Every day in everyday life and in various industries of active activity, we are faced with the need to cut products, objects. And in this the knife is a constant helper. But a lot already depends on how convenient and practical it will be to use for a particular purpose. First of all - speed and accuracy, safety of the planned work. The main indicator of the quality of such tools is steel. And what steel are they made of, and what steel is better for a knife? Are there many differences between kitchen and hunting knives? All this you can find out in this article.

Blade selection - what to focus on?

Attention should be paid to the characteristics of the blade in order to understand which knife will be of good quality:

1. Hardness. An indicator of the ability to withstand various types of mechanical stress.
2. Wear resistance. How long can the steel wear out during operation.
3. Strength. It shows how the product is able to withstand cracks, chips, which can be caused by serious loads.
4. Rust resistant. Ability to resist corrosive influences.
5. Another criterion is the ability of the knife to keep sharpening.

Important! The most important problem in the manufacture of blades is maintaining the balance of strength and toughness of the material. The hardest steel can shatter when dropped from a height. Or the blade can bend from side to side without breaking, but you will be forced to sharpen such a blade every day.

Therefore, you will not find an answer to the question of which steel is better for a knife - you need to choose a knife based on its purpose.

What steel are knives made of?

Let's talk about the most popular models and give them some characteristics to figure out which steel is best for a knife.

Premium segment:

• M390. The content of chromium and vanadium makes this stainless steel very resistant to wear and corrosion. Steel sharpens perfectly, keeps sharpening for a very long time. It is considered one of the best steels for making knives. It goes public thanks to Benchmade Barrage, which produces some of the most inexpensive knives with good steel. Other manufacturers are also starting to actively use this steel.
• ZDP-189. Ductile yet hard steel from Japan. Easily polished, excellent cuts. Unfortunately, it is famous for its fragility.
• CPM S35VN. Just good steel that can keep sharpening for a long time.
• CPM S30V. It is generally recognized as one of the TOP among steels with the correct balance of strength and hardness.
• Elmax. Resistant to premature wear and corrosion. European steel.
• BG-42. Nothing worse than previous and next models, except for sharpening properties.
• 154CM. Solid and stainless material from America.
• ATS-34. High Japanese quality in all respects. The disadvantage is poor rust resistance.
• D-2. Has the same problem as the previous material.
• VG-10. An excellent choice if you turn a blind eye to durability.

Upper middle level:

• 440C. The best steel for a knife today in its price range.
• AUS-8. It is very easy to sharpen, but not so easily holds this sharpening.
• 8Cr13MoV. Good Chinese steel for its price point.
• 14C28N (Sandvik). It has wide application in Scandinavian knives, nothing bad can be said about this material, but no distinctive good properties can be named either.

Lower middle level:

• 420HC. It does not shine with advantages, but all eminent manufacturers squeeze everything out of this steel using heat treatment. And they do it.
• 440A. Similar to 440HC but more corrosion resistant.

Lower level:

• 420. Knives made of such steel will not last long for you, but the ridiculous price makes them very widespread.
• AUS-6. It does not shine with high quality, but it is also quite common on the market.
• Damascus steel. It is famous mainly for its beauty and is popular among collectors.

Manufacturing features

Forging blades is the oldest metal working operation. In the process, it is necessary to make a blade, while maintaining the most favorable microstructure of the material.

For the workpiece, steel strips are used, preferably hot-rolled, because the metal is more ductile and can be easily forged. The scale is easily knocked down by hammer blows, and does not have a detrimental effect on the forging of the material.

Important! The length of the blanks into which the strip is divided is calculated by calculation, and depends on the requirements for the characteristics of the knife itself. Strength is directly proportional to the length of the workpiece.

Metal is cut using a wide variety of technical solutions:

• Mechanical cutting is accompanied by high metal consumption. With this method, strength decreases.
• Cutting with the help of forging tools will not affect the initial parameters of the steel, but it will not differ in particular accuracy.
• Cutting with press shears is the most modern and best way.

Important! Repeated “runs” are necessary to achieve a fine-grained structure.

The drawing of the edges is carried out after the forging process and is carried out with the cooled material, which requires more effort.

Hunter knives

What steel is better to buy a hunting knife? Hunting knives are usually made of steel with a very high carbon content, the amount of which determines the hardness of the blade.

Hardness is measured using the Rockwell scale, where the units of measurement are HRC. The increase in hardness is accompanied by an increase in the shelf life of the pungency.

Important! The amount of carbon is always illustrated on the marking of the material of manufacture. For example: “440B” - 0.9 percent carbon, “440A” - 0.75%, “420” - 0.6% carbon.

Most often, hunting knives are made of steel called 440C, which is famous for its elasticity, although it loses in hardness. Chromium and molybdenum in its composition make the material “stainless”. Such steel is easily sharpened and retains its sharpness for a very long time.

Important! There is an alternative to the aforementioned steel - CPM440V. It keeps sharpening much longer and is many times more resistant to wear.

What are the features of operation?

