Which is the best steel for kitchen knives?

Steel is an alloy. It is basically a combination of iron and carbon and when no other element is present is called plain carbon steel. Usually, today’s steels contain small amounts of various elements such as Silicon, Manganese, and Vanadium that give to the steel different properties. For example, steels that have added chromium over 12-14% are considered corrosion resistant (labeled as “stainless steels” in the market) or steel that contains manganese have increased strength, toughness and hardenability.

Hardness is a crucial steel property in knifemaking. The harder the blade the better the edge has (edge stability and edge holding). It is preferably measured using the Rockwell scale (HRC) and factory kitchen knives typically range between 55-60 HRC.  Usually handmade kitchen knives are hardened more to the 60-65 HRC range or even higher.

Proper composition and proper heat treatment are essential for achieving the desired properties in a steel.

Depending on the elements a steel contains, its properties can vary significantly. Below, you’ll find an overview of the different elements found in steel, the properties they influence, and some basic principles of heat treatment.

Carbon: Increases hardness and strength. Over 0.5% carbon in an alloy is considered “high-carbon”.

Nitrogen: Substitute of Carbon. New technologies use nitrogen in place/ complimentary of carbon to increase hardness.

Chromium: Increases hardenability, corrosion resistance, wear resistance.In high amounts decreases toughness. Over 12%, a steel is considered “stainless”.

Molybdenum: Increases hardenability, tensile strength, and corrosion resistance.

Nickel: Increases toughness, hardenability and corrosion resistance.

Niobium: Forms very hard but also very small carbides that lead in wear resistance. Keeps the grain small and refines structure.

Vanadium: Increases hardenability and promotes fine grain structure.

Tungsten: Increases wear resistance and is the second strongest carbide* former after vanadium.

*carbide: A compound of carbon and another element.

Strength: The ability to resist applied forces.

Hardness: The ability to resist permanent deformations.

Toughness: The ability to resist prior to fracturing (also resistibility to cracks /chips when used in heavy duty applications). The harder the steel the less tough it is.

Wear Resistance: The ability to resist wear and abrasion.

Corrosion Resistance: The ability to resist corrosion as a result of reaction with external elements.

Edge Retention: The ability to hold an edge without re-sharpening

Hardenability: The ability of a steel to be hardened through the heat-treating process

Steel performance depends on many factors and many of its properties are inversely proportional to each other.

With that said, when an element is added to the recipe- because we want a specific property – we inevitably sacrifice another one and its properties. Subsequently, we have to trade-off some properties and usually this is between hardness/edge retention and toughness. The bet in knifemaking is to find the best steel, heat treatment and of course geometry for your knife, in order to perform optimal in specific tasks.

Steel acquires its properties (see above) through heat treatment. In this procedure the steel is heated in high temperature (called austenitizing temperature) where it changes its structure and then it is quenched in a medium (oil/water/air) in order to “lock” and keep that structure. The new phase of the steel (which is now called martensite) gives us the desired properties of the steel , hardness, strength etc. Then it is tempered (re-heated into lower temperature) to release stresses and define hardness according to our needs. Also, almost all steels benefit from an extra treatment, called “cryo teatment”, where the steel is placed, before tempering, in liguid nitrogen (or even dry ice / alcohol solution) dewar for couple of hours. This procedure, which badly is considered by many an extra (due to cost), helps extract even more hardness ( through carbide precipitation/reduced retained austenite) .

The procedure may sound easy, but it requires perfect timing and preparation as is one of the most crucial steps in the knifemaking process. It requires countless hours of testing, knowledge of metallurgy and proper equipment.

Choosing the best steel means you’ll have the best kitchen knife, right?

Well, no…!

Read on to learn about the factors that determine knife performance and find out which one is the most important, and which one we haven’t mentioned yet.

A knife’s performance in a specific task depends directly on several factors, including steel composition, heat treatment, blade geometry, thickness behind the edge, and sharpening angle. Weight and overall knife shape also influence performance, although their effect is more indirect and depends largely on the specific task and the user’s preferences.

The choice of steel should depend on the properties you are looking for, such as edge retention, toughness, ease of sharpening, and corrosion resistance.

Below, I’ll try to categorize some of the most popular options available for kitchen knives.

A high alloy steel with a high carbide volume, particularly carbides containing elements such as vanadium, niobium, tungsten, and others, can offer excellent wear resistance and edge retention, especially when combined with high hardness. However, a high carbide volume can make the steel more difficult to sharpen and can make it less suitable for achieving a very fine, refined edge. Depending on the steel and its microstructure, high carbide volume can also reduce toughness.

