Know your steel
Steel Composition Chart
What’s in the blade? Typical chemistry and real-world strengths of the steels you’ll see most at Knife Country USA.
Why steel matters
- Edge retention: how long the edge stays sharp. Carbon, vanadium and powder-metallurgy steels lead here.
- Corrosion resistance: mainly driven by chromium. 13%+ is generally considered stainless.
- Toughness: resistance to chipping and breaking. Simple carbon steels and CPM 3V shine.
- Ease of sharpening: softer, simpler steels are quicker to touch up in the field.
Chart
Typical values in weight %. Exact chemistry varies by mill and heat treatment.
| Steel | Type | C | Cr | Mo | V | Other | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1055 | Carbon | 0.55 | – | – | – | Mn 0.75 | Very tough; swords, machetes, axes |
| 1075 | Carbon | 0.75 | – | – | – | Mn 0.5 | Tough, easy to sharpen; machetes |
| 1095 | Carbon | 0.95 | – | – | – | Mn 0.4 | Classic hard-use carbon; Ka-Bar, ESEE |
| 65Mn | Carbon | 0.65 | – | – | – | Mn 1.0 | Springy, tough budget steel |
| 52100 | Carbon | 1.00 | 1.45 | – | – | Mn 0.35 | Fine edge, ball-bearing steel |
| 420HC | Stainless | 0.46 | 13.0 | – | 0.1 | – | Buck’s workhorse; very rust resistant |
| 12C27 | Stainless | 0.60 | 13.5 | – | – | – | Clean, fine-grained Swedish steel |
| 14C28N | Stainless | 0.62 | 14.0 | – | – | N 0.11 | Sharp, tough, great value |
| 8Cr13MoV | Stainless | 0.80 | 13.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | – | Budget favorite; easy to sharpen |
| 7Cr17MoV | Stainless | 0.70 | 17.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | – | Value steel similar to 440A |
| AUS-8 | Stainless | 0.75 | 14.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | Ni 0.5 | Balanced, takes a keen edge |
| 440C | Stainless | 1.10 | 17.0 | 0.75 | – | – | Hard, highly corrosion resistant |
| N690 | Stainless | 1.07 | 17.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 | Co 1.5 | Austrian; Fox and Extrema Ratio |
| VG-10 | Stainless | 1.00 | 15.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | Co 1.5 | Japanese kitchen & EDC staple |
| 154CM | Stainless | 1.05 | 14.0 | 4.0 | – | – | American premium classic |
| D2 | Tool steel | 1.55 | 11.5 | 0.8 | 0.9 | – | Wear resistant, semi-stainless |
| CPM 3V | Tool steel | 0.80 | 7.5 | 1.3 | 2.75 | – | Extreme toughness for choppers |
| CPM S30V | Powder stainless | 1.45 | 14.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | – | Premium edge retention |
| CPM S35VN | Powder stainless | 1.40 | 14.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | Nb 0.5 | Tougher, finer-grained S30V |
| M390 / M390MK | Powder stainless | 1.90 | 20.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | W 0.6 | Super steel; Microtech uses M390MK |
| CPM MagnaCut | Powder stainless | 1.15 | 10.7 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Nb 2.0, N 0.2 | Tough, stainless, holds an edge |
Element guide
- C, carbon: hardness and edge retention.
- Cr, chromium: corrosion resistance; forms wear-resistant carbides.
- Mo, molybdenum: strength and hardenability.
- V, vanadium: fine grain and very hard carbides for edge retention.
- Nb, niobium; N, nitrogen; Co, cobalt; W, tungsten: fine-tune toughness, corrosion resistance and hardness.
Need help picking a steel? Call (800) 342-9118 or use the Knife Finder.
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