The durability of the knife is built on the contradictions of the requirements that the knife must meet:

1. The blades must have a high hardness, even at the most large drops temperatures. This requirement is due to the fact that the knife can heat up sharply from friction during its operation.
2. Buckling must have increased stability, especially if the blade is narrow and long.
3. Have minimal deformation of the blade during use.
4. High strength. The lower the strength, the faster the knife will blunt.
5. The blade should be easy to sharpen and keep “sharpness” for a long time.
6. Resilience in critical situations. Satisfying such a requirement is a safety measure for the owner and others.

It is impossible to satisfy all the requirements, therefore, manufacturers take into account all factors in the production and try to find the perfect compromise.

By its composition, steel is an alloy of iron with carbon. These two components make up the bulk of steel. However, various additives, alloying elements can change the characteristics of the alloy in such a way that a metal with the necessary properties is obtained: strength, hardness, wear resistance, resistance to corrosive agents.

The term hardness refers to the ability of steel for the manufacture of knives to resist mechanical stress, with the maximum degree of integrity crystal lattice and, accordingly, the shape of the product. The hardness of the knives is measured by the Rockwell technique, in which a metal ball or diamond cone is pressed into the sample. The indentation depth is indicated by the abbreviation HR with the addition of A, B and C (depending on the scale used). Rockwell hardness of a knife is measured in units, and two values ​​can be indicated, the first for the core, the second for the edge. Steel for the manufacture of knives on the HRC scale has a maximum of 65 units. Most often, the hardness of the blades lies in the range of 56-62 HRC. To measure the hardness on this scale, a diamond cone is used and the load on it is 130 kgf. Hardness directly affects wear resistance, that is, the ability to resist friction and, therefore, retention of sharpening.

The hardness increases as a result of hardening - an increase in temperature to a certain point at which the steel is recrystallized. Quenching ends with a sharp cooling, the effect of which is softened by tempering - heating to temperatures below the critical value. Tempering removes residual stresses and makes the alloy more ductile and tough.

The strength of the knife is a characteristic that speaks of the ability of the alloy to withstand the bending effect. It is difficult to combine this property with hardness or wear resistance, since the degree of plasticity and toughness of the material is responsible for the strength. In other words, these characteristics are opposite to each other. Find " the golden mean" very hard. If the knife is very hard, then it will be fragile, and vice versa, a strong blade will be worse to keep sharpening.

As for the chemical composition that determines the properties of steel for making knives, the main element is carbon (C), which is responsible for both strength and hardness. Its content should not be less than 0.6%, since only with such a percentage can steel be normally hardened for strength (kitchen knives are not taken into account, in which 0.4% C can also be included in the alloy).

Chromium and molybdenum as alloying elements increase the corrosion resistance. But chromium also has a flip side of the coin - it reduces strength. Alloys with at least 14% chromium are called stainless steel. Molybdenum enhances the effect of chromium, and at the same time improves the calcination ability of the composition, increases its heat resistance.

Among the steels for the manufacture of knives, there are also the so-called high-speed alloys, which were mainly developed for metal-cutting equipment. Vanadium, tungsten and cobalt are alloying elements that give high strength and wear resistance to steel alloys, but such knives are less easy to straighten.

For the production of knives, carbon steel and stainless steel are used. According to the American AISI steel classification system, carbon steel will include those whose numbers begin with the number 10, the rest - alloyed. In the SAE system, alloys with letter indices mean. When marking Russian steels, the first digits indicate the amount of carbon, in hundredths of a percent, and the next - alloying elements.

Carbon steel alloys

The analogue of the Russian steel Kh12MF is grade D-2, which contains about 12% chromium, which is not enough to effectively cope with corrosion. However, of all carbon steels, this alloy is the most corrosion resistant. Although the D-2 is the least durable of the high carbon steels, it still holds the edge well.

The domestic brand 95X5GM or A-2, used for the production of combat knives, is harder than the previous one, but inferior in wear resistance. In addition, during the manufacture of articles from it, it is not possible to perform additional quenching and tempering, since it is "self-hardened" in air. This steel is used in particular by Chris Reeve and Phil Hartsfield.

U8 - perfect for forging large knives with increased strength requirements. It can only be used in conditions under which there is no edge heating. Carbon content - 0.78-0.83%, chromium - no more than 0.2%. The low chromium content results in poor corrosion resistance. Hardness within 61-63HRC. With the correct slump, hardness up to 67HRC can be achieved. Its counterpart is steel 1095.

The Russian counterparts of steels 50 and 60 are steels 1060 and 1050, which are more often used in the manufacture of swords. Steel grades starting with 10 (1095, 1084, 1070, 1060, etc.) with a decrease in carbon, the amount of which corresponds to the last figures (95.84 ...), become less durable, keep sharpening worse and are more viscous.

Low carbon steels

50 HCA (analogue to 5160) is a brand that is in great demand in blacksmithing, in particular in the manufacture of large blades, with increased requirements for strength. To facilitate hardenability, chromium is added to this alloy, the amount of which, however, is not so high as to impart anti-corrosion properties. This brand contains approximately 0.6% carbon.

Russian steel ШХ15 (52100 according to American standards) belongs to the grades that are more suitable for the production of hunting knives. It is inferior in strength to the previous brand, but at the same time surpasses it in its ability to keep sharpening.