A low alloy steel with a relatively simple composition and low levels of impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus can offer excellent toughness and can take a very fine, refined edge. With fewer and smaller carbides, these steels can also be easier to sharpen. However, they generally offer lower wear resistance than high-alloy, carbide-rich steels.

A stainless  steel contain sufficient chromium to form a protective passive layer, with approximately 10.5% chromium generally considered the minimum required for a steel to be classified as stainless. Other alloying elements, particularly molybdenum, can further improve corrosion resistance. Generally speaking, stainless steels tend to have lower toughness than comparable non-stainless steels when optimized for similar hardness and edge retention. The increased alloy content, particularly chromium, changes the steel’s microstructure and carbide formation, which can affect toughness, edge behavior, and sharpening response. However, this is a general tendency rather than a universal rule. Stainless steels can also offer excellent edge retention, but this depends primarily on factors such as carbide type and volume, hardness, and microstructure rather than simply on the fact that the steel is stainless.

A non stainless steels often referred to as carbon steels in the knife world, generally have lower corrosion resistance and can offer excellent toughness and the ability to take a very fine edge. Their specific properties, however, depend on their composition and heat treatment, so not all non-stainless steels behave in the same way.

It is also important to note that these categories can overlap. For example, a steel can be both stainless and high-alloy, such as a high-carbide stainless steel, or stainless and relatively low-alloy. Likewise, non-stainless steels can range from simple low-alloy steels to highly alloyed tool steels.

Heat treatment directly affects the properties of a steel, including hardness, wear resistance, toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance.
Unfortunately, heat treatment cannot be properly explained in just a few words, paragraphs, or even pages. For now, keep in mind that you cannot directly compare two steels simply by looking at their chemical composition and saying that one has “more of X” than the other. The amount of an individual element does not tell the whole story. The interaction between alloying elements, the resulting microstructure, and the heat treatment all play an important role in determining the final properties of the steel. With that said, even with the same geometry, a steel hardened to 62 HRC can outperform a steel hardened to 64 HRC in terms of edge retention or toughness, depending on the steels involved, their alloy content, microstructure, and intended use. Higher hardness does not automatically mean better overall performance. As mentioned above, heat treatment affects hardness, edge retention, toughness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. In the end, it plays a critical role in determining how the potential of a particular steel is actually realized in the finished knife.

And here it is, the most important factor affecting a knife’s cutting ability!

The most common blade geometries include convex, hollow, flat, S-grind, and combinations of these. Depending on the geometry and the thickness of the blade, both at the spine and behind the edge, a knife can have significantly different levels of cutting efficiency, edge stability, food release, and resistance to lateral or abusive forces. In general, a thinner knife, both behind the edge and through the spine, will usually cut more efficiently than a thicker one. An S-grind can improve food release by reducing the amount of blade surface in contact with the food, while a convex geometry can provide additional support behind the edge and improve edge stability, particularly under heavier use. In general, lower sharpening angles can provide better cutting performance, but they must be appropriate for the steel, hardness, edge geometry, and intended use. If the edge is taken too thin for the material and the way the knife is used, it can deform, roll, or even chip.

Yes, performance is important, but looks are important too!

Don’t forget that we should enjoy the entire cooking process, and a good looking knife can make the experience more enjoyable. Try to choose knives that appeal to you aesthetically, but don’t compromise on ergonomics. Hard angles, sharp transitions, or unusual shapes can create «hot spots» and become uncomfortable during prolonged use. Also, make sure that the materials used for both the blade and the handle are suitable for the type of use you intend to put the knife through. A beautiful knife is great, but it should also be able to withstand the conditions it will be exposed to.

Now, with all of this in mind, how do you choose a steel that will perform well in your kitchen? How do you find a steel that suits your needs?

Below, you’ll find some questions you should ask yourself before choosing a kitchen knife:

What task will you perform most often? Slicing meat, chopping vegetables, filleting fish, or something else?

How important is edge retention to you? Would you rather have an edge that stays sharp for longer, or a knife that is easier and faster to sharpen?

Are you comfortable sharpening and maintaining your knives yourself?

How important is corrosion resistance to you? Are you comfortable wiping and drying your knife regularly, or would you prefer something more resistant to staining and rust?

