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Whats the best steel for knife
- Thread starter longbowhunter
- Start date
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tradertator
Grandmaster
I like all of the Bussekin stuff (INFI, SR77, SR101), but my current favorite is CPM3V. It is some pretty wicked stuff.
grunt soldier
Master
man you steel snobs never stop do you 
I'm a big fan of infi, sr101, sr77, 5160, 01, m4, cmp154, s30v, a2, cmp3v, ctx xhp, s35vn, cts 20cp, esee 1095, ect ect ect
I'm a big fan of infi, sr101, sr77, 5160, 01, m4, cmp154, s30v, a2, cmp3v, ctx xhp, s35vn, cts 20cp, esee 1095, ect ect ect
*cough* INFI *cough* SR101 *cough* 
I've had good luck with 1095 with a good heat treat as well.
Also depends what you're using it for. You just asked for best steel for a knife. Are you just cutting with it? Or are you beating the crap out of your knife?
I've had good luck with 1095 with a good heat treat as well.
Also depends what you're using it for. You just asked for best steel for a knife. Are you just cutting with it? Or are you beating the crap out of your knife?
tradertator
Grandmaster
No love for S90V? M4? M390? CTS-BD30P? CTS-20CP? ZDP-189? Haha, the list never ends!
grunt soldier
Master
lol you can't say that sir. I mentioned most all those steels off the top of my head sir.
I did purposely leave s90v off just do to the fact that the 2 blades I had in it chipped super easy. maybe bad heat treat but it kind rubbed me the wrong way
are you looking for steel STOCK or different types of steel on knives made by others?
spyderco does a GREAT job of making more rare steels available in their knives.
as for steel stock, there is a ton of places, but the stuff is more expensive in STOCK form than in "someone else did all the work and made it into a functional knife" form.
Amen!
It's unfortunate that 1095 is so rare in inexpensive knives, since it would be relatively cheap to make them. When Schrade went belly-up (the real Schrade, not the company that bought the rights to their name and trademarks), they took the last of the inexpensive 1095 knives with them. The model 8OT stockman may be the best value in modern times on a pocket knife that would get really, really sharp.
I know Old Hickory still uses 1095. I think part of the problem is people want "stainless" steel when they don't realize that what they're asking for is "patina-less" steel. It's like asking for "aging-less" whiskey. It just ain't right.
I was asked this on another site and posted this reply..Its long but worth the read..
Here is a pretty good list with information on all the steel commonly used today in knife building. ..You wont see my favorite 52-100 on this chart but it will perform with the best out there, just not used by many knife makers.
My personal favorites are: 52-100, D-2,1099, 440V, ATS34 I have also heard a lot of good about CPM S30V and 154CM
10A also referred to as AUS-10. 60
17-7 PH Good corrosion resistance, excellent for water sports applications. This alloy is a chromium-nickel-aluminum precipitation hardening stainless steel with good edge retention. 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. 54-56
154 CM Originally designed for jet engine fan blades, it is the precursor to the Japanese made ATS-34. In recent years, this steel has made a resurgence in the knife industry, offering good blade toughness, edge holding capability and corrosion resistance. Fairly easy to resharpen. 58-62
4116 Krupp. A fine grained stainless steel from Germany. Offers high degree of corrosion resistance and decent degrees of strength and edge retention. Other alloy elements contribute to a finer sharper edge.
420 A hard, strong blade steel. This stainless steel is commonly used in knife blades, and offers good corrosion resistance at a low cost. Decent edge holding capabilities and fairly easy to resharpen, this steel is a good balance of the most desirable traits for knife steel. 49-53
420 HC A 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. The high carbon content makes this steel harder to resharpen, but the trade off is better edge holding properties. 58
440 A A high carbon stainless steel, used in many production knives. A good balance of edge retention, easy resharpening and corrosion resistance. 55-57
440 C A high chromium stainless steel which exhibits an excellent balance of hardness and corrosion resistance. This steel takes a nice edge, and is fairly easy to sharpen even for a novice. 58-60
1055 1055 Carbon steel is right on the border between a medium and high carbon steel. The carbon content and the lean alloy make this shallow hardening steel with a hardness between RC 60-64 depending on the exact carbon content. This steel is well suited where strength and impact resistance is valued.