In handicraft production, as a rule, more "labor-intensive" brands are used. These can be spring-type structural steels of the 65G type (analogous to American steel 770). The letter "G" implies the presence of manganese in the alloy. Forging temperature from 760 ° C to 1250 ° C. With a manganese content over 1%, this grade is prone to temper brittleness. Cooling is done in air. Popular due to its low cost.

Stainless steels

40X13 - corrosion-resistant heat-resistant steel, characterized by a fairly stable cutting edge, is easy to sharpen. Hardening - at + 950 ° С… +1020 ° С, tempering is carried out at a temperature of +200 ° С.

Among domestic brands of steel, the most popular is steel 65X13 in the manufacture of knives. It contains 0.65% of carbon by weight, and chromium - 13. As mentioned above, the addition of chromium increases the corrosion resistance of steel. If we take foreign analogues, then its analogue can be called 425mod, which is a modification of 420 steel, however, which is softer, since the carbon content in it is only about 0.4 - 0.54%. 420 steel can be artificially hardened by quenching using liquid nitrogen, which saturates the surface layers of the alloy. This is done, in particular, in the production of knives in the Brazilian company Tramontina.

Normally, hardening of 65X13 steel is carried out at a temperature of + 980 ° C ... + 1038 ° C using oil as a quenching medium. Annealing of this grade of knife steel takes place within 6 hours at a temperature of + 871 ° C, forging - at + 1066 ° C ... + 1121 ° C, and tempering lasts 2 hours at + 565 ° C. There are many modifications of 420 steel, which, when marked, are distinguished by letters following the number 420. This steel is used for the manufacture of knives in serial production.

50Kh14MF has practically the same characteristics, with the exception of higher resistance to corrosive agents and slightly greater softness. Hardening occurs at + 1045 ° С, tempering - at + 200 ° С.

Russian steels 65Х13, 75Х14МФ are analogs of steels of Japanese production Aus 6, Aus 8 (420 HRА, 420 HRВ), and Aus 10 - 420 HRС has no Russian analogue. Russian steel 75X14MF also has "brothers" 8Cr13MoV and 8Cr14MoV - Chinese-made alloys, which are characterized by the ability to easily sharpen, hold the cutting edge for quite a long time and at the same time have anti-corrosion properties. Due to the presence of molybdenum and vanadium, which inhibits diffusion processes during tempering, knives made of this steel grade retain their strength and hardness.

Steel 95X18 demonstrates good strength with good flexibility. This alloy keeps sharpening for quite a long time. Its Rockwell hardness is 56-60 units. Contact with salt or moisture for a long time may cause corrosion. Sharpening such knives is more difficult than ordinary kitchen knives. Quenching with the use of oil is carried out at a temperature of +1050 ° C, and tempering carried out at different temperatures gives different hardness. For example, at + 150 ° С the hardness will be maximum (about 59-60 HRC), and at + 600 ° С - only 44 HRC. Steel 95X18 is prone to brittleness.

100X15M (RWL34, ATS34) is very resistant to corrosion, but has a number of disadvantages that complicate work with it. Low thermal conductivity requires stepwise quenching, and the tendency to crack formation requires delayed cooling in oil. Vacation is carried out at +150 ° С.

20X13 (Japanese counterpart - 420J2) is an economically profitable steel for making knives. Annealing of this grade occurs at +840 ° С… + 900 ° С. Hardening - at + 950 ° С… + 1020 ° С with cooling in oil and air. Inexpensive, easy to handle and, as a result, quite common both as an independent material and as a component of composite knives.

40X13 (420HC) refers to high-carbon steels that retain sharpening well during operation and, at the same time, have good strength and corrosion resistance. Quenching, tempering and annealing occur at practically the same temperatures as for the previous steel, with a difference of several tens of degrees.

Bulat and Damascus

Bulat are called hard and viscous alloys of iron and carbon. In terms of carbon content, damask steel is closer to cast irons, however, in terms of physical characteristics in particular, in terms of malleability, it is related to low-carbon steels. A characteristic dendritic structure can be obtained by fusing steel ShKh15 with cast iron, followed by annealing at a temperature of 600 ° C for 80-140 hours. This production method is called low temperature. The high-temperature process (heating over 1430 ° C) for obtaining damask steel does not require annealing, but is complicated by the fact that the presence of oxygen must be excluded during the production process.

Ladies' steel is subdivided into welding and refined. Refined Damascus steel is nominally Damascus, since it is made from one type of steel, from which impurities were burned out during the production process. Welding damascus was produced by folding strips of steels with different carbon content, welding such packages and forging, followed by repeating the process. With each forging, the layers penetrated each other, forming a characteristic pattern.

Powder steels

Particularly noteworthy among the grades of steel for knives deserve the so-called powder steels. In the production process, to speed up the heating process, the alloys are ground to micro sizes. This is done by spraying the melt onto the crystallizer using air, inert gases, nitrogen, etc. After that, the resulting powder is sealed in a container made of plastic material, evacuated and sealed. Then the container is subject to pressing at pressures of hundreds or even thousands of atmospheres, and then sintering at high temperatures and pressures.

The result is material that:

• easier to sand;
• is forged;
• has the best mechanical properties;
• has a uniform grain;
• facilitates nitriding.