How important is toughness to you? Do you want a knife that can tolerate occasional mistakes and harder use, or are you willing to treat the edge more carefully in exchange for higher edge retention and cutting performance?

Now, with all of this in mind, how do you choose a steel that will perform well in your kitchen? How do you find a steel that suits your needs?

Below, you’ll find some questions you should ask yourself before choosing a kitchen knife:

What task will you perform most often? Slicing meat, chopping vegetables, filleting fish, or something else?

How important is edge retention to you? Would you rather have an edge that stays sharp for longer, or a knife that is easier and faster to sharpen?

Are you comfortable sharpening and maintaining your knives yourself?

How important is corrosion resistance to you? Are you comfortable wiping and drying your knife regularly, or would you prefer something more resistant to staining and rust?

How important is toughness to you? Do you want a knife that can tolerate occasional mistakes and harder use, or are you willing to treat the edge more carefully in exchange for higher edge retention and cutting performance?

Below you will find information about few popular (and some rare) kitchen knife steels available mostly in the handmade knife market, in order to know where to look further and what to expect. The list does not cover, by any means, the variety of the kitchen knife steels available. Please note that some good/average steels may perform exceptionally (and even better from more expensive and high end steels) depending the use and type of knife. Also the following listing is based mostly on the wear resistance /edge holding of a steel rather than edge stability or toughness.

Top options

Premium, high wear resistant stainless steels, that take a good edge (often referred as super steels).

MAGNACUT : The latest development in cutlery steels, MagnaCut is manufactured with PM metallurgy that means great purity and grain size. It features an amazing toughness to edge retention ratio which means that is top choice for those fine kitchen knife edges.

ELMAX : A high-end, steel alloy which is considered a super steel. Its high content of vanadium, molybdenum and chromium contributes to  high wear and corrosion resistance as well as edge retention. One of the best options for stainless, wear resistant, kitchen knives.

SG2: A high end alloy steel from Takefu Japan with very good wear resistance that can take an exceptional edge. One of my favorites for kitchen knives as it provides good balance.

S60V / S90V/ S110V/ S125V : Crucible manufactures a series of high-end alloy steels with amazing edge retention abilities. These steels contains high amounts of Carbon, Vanadium and Chromium that form high amounts of carbides (wear resistance) and contain enough chromium for corrosion resistance. The larger the number of the steel, the more wear resistant (60<90<110<125) which mean difficult machining, polishing and sharpening. Preferably used on kitchen knives that take heavy work load with -not so- acute edges.

M390 :  Top knife making option but very rare for kitchen knives. It is produced by third generation powder metal technology that gives very fine grain, high wear resistance with good toughness.  It has exceptional corrosion resistance abilities and can be hardened to 62 HRC,  moderate difficult to sharpen. Equivalents CPM 20CV / CTS 204P.

MagnaMax :  is the latest steel developed by Dr. Larrin Thomas, combining exceptional hardness with outstanding corrosion resistance. Engineered for maximum edge retention, it sacrifices some toughness in favor of long-lasting cutting performance. This makes MagnaMax a unique choice, distinct from the steels commonly found in kitchen knives.

–NON stainless (Carbon) steels-

Apex Ultra : New knife steel developed especially for handmade knives. Low alloy with fine carbides make this steel easy to forge and sharpen. Well-balanced steel that has the highest toughness of all knife steels (in the 66+ HRC range). Top choice.

ZDP-189 : Non stainless, high chromium carbide super steel  from Hitachi. It can achieve extreme hardness of 64-67 HRC (contains very high amounts of carbon – 3%) and holds excellent edge for a long time. It is considered  difficult to sharpen and chips easily in those high hardness values. It contains very high amounts of chromium (20%) so it is promoted as stainless but in fact it is not as it forms chromium carbides.  Moderately hard to find cause of the manufacturer’s (Hitachi) strict policy to heat treatment (must be made in-house/ specific heat treating spots etc). Equivalent MC66. Used mostly on knives that must have a long lasting edge with moderate toughness.

CPM M4 : Non stainless, high alloy, high toughness steel (popular in cutting competitions) produced with Particle Metallurgy process, with working hardness 62-64 HRC. High levels of Molybdenum (hence the M in the M4). Excellent edge retention.

Shirogami 1 or White 1 (Hitachi): Very pure and famous steel for Japanese kitchen knives as it takes the finest edge among the Aogami/ Shirogami steel series. Gets super hard, holds a good edge for low alloy steel, it is very reactive (rust) and needs regular maintenance. Same steel as Blue 1 without Chromium and Tungsten.

