Knife steel chart
30 knife steels with their key alloying elements, typical hardness and 1-10 performance ratings. Click a column to sort; tap a steel for the full page.
| Steel | Type | C % | Cr % | V % | Mo % | HRC | Edge | Tough | Corr. | Sharp. | Avg | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1095 | Carbon steels | 0.95 | 56–60 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 4.5 | Budget | |||
| 14C28N | Stainless steels | 0.62 | 14 | 57–60 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | Budget | ||
| 154CM | Stainless steels | 1.05 | 14 | 4 | 58–61 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5.2 | Mid-range | |
| 20CV | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.9 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 59–62 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 6 | Premium |
| 420HC | Stainless steels | 0.46 | 13 | 0.3 | 56–58 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6.2 | Budget | |
| 440C | Stainless steels | 1.05 | 17 | 0.75 | 57–59 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 5 | Budget | |
| 80CrV2 | Carbon steels | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 57–60 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 5.2 | Budget | |
| 8Cr13MoV | Stainless steels | 0.8 | 13.5 | 0.1 | 0.15 | 56–59 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 5.5 | Budget |
| AEB-L | Stainless steels | 0.67 | 13 | 59–62 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6.8 | Mid-range | ||
| AUS-8 | Stainless steels | 0.75 | 14 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 57–59 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | Budget |
| CPM 3V | Powder metallurgy tool steels | 0.8 | 7.5 | 2.75 | 1.3 | 58–62 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 5.8 | Premium |
| CPM M4 | High-speed powder steels | 1.42 | 4 | 4 | 5.25 | 62–65 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4.5 | Premium |
| CruWear | Powder metallurgy tool steels | 1.1 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 60–64 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5.5 | Premium |
| CTS-XHP | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.6 | 16 | 0.45 | 0.8 | 60–63 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5.5 | Premium |
| D2 | Tool steels | 1.5 | 12 | 0.9 | 1 | 58–61 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4.2 | Budget |
| Elmax | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.7 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 60–62 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6 | Premium |
| HAP40 | High-speed powder steels | 1.3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 64–67 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4.2 | Premium |
| LC200N | Stainless steels | 0.3 | 15 | 0.95 | 57–60 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7.2 | Premium | |
| M390 | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.9 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 60–62 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 6 | Premium |
| MagnaCut | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.15 | 10.7 | 4 | 2 | 61–64 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 7.2 | Premium |
| N690 | Stainless steels | 1.07 | 17 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 58–60 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5.8 | Mid-range |
| Nitro-V | Stainless steels | 0.68 | 13 | 0.08 | 59–62 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6.8 | Mid-range | |
| S30V | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.45 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 58–61 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 5.2 | Mid-range |
| S35VN | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.4 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 58–61 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5.8 | Mid-range |
| S45VN | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.48 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 59–61 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | Premium |
| S90V | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 2.3 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 59–62 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 5.2 | Premium |
| SG2 (R2) | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 1.4 | 15 | 2 | 2.8 | 62–64 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 5.5 | Premium |
| Shirogami #2 | Carbon steels | 1.1 | 61–64 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 5.2 | Mid-range | |||
| VG-10 | Stainless steels | 1 | 15 | 0.2 | 1 | 59–61 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5.5 | Mid-range |
| ZDP-189 | Powder metallurgy stainless steels | 3 | 20 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 64–67 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4.5 | Ultra-premium |
Ratings are relative to the whole population of knife steels (1 = worst, 10 = best) at typical knife hardness. Compositions are nominal weight percent from manufacturer datasheets or standards. See the methodology.
Edge retention vs toughness
- Stainless steels
- Powder metallurgy stainless steels
- Tool steels
- Powder metallurgy tool steels
- High-speed powder steels
- Carbon steels