At the same time, powder steels also have a number of disadvantages, the main of which is the high cost of the material obtained, even in comparison with alloyed steels. In addition, there are more non-metallic inclusions in such alloys.

The most common powder steels are Bohler and Undeholm alloys. The steels of the first company bear the name of the company and among them you can find high-speed vanadium-cobalt (Bohler S290) and tungsten-cobalt (Bohler K390). The Undeholm company produces a wide range of powder steels, of which Vanadis 4 Extra, Vanadis 6, Vanadis 10 alloyed with vanadium are the most popular in the manufacture of knives. Tool steels are called Vancron, corrosion-resistant - Vanax.

How to choose a knife?

From all of the above, several conclusions can be drawn. The main thing when choosing a blade is to find the optimal balance of three qualities: the retention time of the sharpening, anti-corrosion properties and resistance to impacts. Usually, the ability to keep sharpening is tested on a hemp rope, rope, etc. You can, of course, cut plastic bottles, but the result should be the same. The longer the cutting edge stays sharp, the better the knife. And this is the only parameter that you can check in the store. In the end, you can just take a few pencils with you and sharpen them in place. A blade of normal hardness can easily endure such a test.

Corrosion resistance is a parameter that cannot be verified at the time of purchase and one has to rely on the seller's honesty. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase products certified according to Russian or European standards. Once again, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that alloying additives in the form of chromium and molybdenum increase the corrosion resistance of steel, but at the same time they can negatively affect the mechanical properties of the knives.

If you buy factory-made knives, then the brand and hardness must be indicated on them. The absence of a mark indicates that this product is of low quality. If we are talking about piece knives, then each master also puts his identification mark (stamp). In addition, each famous master has his own author's "handwriting" and, as a rule, such knives are described in detail in catalogs. The steels for the manufacture of single-format knives include materials such as, for example, damask, damask. It is very difficult to produce them on an industrial scale and the costs of such production do not pay off.

Anatoly Shishkin

Is it worth while making a working knife to bother on the selection of rare steels with special properties for the blade? And is the new Hamer's valve blade worth admiring?

I am often asked: "What is the best steel for a knife?"

Personally, I started making homemade knives back in kindergarten... Not from steel, of course, from plasticine. Then, already when he was in school, he planed daggers and sabers from wood. And he made the very first real, steel knife at school, in labor lessons. When a trudovik (labor teacher) went out somewhere, I turned on and then turned off the emery and, using the fact that the emery was spinning silently, grinded a piece of canvas from hand saw for metal. As always, there were problems with the handle, and without thinking too much, I just wrapped more electrical tape around the handle. Fortunately, at that time, multi-colored plastic tape appeared. If you wind a piece of newspaper on the blade of a knife, and then wrap the resulting scabbard with electrical tape, you get a knife with a scabbard.

Even better, a scabbard is obtained, sewn from two pieces of leather. It is at this level that many homemade knives usually stop. At this skill level, there is no talk of steel grades. What they have is fine. And if such a homemade product also cuts bread with sausage, then it's generally fine.

The next step in qualification begins with collectors. Collectors just buy the knives they like. But sometimes the price for a knife is so high that oh practical application this conversation knife is gone. Dust is blown off from such a knife; it is not customary to sharpen such knives. You can't even touch the blades of other, collection knives, you won't get rid of the stains on the blade later. The same applies to all kinds of daggers, foreign souvenir, edged weapons and other museum inventory.

In this case, again, the brand of steel is not important. The knife will still hang on the wall, under glass, or gather dust deep in the lingerie drawer. In any case, this knife does not need piercing and cutting properties, and what kind of scabbard such a knife has is also not important.

The practical use of knives forces the owner to sharpen the knife, expose it to chemical and physical effects of various aggressive environments. The sanitary and hygienic quality of both the knife itself and the place of its storage, that is, the presence of certain sheaths, are also important. In the end it turns out? That a working knife is inherently short-lived. A year, another, the use and the knife is gone. Acquiring a working knife for centuries of practical use is a pointless exercise. This is where the clarification of the materials used in general and the steel grades for the blade in particular begins.

Working knives, as a tool, have a very wide range of applications and for each specific case, a specific steel grade is needed, as well as a specific quality of this steel and the used sheath. The serviceability of this knife is equally important. For example, chef's knives (not to be confused with kitchen knives) can be very hard steel. Such knives are sharpened by specialists in sharpening, on special, stationary equipment. The same applies to boot knives, but these knives are sharpened by the owner himself also on special stationary equipment (emery with a set of stones necessary for hardness).

Homemade, kitchen knives are usually made from any suitable piece of iron. Look what knives the owner has in the kitchen, such is the owner himself. Home-made, kitchen knives are bought by other owners or purchased in some other way, therefore, in this case, the owner must be classified as a buyer. Which, in general, also speaks of the “handlessness” of the owner.

