Knife steel
Which knife steel is right for you? Edge retention, corrosion resistance, sharpenability, and toughness can differ significantly depending on the steel type. In our knife steel overview, you'll find the most important properties, applications, and compositions of common knife steels – from classic carbon steel to modern powder metallurgical steels.
Knife Steels by Alphabet
Here you will find our overview of knife steels. Click on a steel type to learn more about its properties, composition, and suitable applications.
Knife Steel: Which properties are important?
Knife steel significantly determines how long a blade stays sharp, how easily it can be resharpened, and how susceptible it is to corrosion. Therefore, the best steel depends primarily on its intended use.
Read more about knife steel in our comprehensive guide to steel types, properties, and applications.
Knife steels by steel groups
Stainless or stain-resistant – what's the difference?
"Stainless" in knife steel does not mean that a blade can never corrode under all conditions. Even stain-resistant steels can develop spots or corrosion under unfavorable conditions. Therefore, "stain-resistant" is the technically more accurate term.
The chromium content is primarily decisive for rust resistance. Above a sufficiently high chromium content, a protective passive layer can form on the steel surface. However, how corrosion-resistant a knife actually is depends not only on the chromium content but also on the entire alloy, the microstructure, the heat treatment, and the operating conditions.
More information on stain-resistant steel can be found in our blog post.
And here you can find our information article on powder metallurgical steels.
What is carbon steel?
Carbon steels contain carbon as an essential alloying element, but only small amounts of other alloying elements. Typical knife steels like 1066, 1075, or 1095 achieve high hardness due to their carbon content and are relatively easy to sharpen. However, they are not rust-resistant and require more care than stain-resistant steels.
You can learn more about the topic in our blog post on carbon steels.
Which knife steel for which application?
Kitchen: Stain-resistant steels like 1.4116, 12C27, or VG-10 are practical because they regularly come into contact with water and food. For very fine edges, steels with good sharpenability are also interesting.
EDC & Pocket Knives: Here, a good combination of edge retention and stain resistance, as well as manageable maintenance, are usually more important than maximum toughness. Modern stain-resistant steels like S35VN, M390, or MagnaCut are typical examples.
Outdoor & Bushcraft: Under high mechanical stress, toughness plays a crucial role in addition to edge retention. CPM 3V, for example, is designed for high toughness. For changing and humid conditions, stain-resistant steels like MagnaCut offer additional advantages.
Hunting: Stain resistance and easy cleaning are particularly interesting, as the blade can come into contact with moisture and organic residues. Depending on the desired cutting performance, both classic stain-resistant steels and modern high-performance steels are suitable.
Humid and maritime environments: Here, corrosion resistance should be particularly high. Stain-resistant steels with appropriately designed alloys clearly have an advantage over unprotected carbon steels.
Learn more about applications for blade steels in our guide.
Edge retention, rust resistance, and sharpenability
No knife steel is simultaneously superior in all properties. Very high wear resistance, for example, can make resharpening more complex, while particularly tough steels do not necessarily offer the highest edge retention. Therefore, when choosing the right steel, it always depends on the relationship of the properties to the intended use.
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FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Fundamentals: Understanding Knife Steel
There is no universally best knife steel. The optimal choice depends on what a knife is used for. An outdoor knife requires different properties than a kitchen knife or an EDC pocket knife.
While some steels offer maximum edge retention, others excel in toughness, ease of sharpening, or extreme rust resistance. A modern premium steel is not automatically the best choice for every user.
The most important properties of a knife steel are:
- Edge retention: How long does the edge stay sharp?
- Corrosion resistance: How well does the steel protect against corrosion?
- Toughness: How resistant is the blade to chipping or breaking?
Sharpenability: How easy is it to restore the edge?
Each steel represents a compromise between these properties.
Edge retention describes how long a knife blade retains its sharpness under stress. High edge retention is primarily achieved through:
- high hardness
- wear-resistant carbides
- appropriate heat treatment
Steels like CPM S90V, CPM 20CV or Böhler M390 offer particularly high edge retention, while simpler steels are easier to resharpen.
Knife steels that contain sufficient chromium to achieve high corrosion resistance are referred to as stainless.
Stainless steels require less maintenance, but are not automatically harder or more edge-retentive than non-stainless steels.
No. Both groups of steel have different advantages.
Carbon Steels:
- very easy to sharpen
- often very tough
- can achieve an excellent edge
- require more maintenance
Stainless Steels:
- easier to care for
- more resistant to moisture
- ideal for everyday use, kitchen, and outdoors in changing conditions
Which knife steel for which application?
For EDC knives, a balanced combination of edge retention, rust resistance, and ease of maintenance is important.
Suitable Steels:
For kitchen knives, a fine edge, rust resistance, and good sharpenability are particularly important.
Suitable steels:
- VG-10
- X50CrMoV15
- AUS-10A
- SG2/R2
- Aogami
- Shirogami
- R2
Steel Comparison
VG-10:
- higher hardness
- better edge retention
X50CrMoV15:
- highly rust-resistant
- particularly easy to sharpen
- very forgiving
VG-10 is more performance-oriented, X50CrMoV15 is particularly user-friendly.
M390 offers:
- higher edge retention
- higher rust resistance
S30V offers:
- more balanced properties
- often easier maintenance
Böhler M390 is one of the high-performance steels for maximum cutting performance, while CPM S30V is a very proven all-round premium steel.
Care and Sharpening Questions
Buying Guide
The price depends, among other things, on:
- Alloy
- Manufacturing process
- Powder metallurgy
- Processing
- Heat treatment
However, an expensive steel does not automatically make a better knife. Blade geometry and heat treatment also have a great influence.
For many users, a good mid-range steel is perfectly sufficient.
Very good everyday steels:
Premium steels are particularly worthwhile for users who require maximum edge retention or special properties.
Particularly easy to care for are:
- CPM MagnaCut
- Vanax
- LC200N
- CPM S45VN
- CPM S30V
- VG-10
Carbon steels, on the other hand, require regular care, especially in damp conditions.
That depends on the application. A premium steel is particularly worthwhile if:
- the knife is used frequently
- it needs to be sharpened infrequently
- high performance is important
For occasional use, a cheaper steel with good heat treatment is often sufficient.