Steels

The workhorse of Japanese kitchen knives. High-carbon stainless that balances edge retention, ease of sharpening, and corrosion resistance. Also used as a core steel in damascus-clad blades.

A nitrogen-bearing stainless from Carpenter Technology. Fine grain structure makes it exceptionally easy to sharpen while maintaining good edge retention. High chromium content provides solid corrosion resistance.

A proven workhorse stainless steel with 14% chromium. Good balance of edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance. A Benchmade staple for decades.

Classic high-carbon martensitic stainless. One of the original premium knife steels — still perfectly serviceable though surpassed by modern options. Good corrosion resistance with decent hardness.

A budget-friendly Chinese stainless comparable to AUS-8. Easy to sharpen and good enough for everyday tasks. The go-to steel for affordable Spyderco models.

A step up from 8Cr13MoV with higher carbon and added molybdenum/vanadium. Better edge retention and wear resistance. Common in mid-range Chinese kitchen knives.

A French stainless steel in the 440A family. Lower carbon content makes it tough and easy to maintain. Used in European and Russian-made knives.

A budget German stainless (X50CrMoV15 / 1.4116). Softer than Japanese steels but extremely tough and easy to maintain with a honing rod. The standard for entry-level German kitchen knives.

A pure, simple carbon steel beloved by professional sharpeners. Takes the keenest edge of almost any knife steel and is a joy to sharpen. Requires maintenance — it will patina and rust if neglected.

White steel with added tungsten and chromium for improved edge retention and wear resistance. Slightly harder to sharpen than White #2 but holds its edge noticeably longer. Still a reactive carbon steel.

A breakthrough powder steel designed by metallurgist Larrin Thomas. Eliminates chromium carbides while maintaining exceptional corrosion resistance — approaching specialty alloys like LC200N. Excellent edge retention with outstanding toughness.

An extremely wear-resistant powder steel with 14.5% vanadium. One of the highest wear resistance ratings of any knife steel available. Difficult to sharpen but goes an incredibly long time between sharpenings.

A tough tool steel with excellent edge retention. Better corrosion resistance than D2 thanks to powder metallurgy process. Outstanding balance of toughness and wear resistance — hard to chip even under heavy use.

A high-carbon, high-chromium tool steel known for excellent wear resistance. 11-13% chromium makes it semi-stainless — more rust-resistant than carbon steel but not truly stainless. A popular workhorse for fixed blades and budget folders.