In this case, it is not always necessary to be offended at the “handlessness”. A virtuoso chef is not obliged to make knives for himself, he can buy a suitable knife or a set of knives. For the owner using a knife only for cutting bread and sausages, a special knife is also not needed. But for a skilled mistress who wants to feed the owner more tasty, the owner still needs to purchase or make good, professional knives on his own, even for her kitchen. After all, a skilled cook in her own kitchen sometimes has to cut frozen meat, and it is also necessary to butcher the chicken. A good knife it is difficult to manufacture, you need to have both hands and some professional skills, in particular, to know the properties of steels.

Homemade knives. Photo: TheDraco wikipedia.org

Imagine that a kitchen knife for cutting frozen meat is made from a blade for mechanical cutting of metal. Such a knife holds the sharpness of the blade well, but a slight turn of the knife (in frozen meat) and the knife will break, spraying the shards of the blade in all directions. Well, if the cook does not injure himself with such a knife.

Some experts suggest that the blades for mechanical cutting of metal used for making a knife should be tested by dropping them on the floor or by hitting them hard against some hard object. Explaining that not all blades are hardened equally and some blades do not break during slight bending. These specialists apparently do not feel sorry for their cook, but this is their wife, mother, daughter, sister or beloved woman. In fact, cooks, basically, do not understand the quality of steel and completely rely on the knowledge of "homemade". It is nevertheless necessary to make homemade knives wisely. The knife must first of all be safe for the owner and all those who use it.

A special conversation about hunting and tourist knives. It is better, of course, if the knife blade is made of stainless steel, but in any case, the special hardness of the blade hardening is not needed. After all, such knives have to be sharpened in the field on the first pebble that comes across. Hardened blades for 50 units on a fragment of an ordinary brick you can no longer sharpen it. So, if there is no way to get good stainless steel, then what's the difference from which black steel to make a knife blade.

If the metal is hardened to 40 units or a little more, then this is quite enough. Method cold forging it is possible to bring raw, that is, not hardened "piece of iron" to about the same hardness, by riveting. If you yourself are able to forge and harden the knife blade, then you can make a good blade from ordinary reinforcement (or hexagon).

In my opinion, good knives are obtained from saw blades for ripping logs onto boards. The thickness of a standard, such a saw is 2.8 mm, with a knife width of three centimeters, you can easily rest on such a knife, getting out of the hole, the knife will not break. Again, "According to the Law on Weapons" this blade thickness is not considered socially dangerous or combat. The steel of the blade rusts with improper care, and is usually black, but it sharpens and drills well under the rivets for the handle.

Personally, I have probably tried all the options for attaching handles to knives and now I make the knife handle from two wooden plates wrapped with a beautiful cord on epoxy glue. Quite good handles are obtained if, instead of a cord, we take knitwear of a suitable color. Sheathe or wrap, and then saturate with glue.

The stores sell Ural knives made of Damascus steel with inlaid birch bark handles. Knives are sold without a scabbard, often in special boxes, and probably it is not necessary to explain that these knives are only for collectors, but not as workers for tourists or hunters. Such knives are expensive and quickly lose their appearance.

Damascus knife Vandreren. Photo: Andrey Zhivotov wikipedia.org

Folding knives also suffer from blade attachment weakness and are not suitable for serious strength tests. There are no comrades for taste and color. On my travels, I saw hunter-fishermen going fishing in the taiga with kitchen knives from the shops. Instead of a scabbard, a rolled-up newspaper or knife is put in a pocket with the blade up. This is not to cut your pocket, but oh own hands do not remember. They also do not think that the knife may fall out or that the knife can be run into. It's in the deep taiga ...

The so-called Yakut ones are no better Hunter knives, without rests under the fingers, in a wooden, slotted scabbard. The knives themselves are unsafe, your fingers can slip onto the blade, and the scabbard will start to stink after a few days of use. Georgian daggers are also not made for hunters or tourists. Try to cut a torch for a fire with a dagger or clean a medium-sized fish, because it will not work.

You can find anything you like among extreme tourists. V best cases they have diving knives, but the scabbard for the working knife must be collapsible for periodic cleaning.

So, is it worth while making a working knife to bother with the selection of rare steels with special properties for the blade? And is the new Hamer's valve blade worth admiring? If you do not confuse collectible knives with workers, then steel for a knife is not the most important thing, the main thing is the knife itself.

One of the main questions that a knife buyer asks himself is: "What kind of steel should this knife be?" Let's try to briefly consider the most popular options and clearly answer this question.

To begin with, very briefly, about what steels are used to make knives.

• Stainless steels.
• Tool alloy steels.
• Carbon and spring (spring) steels.

Stainless steels

Stainless steels (currently the most popular) are the most versatile. They can be used to make a knife for almost any purpose. Their main difference from other steels is their ability to successfully resist corrosion (rust). For this, usually, an alloying additive - chromium (Cr) is introduced into the steel composition. Chromium content of thirteen percent and above gives the material resistance to rust. Here it must be understood that under unfavorable conditions (in salt water, for example) it can corrode and stainless steel... There are no absolutely stainless knife steels, but nevertheless, in ordinary domestic conditions, these steels are practically not susceptible to corrosion. So what exactly are these steel grades?

Inexpensive stainless steels

• Russian 40X13, 65X13, EP-107, etc.;
• European 1.4116, 12C27, etc.;
• Japanese SUS420J2, AUS-4, AUS-6, etc .;
• American 420, 425, 420HC, etc .;
• Chinese 4Cr13MoV, 5Cr13MoV, etc.

