A knife’s steel is its lifeblood.
Imagine a day in the life of a mechanic’s knife: it’ll get put through the ringer. His knife will encounter all types of solvents and moisture. Durability, stain resistance, and ease of sharpening found in 420J2 or AUS 4 steel are perfect here.
On the other side of the spectrum, someone with an eye on a CRKT® Titanium M16® expects an alloy steel like AUS 8—something that’s much harder and has great edge-holding ability.
We know that blade steel is more than just an alloy of iron, other metals, and carbon. It’s the lifeblood of every single knife we offer and we go the extra distance to make sure what you get is exactly what you’re looking for.
We use stainless steels from many international suppliers. The chart below shows the equivalent qualities of comparable steels that we use. Note that the final hardness level is not only a factor of composition, but depends on heat treatment and quenching, to which we pay great attention.
Stainless Steel Alloy Specifications
| Steel | HRC | C | CR | MN | MO | NI | P | SI | V | CO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS 4 | 55-57 | 0.40-0.45 | 13-14.5 | 1 | -- | 0.49 | 0.04 | 1 | -- | -- |
| AUS 8 | 58-59 | 0.70-0.75 | 13-14.5 | 0.50 | 0.10-0.30 | 0.49 | 0.04 | 1 | 0.10-0.26 | -- |
| 65Mn | 52-56 | 0.62-0.70 | ≤0.30 | 0.90-1.20 | -- | -- | ≤0.020 | 0.17-0.37 | -- | -- |
| 420J2 | 52-55 | 0.26-0.40 | 12-14 | 1 | -- | -- | 0.04 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 440A | 55-57 | 0.65-0.75 | 16-18 | 1 | 0.75 | -- | 0.04 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 12C27 Sandvik | 59-61 | 0.6 | 13.5 | 0.40 | -- | -- | 0.025 | 0.40 | -- | -- |
| 1.4116 | 55-57 | 0.45-0.50 | 14.5-14.8 | 0.40 | -- | -- | 0.02 | 0.40-0.60 | 0.10-0.25 | -- |
| 1.4034 | 56-58 | 0.47 | 13.5 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- |
| 6168CrV | 59-61 | 0.65-0.75 | 0.30-0.35 | 0.60 | -- | -- | 0.08 | 0.20 | 0.10-0.15 | 0.25 |
| YK-30 | 57-59 | 1.05 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | 0.25 | 0.03 | 0.40 | -- | -- |
| SK 5 | 57-58 | 0.80-0.90 | -- | 0.50 | -- | -- | 0.03 | 0.35 | -- | -- |
| 3Cr13 | 52-55 | 0.26-0.35 | 12-14 | 1 | -- | -- | 0.04 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 5Cr15MoV | 55-57 | 0.5 | 15 | 0.336 | 0.63 | -- | 0.025 | 0.407 | 0.1 | -- |
| 8Cr13MoV | 58-59 | 0.8 | 13 | 0.40 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.02 | 0.50 | 0.1 | -- |
| 8Cr14MoV | 58-59 | 0.8 | 14.07 | 0.16 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.029 | 0.45 | 0.14 | -- |
| 9Cr18MoV | 58-60 | 0.95-1.20 | 16-18 | 0.80 | 0.75 | -- | 0.04 | 1 | -- | -- |
| ACUTO + | 59-60 | 0.90-0.95 | 17-18 | 0.50 | 1.30 to 1.50 | -- | 0.04 | 0.50 | .10 to .25 | -- |
| O1 Tool Steel | 57-59 | 0.85-1.00 | 1-1.4 | -- | -- | -- | .10-.50 | .4-.6 | -- | .4-.7 |
| Bohler Udderholm Sleipner | 60-61 | 0.9 | 7.8 | 0.5 | 2.5 | -- | -- | 0.9 | 0.5 | -- |
Benefits of Elements of Stainless Steel
| Element | Increases Edge Retention | Increases Hardness | Increases Harden- ability | Increases Toughness | Increases Tensile Strength | Increases Impact Strength | Increases Wear and Abrasion Resistance | Increases Corrosion Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon | x | x | x | x | ||||
| Chromium | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| Manganese | x | x | x | |||||
| Molybdenum | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| Nickel | x | x | ||||||
| Silicon | x | |||||||
| Vanadium | x | x | x |