1070-1075 Can offer an extremely hard and excessively sharp edge. Used in the cores of armor piercing bullets due to hardness. A popular steel for hawks, hatchets, and choppers of all shapes and sizes. 60-65
1080
1095 This is a plain carbon steel, which means it has low resistance to corrosion, and low to medium edge retention. 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. 56-58
5150 A medium carbon, low alloy steel that hardens well. This steel is ideally suited to blades with a very thick cross-section such as tomahawks and axes. Extremely tough and impact resistant, this steel is most often used on blades which are hafted and/or thrown. 55-60
ATS-34 A very high carbon, chromium stainless steel with additional amounts of molybdenum. This steel has good edge holding properties and high corrosion resistance, but is more difficult to resharpen than lower chromium steels. 60-61
AUS 6A A 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. It has good edge retention, and is fairly easy to resharpen with decent corrosion resistance. 55-57
AUS 8 A Japanese stainless steel, with superb toughness and good edge holding capabilities. This steel is fairly easy to sharpen and generally low cost with great corrosion resistance. 57-58
BG-42 A high quality, bearing grade alloy with significantly increased amounts of carbon and molybdenum content plus vanadium for improved edge retention and strength. Easy to sharpen, with decent corrosion resistance. 61-62
Carbon V® This low alloy, cutlery grade steel is superior to most other steels due to its chemistry. Decent corrosion resistance with superior edge retention make this a premium steel for knife blades. This steel is exceptionally tough, and therefore harder to sharpen than most stainless steels. 59
CPM S30V® This American made and engineered steel was created especially for the knife industry. It is a powder made steel with uniform structure and great corrosion resistance. Excellent edge retention and first rate toughness make this steel one of the best all-around knife steels, striking a balance between corrosion resistance, edge retention and sharpenability. 58-60
D2 This air hardened tool steel is sometimes called a "semi-stainless" steel, because it contains 12% chromium. It offers decent corrosion resistance with exceptional edge retention. It is harder to sharpen than most, but can be finished to a high-polish shine. 59-60
Damascus This steel is made from dissimilar steels folded or fused together with heat. It is often acid etched, which brings out the different steels in a striped pattern. Excellent toughness and edge holding capabilities make it a great blade, but the cost of production is high. Damascus is most often used in special applications like decorative blades. Layers vary from 53-62
INFI INFI is a proprietary steel and heat-treat protocol developed by Busse Combat Knife Co. It is only available through Busse Combat. INFI offers high lateral strength, high shock resistance and overall blade toughness. Unparalleled edge holding under high impact with long lasting edge retention. It can be easily sharpened by hand and has demonstrated very high levels of stain resistance in many different climates. Expen$ive. 58-60
M2 This high-speed, tool grade steel is used primarily in cutting tools in industrial applications. This is metal used to cut metal. With excellent strength, enduring toughness and tremendous wear resistance, this is some of the toughest steel used to make knife blades. The tradeoff for all this toughness is that this steel is hard to sharpen, and it is highly susceptible to corrosion. All blades made from this steel will have a corrosion resistant coating applied, to give good corrosion resistance with such a tough steel. 62
N690 An Austrian made stainless steel, it is comparable to 440C in performance. It offers good edge holding qualities with excellent corrosion resistance, and fairly easy sharpening. 58-60
SK-5 High Carbon Sk-5 is the equivalent of American 1080. 60-65
S30V This steel contains carbon along with high amounts of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium. This steel is double tempered for hardness and edge retention.It has excellent corrosion resistance, but is slightly more difficult to sharpen. 59-61
Sandvik 12C27 This stainless steel is made in Sweden. It is generally known as a premium steel for knife blades, offering a good balance of corrosion resistance, sharpenability and edge retention. 57-59
San Mai III San Mai means "three layers". It is a term used when talking about traditional Japanese swords and daggers. The laminated construction is important because it allows the blade maker to combine different grades of steel in a single blade. A high carbon center layer provides the strength and edge holding qualities, while the outer layers are lower carbon steels, providing flexibility. Center layer= 59 Outer layers= 57
SR101-- (a variation of 52100) is the combination of an extremely fine-grained tool steel and a proprietary multi-step tempering protocol. This process includes the incorporation of a deep cryogenic treatment for grain refinement (and in some knives) differential tempering which adds greatly to the overall toughness and strength.