Typically, these steels are used to make inexpensive kitchen and utility knives. Knives made of such steels resist corrosion well, but they do not keep sharpening well. Heat treatment (hardening) they are obtained to a hardness of 50-54 HRC, which is extremely insufficient. A decent knife should have a cutting edge hardness (RK) of at least 55 HRC. The Swedish brand 12C27, the Japanese AUS-6 and the American 420HC are a pleasant exception. Knives of the three listed steels have good edge stability. Such knives are hardened to a hardness of about 55-58 HRC, which is quite enough for most kitchen work and work on a camping trip or fishing.

Medium-priced stainless steels

• Russian 95X18, 110X18, etc.;
• European 1.4125, 14C28N, N690, etc.;
• Japanese AUS-8, AUS-10, VG-1, etc .;
• American 440A, 440B, 440C and others;
• Chinese 7Cr13MoV, 8Cr13MoV, 9Cr13MoV, etc.

From such steels, as a rule, knives are obtained, inexpensive, but very good. Perfectly hardened to a hardness of 57-59 HRC (sometimes even higher). I would especially like to highlight the modern Austrian-Swedish brand N690. This steel is very stable. Good heat treatment. Many manufacturers around the world are switching to it. Including, here in Russia, tk. our stainless steels are capricious and not always stable.

We propose to clarify the question: "What is an inexpensive knife, and what is an average and, finally, expensive?" It so happened historically in the last 15-20 years that the United States is the center of hobby for the knife theme and trendsetter. Therefore, the cost of knives is usually measured in US dollars. So:

an inexpensive knife costs up to $ 100;

medium knife from $ 100 to $ 300;

expensive knife from $ 300 and more.

That is, a knife for 400 rubles. and a knife for 4000 rubles. are considered cheap. And knives for 20,000 rubles. and for 200,000 rubles. both will be expensive. Maybe there is a strong simplification, but it happened so ...

Expensive stainless steels:

• Russian EP-766;
• European Elmax, M390, Vanadis 10 and others;
• Japanese VG-10, ATS-34, R-2, ZDP-189, etc .;
• American 154CM, CPM S30V, CPM S35VN, etc.

Such steels are used for the manufacture of designer knives, knives - luxury items. As a rule, knives made from such steels are not cheap at all. I would like to highlight from the general list:

• Russian steel EP-766 (95X13M3K3B2F) - it's still nice that we have not forgotten how to work!
• American 154CM - steel was originally developed for gas turbine blades.
• Japanese VG-10 - simple and reliable, time-tested!
• Austrian-Swedish Elmax - until recently, this steel was the "last word" in the production of knives.

Blades made from such steels usually have a hardness of 58 to 61 HRC.

Tool steels

Now let's talk about tool steel knives. What is it and why are they needed.

Tool alloy steels are usually called steels with a high carbon content (from 0.8 to 1.6%) and a noticeable percentage of alloy additions (from 2.5%). Such steels are much better than most stainless steels "hold" the cutting edge. They are usually hardened from 60 to 64 HRC. But it must be remembered that such steels are not stainless and therefore require maintenance.

It is conditionally possible to divide tool knife steels into two groups.

Steel - analogues of the American D2

• Russian Kh12MF;
• European 1.2379, K110, Z160, etc.;
• Chinese Cr12MoV.

As a rule, these steels are used for the production of cutting and skinning knives, as well as for utility and work knives. Sometimes folding blades are made of such steels. pocket knives... These steels contain in their composition a high amount of carbon (1.5-1.6%), and a high content is called a content over 1.0%. Such knives have excellent cutting properties, perfectly hold the cutting edge, but tend to rust a little. I would like to note that D2 steel is produced only in the USA. If "D2" is written on the blade of a knife made in Russia or China, then, of course, there is no D2, but its local counterpart. A good replacement for the D2 is the Austrian-Swedish K110, a very popular steel that is in no way inferior to the American one, but it is easier to get it and it costs less.

The so-called "eight percent" steels

• American CPM S3V;
• Austrian-Swedish K340.

They call them "eight percent", tk. they contain approximately 8.0% chromium. Such steels rust more strongly than D2, but far exceed D2 in strength (but D2 surpasses them in wear resistance of the cutting edge). It is best to make long-bladed slashing weapons from such steels. That is, D2 is good for small "nimble" knives, and CPM S3V or K340 is better for knives with a long blade (from 150-250 mm).

Other steels

There are, of course, other types and grades of steel. But, as a rule, ordinary knives (for kitchen, fishing and tourism) are not made from such brands. And if they do, then they are rare.

For example, carbon steels such as domestic U7, U8, U10, spring steel 65G, as well as tool steels such as 9XC, KhVG, etc. As a rule, these steels are used to make craft knives and wood cutters. They "hold" the cutting edge very well, but they also rust too readily. It is better not to take them to nature, it is better for them not to come into contact with food. Such knives do not like water and hands damp with sweat. They can rust from moisture in the air (if the weather is damp or the room is too humid).

