Knife Steels Guide

• 420HC – Budget-friendly with decent edge retention and corrosion resistance.
• 440C – Better edge retention and hardness than 420HC.
• AUS-8 – Japanese steel, softer but easy to sharpen.
• VG-10 – High-end Japanese steel with excellent properties.
• S30V – Premium steel with great balance of attributes.
• S35VN – Improved version of S30V with better toughness.
• S90V – Exceptional wear resistance but hard to sharpen.
• S110V – Extreme edge retention but requires special sharpening.
• CTS-XHP – Stainless steel similar to D2 but with better corrosion resistance.

• D2 – Semi-stainless with great edge retention and moderate corrosion resistance.
• M4 – High-speed tool steel with excellent toughness and wear resistance.
• CruWear – Tough tool steel, similar to D2 but more durable.
• A2 – Tough steel for fixed blades, requires maintenance.

• 1095 – High-carbon steel known for toughness and ease of sharpening.
• 5160 – Extremely tough spring steel for survival and chopping knives.
• 52100 – Bearing steel with high edge retention and toughness.

• CPM 3V – Extremely tough with good edge retention.
• CPM MagnaCut – Modern steel with excellent balance of properties.
• CPM Rex 121 – One of the hardest steels, extreme wear resistance.