Shiro 2 WIP
VG-1 Strong Edge Retention, Shock and Stain Resistance and Blade Strength. 56-58
VG-10 VG-10 is a high carbon stainless steel, similar to 154CM with less molybdenum and the addition of cobalt and a small amount of vanadium. Offers good blade toughness, edge holding capability and corrosion resistance. Fairly easy to resharpen. 58-62
X-15 T.N Developed for the aircraft industry for jet ball bearings, and used in the medical industry for scalpels, this steel resists rust in the worst of conditions while maintaining ample edge retention. Offering an easy to maintain edge and excellent corrosion resistance, this steel is ideal in knives used for watersports. 56-58
X 46 CrMo 13 Euro Term for 420. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 54
X 55 CrMo 14 Euro Term for 440A. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 56
X 90 CrMo 18 Euro Term for 440B. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 58
X 105 CrMo 17 Euro Term for 440C. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 59
Here is a pretty good list with information on all the steel commonly used today in knife building. ..You wont see my favorite 52-100 on this chart but it will perform with the best out there, just not used by many knife makers.
My personal favorites are: 52-100, D-2,1099, 440V, ATS34 I have also heard a lot of good about CPM S30V and 154CM
10A also referred to as AUS-10. 60
17-7 PH Good corrosion resistance, excellent for water sports applications. This alloy is a chromium-nickel-aluminum precipitation hardening stainless steel with good edge retention. 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. 54-56
154 CM Originally designed for jet engine fan blades, it is the precursor to the Japanese made ATS-34. In recent years, this steel has made a resurgence in the knife industry, offering good blade toughness, edge holding capability and corrosion resistance. Fairly easy to resharpen. 58-62
4116 Krupp. A fine grained stainless steel from Germany. Offers high degree of corrosion resistance and decent degrees of strength and edge retention. Other alloy elements contribute to a finer sharper edge.
420 A hard, strong blade steel. This stainless steel is commonly used in knife blades, and offers good corrosion resistance at a low cost. Decent edge holding capabilities and fairly easy to resharpen, this steel is a good balance of the most desirable traits for knife steel. 49-53
420 HC A 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. The high carbon content makes this steel harder to resharpen, but the trade off is better edge holding properties. 58
440 A A high carbon stainless steel, used in many production knives. A good balance of edge retention, easy resharpening and corrosion resistance. 55-57
440 C A high chromium stainless steel which exhibits an excellent balance of hardness and corrosion resistance. This steel takes a nice edge, and is fairly easy to sharpen even for a novice. 58-60
1055 1055 Carbon steel is right on the border between a medium and high carbon steel. The carbon content and the lean alloy make this shallow hardening steel with a hardness between RC 60-64 depending on the exact carbon content. This steel is well suited where strength and impact resistance is valued.