Foreign analogues of such steels are:

• Japanese SK5;
• Swedish UHB 20C;
• American 1055, 1075, 1095;
• Chinese 65Mn, T-10.

And now I would like to write a few words about the meaning of hardness. Hardness is usually measured by the Rockwell C scale (HRC). To do this, a special hard ball is pressed into the surface of the blade and the depth of indentation is estimated.

As already mentioned, a normal knife should, in our opinion, have a cutting edge hardness of at least 55 units. An exception here may be traditional Central Asian knives (pchaks and cords), their hardness does not exceed 50 HRC. I cut it with such a knife, and immediately sharpened the blade on the back of the bowl. That is, the knife dulls too easily, but also sharpens quickly.

For European knives, especially Japanese knives, such a low level of hardness is unacceptable. European knives generally have a hardness of 55-58 HRC.

And the Japanese love high hardness - "overkill" 60-62 HRC, but for such hardness you will have to pay with the loss of strength (such knives are fragile). And they are more difficult to sharpen.

The hardness value is not "megapixels". More is not better. You shouldn't chase a high value. You need to focus on the "golden mean": 56-58 HRC. This is quite enough for most tasks. Small skinning knives can be recommended with a hardness of 59-61 HRC. For tools requiring increased strength, on the contrary, a hardness of 50-52 HRC is desirable (for example, bayonet knives, daggers, checkers).

As a rule, there are no knives with a hardness higher than 64-65 HRC (this is the hardness of a drill for metal). If someone from the manufacturers or sellers declares a higher hardness of the cutting edge, then he, apparently, is disingenuous.

There are, of course, much more types and grades of steel, we tried only to analyze the most popular ones.

We wish you a successful choice of exactly "your" knife!

Each steel has its own set of characteristics that may be suitable for a particular condition. Thanks to professional skills of steel producers, the finished product will combine quality and optimum properties.

But it will not be possible to achieve very good characteristics in all directions at once, and therefore it is necessary to sacrifice something. For example, soft iron will become dull very soon, but sharpening such a blade is not too difficult.

Harder materials are prone to chipping. In a situation where the alloy has a complex chemical composition, its manufacture will be laborious, and therefore the cost of the product will become higher. All this suggests that it is impossible to choose the ideal steel for a knife, there is no material that will meet all the necessary criteria. And the one that comes close to meeting all the requirements set will be much more expensive in terms of production.

Manufacturers

The choice of material that will be used to make the knife will determine how often it will become dull, how difficult it will be to sharpen it, and what the bending resistance will be. Equally important is how easily the blade can break. But not everything will depend on the grade of steel for the knife. There are several main characteristics, such as the ability to bend, softness, the ability to dull, break, and they depend on the heat treatment of the product.

Here is some of them:

• Swiss Victorinox and Wenger;
• brazilian tramontina;
• German Magnum and Beker;
• Australian Fortuna. American SOG and Buck;
• Chinese manufacturers. There are a lot of them today, and therefore it makes no sense to list the entire list.

Absolutely all manufacturers will develop proprietary technologies processing and steel production, thanks to which high rates quality.

Many people think that the sharper the blade, the better it is. But this is erroneous reasoning. It is much more important to look at durability, to compare brands for knives. Wear resistance will directly depend on the amount of carbon contained in the material.

In ordinary carbon steel, the maximum hardness is noted when the carbon in it is 0.7%. If the percentage is increased, then better wear resistance can be achieved.

Alloy additives

Through the application of experience, as well as scientific methods, metallurgy obtains alloys that meet the necessary market requirements. To increase the durability of the material, you can add some alloying additives:

• chromium;
• manganese;
• nickel;
• silicon;
• molybdenum;
• vanadium;
• tungsten.

Improving quality

By adding other elements, alloy steel will become more wear-resistant and stronger than conventional carbon steel. But you need to understand that the introduction of the above elements will make sense before a certain moment... If the concentration is exceeded, the steel will lose its original properties. Experienced metallurgists set up such experiments, and a beginner should not do this, so as not to damage the metal.

Molybdenum is a very good addition. If this component is added to alloy steel, then strength and toughness can be increased simultaneously. Japanese blades, which are known for their characteristics, are great examples. The content of molybdenum in them is 8%.

Tungsten, vanadium and chromium can improve the strength of the material, but at the same time, all of these additives increase the brittleness. Chromium alloying can give the material corrosion resistance as well as improved cutting properties. But you need to understand that if you add such improvements, then the resistance to fracture will disappear.

Many craftsmen argue about which steel is the best for a knife and the most suitable for making it. Some experts say that 440C stainless steel is the best and suitable option... The properties of this metal include the ability not to dull for a long time. This material can be inferior in elasticity to such alloys as 154 S. M. Also, comparison is usually given with such grades as BG-42, AT S-34. There is not much chromium in them, but molybdenum contains up to 4%. These grades are called stainless ball bearings. This is because, due to their wear-resistant characteristics, they stand out from other materials.

D2 steel is also considered to be of high quality. The characteristics are very popular with manufacturers from the USA. Combined with its properties, it is an excellent knife steel.

There are many knife steels. The comparison is made according to known characteristics.

