Blade Steel Guide: Every Steel Explained

Blade Steels guide: The steel your knife is made from determines how sharp it gets, how long it stays sharp, how resistant it is to rust, and how easy it is to maintain.

Every blade steel is a balance of four core properties. No steel maximizes all four at once.

Every blade steel is a tradeoff between four properties. You cannot maximize all four simultaneously.

  • Edge retention – How long the blade stays sharp before needing resharpening.
  • Toughness – Resistance to chipping, rolling, or breaking under impact or lateral stress.
  • Corrosion resistance – Resistance to rust and staining. “Stainless” means at least 10.5% chromium content.
  • Ease of sharpening – How easily the steel can be brought back to a sharp edge. Higher-hardness steels hold edges longer but require more effort to sharpen.

How to Read Steel Specs

Steel hardness is measured on the Rockwell C scale (HRC). Most production knife steels fall between HRC 56–64. Higher HRC means harder steel that holds an edge longer but is more brittle. Lower HRC means tougher steel that’s easier to sharpen but dulls faster.

The chemical composition determines most of a steel’s properties:

  • Carbon (C) – Increases hardness and edge retention. All steel contains carbon.
  • Chromium (Cr) – Primary source of corrosion resistance. 10.5%+ = stainless.
  • Vanadium (V) – Refines grain structure for toughness and wear resistance.
  • Molybdenum (Mo) – Improves toughness and high-temperature strength.
  • Tungsten (W) – Enhances wear resistance and edge retention.
  • Cobalt (Co) – Allows higher hardness without brittleness.

Budget Steels

420HC

High-carbon version of 420 stainless. Used extensively by Buck Knives, who have optimized their heat treatment to get the most out of it. Easy to sharpen, decent corrosion resistance, adequate edge retention for the price. Not exciting on paper, but Buck’s 420HC performs better than its reputation suggests due to excellent heat treat.

Best for: Entry-level EDC, hunting knives, anyone who needs easy field sharpening.
Hardness: HRC 57–59

8Cr13MoV / AUS-8

The most common steel in budget production knives from Chinese manufacturers. AUS-8 is the Japanese equivalent. Both perform similarly: decent sharpness out of the box, acceptable edge retention, good corrosion resistance, very easy to sharpen. Don’t expect it to hold an edge through heavy use, but for light to moderate tasks it’s completely functional.

Best for: First knives, gift knives, beaters you don’t mind losing.
Hardness: HRC 57–59

14C28N

Sandvik’s improved budget steel, developed specifically for knives. Better than 8Cr13MoV in both edge retention and corrosion resistance. Used extensively by Kershaw (often heat treated to HRC 58–62, which dramatically improves performance). One of the best values in knife steel.

Best for: Budget-conscious buyers who want real performance. Excellent in Kershaw’s lineup.
Hardness: HRC 58–62

Mid-Range Steels

D2

A semi-stainless tool steel with excellent wear resistance and edge retention. The 11.5% chromium content is just below the threshold for true stainless, so it will rust if neglected, wipe it dry after use. D2 is hard to sharpen but holds an edge impressively well. It’s a favorite in the $50–$150 knife market for good reason.

Best for: Outdoor use, EDC where you’re diligent about maintenance, value hunters.
Hardness: HRC 59–62

VG-10

A Japanese stainless steel developed for high-performance kitchen knives, widely adopted for folding and fixed blade knives. Very hard with excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance. Spyderco uses it in many of their most popular models. Can be chippy if abused. Difficult to sharpen without proper equipment.

Best for: EDC, kitchen knives, anyone who wants a razor-sharp edge that lasts.
Hardness: HRC 60–62

CPM-S30V

Developed specifically for knife blades by Crucible Industries. The “CPM” prefix means it was made using a powder metallurgy process that creates a more uniform, finer grain structure than conventional steel, resulting in better toughness at high hardness. S30V was the industry benchmark for premium production knives for over a decade. Excellent balance of edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance.

Best for: EDC, the all-around workhorse steel for serious users.
Hardness: HRC 59–61

CPM-S35VN

An evolution of S30V with niobium added to refine the carbide structure. The result is improved toughness and slightly better ease of sharpening while maintaining S30V’s edge retention. Now more common than S30V in mid-to-high-end production knives. If you see S35VN, you’re getting a genuinely excellent steel.

