| Steel |
Element |
Percentage |
Comments & Opinions |
| 1018 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
|
0.17%
0.75%
|
This steel is available at Lowes, Home Depot and other home improvement stores. It is good for projects requiring low
carbon steel. It is NOT a good blade steel. It should never be used as a blade steel or as a component in
damascus. The only reason it is used is because it is cheap. |
| 1050 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
|
0.47% - 0.55%
0.60% - 0.90%
|
A simple tough carbon steel. |
| 1075 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
|
0.69% - 0.80%
0.40% - 0.80%
|
A simple tough carbon steel. |
| 1080 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
|
0.75 - 0.88%
0.60 - 0.90%
|
Another simple carbon steel. 1080 has replaced 1084. |
| 1080+ |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Vanadium:
|
0.80% - 0.85%
0.50% - 0.70%
0.35% - 0.70%
0.15% - 0.25%
|
This steel is not a simple carbon steel but we don't know what to call it. It has tight specifications and is a nice
steel to use for knives. |
| 1084 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
|
0.80% - 0.94%
0.60% - 0.90%
|
This carbon steel has been discontinued. Its replacement is 1080. |
| 1095 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
|
0.90% - 1.04%
0.30% - 0.50%
|
This another simple carbon steel. Heat treating can be problematic. The time/temperature curve is very short.
If heat treated correctly this steel makes great knives. |
| 15N20 |
Carbon:
Manganese:
Nickel:
|
0.75%
0.75%
1.50%
|
This carbon steel is used for bandsaw blades in saw mills. Heat treating is similar to 1080. For this reason 15N20 is often used
with 1080 to make damascus. The nickel in the steel resists etching. It is the shiny layer in damascus. |
| 154CM |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
|
1.05%
14.00%
0.50%
4.00%
|
This stainless steel was developed as an improved version of 440C. It has been overshadowed by CPM154 which has a similar
composition and is made using particle metallurgy. |
| 20CV |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Tungsten:
Vanadium:
|
1.90%
20.00%
0.30%
1.00%
0.60%
4.00%
|
A powder metallurgy stainless steel made by Latrobe. |
| 4116 Krupp |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
0.45% - 0.55%
14.00% - 15.00%
0.50% - 0.80%
0.10% - 0.20%
|
A medium carbon stainless steel. It is used in low end factory knives where the blades are fine blanked. If the
carbon was higher the blade blanking dies would wear too fast. It is more important to the factory to have the
dies last a long time than to use a higher quality blade steel. |
| 420HC |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Nickel:
|
0.44%
13.00%
1.00%
0.50%
|
A medium carbon stainless steel. It is used in low end factory knives where the blades are fine blanked. If the
carbon was higher the blade blanking dies would wear too fast. It is more important to the factory to have the
dies last a long time than to use a higher quality blade steel. |
| 440A |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
|
0.65% - 0.75%
16.00% - 18.00%
1.00%
0.75%
|
A stainless steel that is used in lots of low end factory knives. Most blades that are marked "440 Stainless" are 440A.
If heat treatment is done correctly it does make an acceptable blade steel. |
| 440B |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
|
0.75% - 0.95%
16.00% - 18.00%
1.00%
0.75%
|
A stainless steel used by Randal Knives. A higher amount of carbon results in a better blade steel than 440A. |
| 440C |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
|
0.95% - 1.20%
16.00% - 18.00%
1.00%
0.75%
|
The highest carbon stainless steel of the 440 series. It is a very good blade steel. The reason it is not used more is
because the newer steels have overshadowed it. |
| 52100 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
|
0.98% - 1.10%
1.30% - 1.60%
0.25% - 0.45%
|
An excellent high carbon steel. It is one of my favorites. |
| A2 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Nickel:
Vanadium:
|
0.95% - 1.05%
4.75% - 5.50%
1.00%
0.90% - 1.40%
0.30%
0.15% - 0.50%
|
A tough high carbon alloy steel. Its toughness allows for thinner edges which cut better. The chromium provides some corrosion
resistance. |
| ATS34 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
|
1.05%
14.00%
0.40%
4.00%
|
This stainless steel is a copy of 154CM. Lately some knifemakers have noticed alloy banding and inclusions in this steel.
It has been overshadowed by CPM154 which is, in my opinion, a better steel. |
| BG-42 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
1.15%
14.50%
0.50%
4.00%
1.20%
|
An excellent stainless steel. |
| CPM-10V |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
2.45%
5.25%
0.50%
1.30%
9.75%
|
A particle metallurgy high carbon steel. The high amount of vanadium aids in edge holding. The high vanadium also makes the
steel hard to finish and sharpen. |
| CPM-154 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
1.05%
14.00%
0.50%
4.00%
?.??%
|
I think CPM154 may be the best balanced stainless steel currently available. It is easy to finish and sharpen. It also
holds an edge well. |
| CPM-3V |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
0.80%
7.50%
1.30%
2.75%
|
My favorite blade steel. This high carbon alloy steel is extremely tough and has enough chromium to have some corrosion
resistance. Grind the edge thinner than normal. The steel is tough enough to support a thin edge. |
| CPM-M4 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Tungsten:
Vanadium:
|
1.40%
4.00%
0.30%
5.25%
5.50%
4.00%
|
A particle metallurgy carbon steel. Do most of your finishing before heat treating because it is very hard to finish after. |
| CPM-S30V |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Molybdenum:
Nitrogen:
Vanadium:
|
1.45%
14.00%
2.00%
0.20%
4.00%
|
A very good stainless steel. |
| CPM-S60V |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
2.15%
17.00%
0.40%
0.40%
5.50%
|
This stainless steel has been discontinued. It was formerly called CPM-440V. |
| CPM-S90V |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Molybdenum:
Vanadium:
|
2.30%
14.00%
1.00%
9.00%
|
This stainless steel used to be called CPM420V. It holds an edge for a long long time. The high vanadium makes the steel
hard to finish and sharpen. |
| D2 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Nickel:
Vanadium:
|
1.40% - 1.60%
11.00% - 13.00%
0.60%
0.70% - 1.20%
0.30%
1.10%
|
This steel is almost stainless. Some people say it takes a bad edge and holds it all day long. I disagree with this comment.
I think D2 is a great steel that works well in knives. |
| L6 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Nickel:
Vanadium:
|
0.70% - 0.90%
0.30% - 0.75%
0.55%
0.25%
1.40% - 2.60%
0.25%
|
This carbon steel is very tough. It has enough nickel to be used as the shiny layer in damascus. |
| W1 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Nickel:
Tungsten:
|
0.70% - 1.50%
0.15
0.10% - 0.40%
0.10%
0.20%
0.50%
|
This carbon steel wants to be W2 when it grows up. |
| W2 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
Manganese:
Molybdenum:
Nickel:
Tungsten:
Vanadium:
|
0.85% - 1.50%
0.15%
0.10% - 0.40%
0.10%
0.20%
0.15%
0.15% - 0.35%
|
This carbon steel is W1 with vanadium. It is a great steel. When properly heat treated fantastic hamons can be seen. I wish I
could find an affordable source for sheet W2. |
| ZDP189 |
Carbon:
Chromium:
|
3.00%
20.00%
|
A very high carbon particle metallurgy stainless steel. It can be heat treated very hard. |