1070-1075 Can offer an extremely hard and excessively sharp edge. Used in the cores of armor piercing bullets due to hardness. A popular steel for hawks, hatchets, and choppers of all shapes and sizes. 60-65
1080
1095 This is a plain carbon steel, which means it has low resistance to corrosion, and low to medium edge retention. 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. 56-58
5150 A medium carbon, low alloy steel that hardens well. This steel is ideally suited to blades with a very thick cross-section such as tomahawks and axes. Extremely tough and impact resistant, this steel is most often used on blades which are hafted and/or thrown. 55-60
ATS-34 A very high carbon, chromium stainless steel with additional amounts of molybdenum. This steel has good edge holding properties and high corrosion resistance, but is more difficult to resharpen than lower chromium steels. 60-61
AUS 6A A 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. It has good edge retention, and is fairly easy to resharpen with decent corrosion resistance. 55-57
AUS 8 A Japanese stainless steel, with superb toughness and good edge holding capabilities. This steel is fairly easy to sharpen and generally low cost with great corrosion resistance. 57-58
BG-42 A high quality, bearing grade alloy with significantly increased amounts of carbon and molybdenum content plus vanadium for improved edge retention and strength. Easy to sharpen, with decent corrosion resistance. 61-62
Carbon V® This low alloy, cutlery grade steel is superior to most other steels due to its chemistry. Decent corrosion resistance with superior edge retention make this a premium steel for knife blades. This steel is exceptionally tough, and therefore harder to sharpen than most stainless steels. 59
CPM S30V® This American made and engineered steel was created especially for the knife industry. It is a powder made steel with uniform structure and great corrosion resistance. Excellent edge retention and first rate toughness make this steel one of the best all-around knife steels, striking a balance between corrosion resistance, edge retention and sharpenability. 58-60
D2 This air hardened tool steel is sometimes called a "semi-stainless" steel, because it contains 12% chromium. It offers decent corrosion resistance with exceptional edge retention. It is harder to sharpen than most, but can be finished to a high-polish shine. 59-60
Damascus This steel is made from dissimilar steels folded or fused together with heat. It is often acid etched, which brings out the different steels in a striped pattern. Excellent toughness and edge holding capabilities make it a great blade, but the cost of production is high. Damascus is most often used in special applications like decorative blades. Layers vary from 53-62
INFI INFI is a proprietary steel and heat-treat protocol developed by Busse Combat Knife Co. It is only available through Busse Combat. INFI offers high lateral strength, high shock resistance and overall blade toughness. Unparalleled edge holding under high impact with long lasting edge retention. It can be easily sharpened by hand and has demonstrated very high levels of stain resistance in many different climates. Expen$ive. 58-60
M2 This high-speed, tool grade steel is used primarily in cutting tools in industrial applications. This is metal used to cut metal. With excellent strength, enduring toughness and tremendous wear resistance, this is some of the toughest steel used to make knife blades. The tradeoff for all this toughness is that this steel is hard to sharpen, and it is highly susceptible to corrosion. All blades made from this steel will have a corrosion resistant coating applied, to give good corrosion resistance with such a tough steel. 62
N690 An Austrian made stainless steel, it is comparable to 440C in performance. It offers good edge holding qualities with excellent corrosion resistance, and fairly easy sharpening. 58-60
SK-5 High Carbon Sk-5 is the equivalent of American 1080. 60-65
S30V This steel contains carbon along with high amounts of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium. This steel is double tempered for hardness and edge retention.It has excellent corrosion resistance, but is slightly more difficult to sharpen. 59-61
Sandvik 12C27 This stainless steel is made in Sweden. It is generally known as a premium steel for knife blades, offering a good balance of corrosion resistance, sharpenability and edge retention. 57-59
San Mai III San Mai means "three layers". It is a term used when talking about traditional Japanese swords and daggers. The laminated construction is important because it allows the blade maker to combine different grades of steel in a single blade. A high carbon center layer provides the strength and edge holding qualities, while the outer layers are lower carbon steels, providing flexibility. Center layer= 59 Outer layers= 57
SR101-- (a variation of 52100) is the combination of an extremely fine-grained tool steel and a proprietary multi-step tempering protocol. This process includes the incorporation of a deep cryogenic treatment for grain refinement (and in some knives) differential tempering which adds greatly to the overall toughness and strength.
Shiro 2 WIP
VG-1 Strong Edge Retention, Shock and Stain Resistance and Blade Strength. 56-58
VG-10 VG-10 is a high carbon stainless steel, similar to 154CM with less molybdenum and the addition of cobalt and a small amount of vanadium. Offers good blade toughness, edge holding capability and corrosion resistance. Fairly easy to resharpen. 58-62
X-15 T.N Developed for the aircraft industry for jet ball bearings, and used in the medical industry for scalpels, this steel resists rust in the worst of conditions while maintaining ample edge retention. Offering an easy to maintain edge and excellent corrosion resistance, this steel is ideal in knives used for watersports. 56-58
X 46 CrMo 13 Euro Term for 420. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 54
X 55 CrMo 14 Euro Term for 440A. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 56
X 90 CrMo 18 Euro Term for 440B. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 58
X 105 CrMo 17 Euro Term for 440C. Popular with Popular Kitchen Cutlery Companies. RC 59
bobbystoney
Sharpshooter
- Feb 3, 2010
- 670
- 18
INFI for the win!
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