Best for: EDC and outdoor use. The current sweet-spot steel for most users.
Hardness: HRC 59–61

Böhler N690

An Austrian stainless steel similar to VG-10 with excellent corrosion resistance. Popular with European knife makers (Böker, Fox, Extrema Ratio). Takes a keen edge and holds it well. Less common in American production knives but highly regarded.

Best for: EDC, European-made production knives.
Hardness: HRC 57–60

Premium Steels

CPM-S45VN

The latest iteration of Crucible’s S-series, incorporating titanium to further refine the microstructure. Improved toughness and corrosion resistance over S35VN while matching its edge retention. Becoming the new standard for high-end American production knives.

Best for: Demanding EDC and outdoor use. A top-tier all-around steel.
Hardness: HRC 59–61

M390 / 20CV / CPM-204P

Three nearly identical high-alloy stainless steels from three different manufacturers (Böhler, Carpenter, and Crucible respectively). All feature extremely high wear resistance, excellent corrosion resistance, and outstanding edge retention. The finest edges from this family approach surgical sharpness. The tradeoff: they’re very difficult to sharpen without diamond or ceramic abrasives. The steel is also more expensive, which is reflected in the price of knives made from it.

Best for: Users who want the best edge retention available in a stainless steel and have the sharpening equipment to match.
Hardness: HRC 60–62

Elmax

A Böhler powder metallurgy stainless with a fine carbide structure. Very hard, excellent edge retention, outstanding corrosion resistance. Used by makers like WE Knife and Real Steel. Performs similarly to M390 but with slightly different characteristics in how it sharpens.

Best for: Premium EDC, users in wet environments where corrosion resistance is critical.
Hardness: HRC 60–62

CPM-20CV

Carpenter’s version of the M390/20CV/204P family. Exceptional edge retention and corrosion resistance. Now extremely common in premium production knives from Benchmade, Spyderco, and others. One of the most capable stainless steels currently available.

Best for: Serious EDC users who prioritize edge retention above all else.
Hardness: HRC 59–61

High-Toughness Steels

CPM-3V

A powder metallurgy tool steel optimized for toughness rather than edge retention. It sacrifices some edge-holding ability compared to S35VN but gains dramatically improved impact resistance. Essentially impossible to break or chip under realistic use. Not stainless, requires maintenance. The go-to steel for hard-use outdoor and survival knives.

Best for: Hard-use fixed blades, survival knives, batoning wood, demanding outdoor tasks.
Hardness: HRC 58–60

A2

A classic air-hardening tool steel with excellent toughness and good edge retention. Not stainless. Used by ESEE and other hard-use fixed blade makers. Holds up to abuse that would chip harder, more brittle steels.

Best for: Hard-use fixed blades where toughness matters more than corrosion resistance.
Hardness: HRC 57–62

1095

A simple high-carbon steel with a long history in knife making. Excellent toughness, easy to sharpen in the field with basic tools, holds a good working edge. Will rust without maintenance. The preferred steel for many bushcraft and survival knife makers including ESEE’s most popular fixed blades.

Best for: Outdoor and survival knives where field sharpening and toughness matter most.
Hardness: HRC 56–58

Damascus Steel

Modern Damascus (also called pattern-welded steel) is made by forge-welding layers of different steels together, then manipulating the billet to create distinctive patterns. It’s visually striking and can perform very well, but performance depends entirely on the specific steels used in the weld and the skill of the maker. A Damascus blade made from 1084 and 15N20 is a genuinely capable knife. “Damascus” on a cheap import may just be an etched pattern on a single steel.

Buy Damascus for its beauty as well as its performance, and verify the component steels if performance matters to you.

Quick Reference Chart

SteelEdge RetentionToughnessCorrosion ResistanceEase of SharpeningPrice Range
420HCLowHighHighVery EasyBudget
8Cr13MoV / AUS-8Low–MediumMediumHighEasyBudget
14C28NMediumMediumHighEasyBudget
D2HighMediumLowModerateMid
VG-10HighMediumHighModerateMid
S30V / S35VNHighMedium–HighHighModerateMid–Premium
M390 / 20CVVery HighMediumVery HighDifficultPremium
CPM-3VMediumVery HighLowModeratePremium
1095MediumVery HighVery LowVery EasyBudget–Mid

Browse our full selection of knives by steel or category in the Atlas Knife Co store. Questions about which steel is right for your use case? The descriptions on each product page include steel information for every knife we carry.