainless Steel in most aspects but may not be as tough. AUS-6 is softer but tougher than ATS-34. 420F:  A stainless Steel with 12-14 Chromium and .15% carbon, used mostly in dental instruments. It is sometimes referred to as a semi-stainless carbon steel due to the added chromium. Common grades used in the production of Damascus steel include 15N20 (L-6), O1, ASTM 203E, 1095, 1084, 5160, W-2, and 52100. A better quality steel would be listed by an actual grade. 440C stainless steel has greater abrasion and wear resistance for use in bearing and bushing applications. It is often called Norwegian SteelÂ, 154CM: Known as a crucible stainless steel, it is one of the newer stainless steels which, depending on manufacturer is as good or better than 440c or ATS 34 stainless steel. It effectively springs steel with added chromium to increase hardenability. It is most commonly used by Victorinox in its cutting blades on their pocket knives. 1095 Carbon Steel. Unless specified it is meaningless. It is more correctly called CPM S30V. 420J2 Stainless Steel: 420J Stainless with a little more carbon.  It is sometimes used in dive knives because for its corrosion resistance.  It is used in surgical instruments due to ease of machining and corrosion resistance.  With proper heat treating can achieve a Rockwell test of 56; which makes it comparable to 420HC. The HRC is said to be in the high 50s but Spyderco does not perform Rockwell testing on the steel. They have a very high 99% of their average alloy composition in common. The strength and hardness of steel mainly depend on the carbon content. AUS-10 has a similar carbon content to 440C, but less chromium, which results in less stain resistance. W Grade Tool Steel:  Carbon steel that is quenched with water. If you spend any time in the kitchen or outdoors, you'll understand the value of having a strong knife blade that retains a sharp edge. It is the most rust-resistant of 440 steel, and 440C is the least rust-resistant of the three.