Characteristics of steel grades

A knife is such a tool that all people use absolutely every day. Kitchen, travel, hiking - nowhere a modern man can do without a good blade. This is one of oldest inventions, which has passed through the centuries, while not changing much in its form. But over time, the materials of production changed, such a tool was made from a variety of alloys. It is necessary to look at the most famous and popular steel grades, as well as their characteristics. After that, you can understand which brand is most suitable for making knives.

1. Brand 40Х13... If you study the most famous models domestic knives for the kitchen and analyze what kind of steel is used in them, then you can understand that this is 40X13. Such material will be ideal for kitchen use due to its good sharpening properties and resistance to rust. Material 420, which was discussed above, is a foreign analogue of this metal. This brand can be used to make not only kitchen knives. Many surgical instruments are also made of medical steel (this is a fairly well-known name for such a material).
2. Brand 65Х13... What steel can you make very quality knives, and therefore they are often used for many Russian products. The blade will never rust. And all due to the fact that such material has very good anti-corrosion characteristics. Service life - decades.
3. Brand 50X14 MF... In modern times, this variety has become very popular in the production cutting tools... The characteristics are very similar to the previous version, but they have several drawbacks. Very often, such an alloy is used to make surgical instruments as well as quality household knives, industrial and even military. If you make the right heat treatment, you can get very durable products.
4. 95X18... Stainless steel, which has several features for processing requirements. If you follow all the nuances in manufacturing, you get a flexible and durable knife. Such blades will not dull for a long time. But it is possible that corrosion will appear there if the blade is exposed to prolonged exposure to moisture.
5. 65 g... It is spring steel. Anyone who once wanted to make a knife with their own hands knows about this material, since it is very popular in discussions in various forums. Kitchen utensils are rarely made from such an alloy, since steel is susceptible to corrosion. But they try to solve this problem by adding a noble coating.
6. 420 ... This brand is the most budgetary and most widespread in the world. That is why Chinese manufacturers often use it. It is stainless steel. With the right heat treatment, amazing performance can be achieved. That is why foreign manufacturers often use this brand. This variety suggests that the chemical composition is not main characteristic... The service life of such a material is very long, even despite its low cost.
7. 420HC... A very famous high carbon steel from which knives are made. Many famous brands choose just such a steel, since it is well processed and has anti-corrosion properties. Blades will very rarely become dull. But in order to sharpen them, you need to put a lot of effort.
8. M390. The brand has high cutting properties. It is very often used for making blades. Such material is still actively used for surgical instruments that have significant requirements. Due to the addition of chromium, this steel does not corrode. It should also be noted that the M390 is used not only to create knives, but also to manufacture production devices and machines.
9. 440. There are several varieties, which are designated "A" "B" and "C". Special attention it is necessary to note the brand 440C, which is very high-tech. Each variety has its own carbon content: 0.75, 0.90 and 1.20%, respectively.
10. AUS. This is a Japanese variety of alloy 440. As in the previous version, there are varieties that differ in carbon content.
11. X12MF. It has a very high wear resistance and strength. The knives will rust over time, and therefore it is best not to use them in the kitchen. Steel has significant cutting properties, and also does not lose its sharpness for a long time. Knives are often used by hunters who choose a very high quality tool.
12. ZPD-189. The Japanese are very fond of this material, since it combines viscosity, high strength, and also hardness. The Japanese use this steel to make their finest knives. The price of the product will be quite high. That is why there are very few knives made of such steel on the domestic market.
13. S30V. This material was first made by Dick Barber and Chris Reeve. Vanadium carbide is used in the manufacture. Thanks to this, great strength can be achieved. This kind of development is used by many modern manufacturers.
14. H-1. A very famous brand that is used to make knives. They can be used even in the sea where there is constant exposure to salt water. Very difficult to handle. Knives from this material are made for sailors.
15. AT S-34 and 154. Very high tech materials. Steel 154 is an American design, has high performance and the same high price. The A T S -34 was developed by Hitachi. These materials hold leading positions all over the world.

Damascus steel

Every professional will say that the best steel for a knife today it is damask or damask. Most people have heard these names. And all because it became known about these alloys since ancient times, even then they showed their wonderful qualities for blades.

Even in many adventure films, such materials are mentioned, and therefore they can be considered the most famous around the world.

All the masters said that best knives are made of Damascus steel. The quality of the damask blade will depend on professional qualities the manufacturer, as well as correct heat treatment and grinding. If we compare these two types of material, then it is necessary to note the superiority of the first in terms of strength. But in cutting qualities they are equal.

Damask blades

For a long time, the secret of damask steel was lost, and was found only in 1841 by a Russian metallurgist named Anosov. From that moment it was possible to revive the production of the strongest weapons in factories. Even in our time, such blades are called the best. During the Soviet era, high-quality knives were no longer produced in our country. All products were of very poor quality and could not meet the requirements of the hunters.

And only craftsmen could make good blades. All lovers of high-quality blades turned to them for manufacturing.

We can say that for specific purposes it is necessary to choose a certain type of material. Damascus steel is the best option, ideal for making blades and knives, but not everyone has the financial ability to purchase such material, and therefore you need to select a product that will satisfy both quality and price. To do this, it is enough to study the rating of the alloys.