Shirogami 2 or White 2 (Hitachi): Same steel as White 1 but with 0,10-0,30% less Carbon. Achieves great hardness and support excellently thin edges, a little bit tougher than white 1.

Shirogami 3 or White 3 (Hitachi): Same steel as White 2 but with 0,15-0,35% less Carbon. As you can see, the higher the number of reference, the lower the carbon content, the lower the max hardness but, the higher the toughness!

Aogami 1 or Blue 1 (Hitachi):  Very popular steel in Japanese kitchen knives. Non stainless and high carbon steel that can achieve high hardness and takes a fine edge (all Aogami steels are very pure). Easy to sharpen and good edge retention (for a low alloy steel)

Aogami 2 or Blue 2 (Hitachi): Virtually the same as Aogami 1 but a little bit tougher and less wear resistant/ edge holding.

Aogami Super or Blue super (Hitachi):  The best edge holding among the other two Aogami steels. It can achieve great hardness and take amazing fine edge but it requires the most attention of all also as it is the less tough.

In conclusion, the Shirogami / white steels take the best edge with white 1 to take the finest edge and white 3 being the toughest. The Aogami / Blue steels have the best edge retention with blue super being the most wear resistant and blue 1 being the most tough.

Very Good options:

Upper range steels. These are considered great for making knives by many knifemakers.

AEB-L : A steel that was originally developed for razor blades. It forms an extremely fine grain, have good edge holding, edge stability, toughness and it is easy to sharpen. A favorite among many knife makers, myself, included. 13C26 is similar (essentially the same) to AEB-L, steel developed for razor blades too. 14C28N is an improvement of 13C26 basically in the corrosion resistance department. Another steel that is similar and can fit in this “category” is 12c27 which is also a similar steel to 13C26/ AEB-L, with more Chromium (better corrosion resistance) and less Carbon (less wear resistance) though.

Niolox/SB1 : Good wear resistance, fine grained steel with decent toughness and easy to sharpen. It has 12,7 % Chromium that makes is stainless (or better, more stain resistant). Contains Niobium and Vanadium, which are great carbide formers.

CPM S30V, S35VN & S45VN : S30V was designed as a cutlery steel. Very good edge retention, good toughness for stainless and moderate easy to sharpen. S35VN is an “improved” version of S30V that hit the market in 2009.It is a bit tougher and has good corrosion resistance but has reduced edge retention. S45VN is the newest improvement (2019) with better edge retention than S35VN but slightly worse toughness. Better toughness than S30V (in higher hardness also).

154CM : A high carbon, stainless steel with Molybdenum added. It is preferred because it provides better edge retention in comparison with the other stainless steels.it is moderately hard to sharpen. The Japanese equivalent is ATS-34.

BG42 : A very good edge holding stainless steel used in the aerospace industry. It can achieve high Rockwell hardness (62) and it is known for its high strength, good corrosion resistance and fine grain structure. It is moderate hard to sharpen.

D2 : Semi stainless that hardens good, holds a good edge and has good wear resistance. It is moderate hard to sharpen.

VG-10 / VG-10 Cobalt:  Stain resistant steel that can achieve great hardness and very sharp edge. It doesn’t have great toughness though and it is prone to chipping especially in acute angles, but overall  is one very famous and favorite cutlery steel. There are two producers Takefu (Japan) which produces the VG10 and Ahonest Changjiang (China) which produces VG10 Cobalt. Their element composition is virtually the same.

440C : Probably the most well-known stainless steel out there. This happens to be to every household somehow and you probably used it at least once in your lifetime. Very corrosion resistant, good toughness and decent wear resistance, it doesn’t achieve the finest edge though.  Equivalents Bohler – Uddeholm N695 / Carpenter CTS-40P and more

–NON stainless (Carbon) steels-

1095 : This is a very simple, high carbon steel popular among knifemakers because it can be worked easily. It forms great hamon (differential hardening), rusts easily and doesn’t hold an edge very well comparing to other, alloy steels. Sharpens easy. Equivalent: UHB20C

W1 : Famous steel among knifemakers as it is easy to work with and creates fine edge. Good wear resistance for non stainless steel and good toughness depending on the heat treatment. Can be hardened to about 65 HRC. W2 is similar steel with a little more Vanadium.

52100 : Famous forging steel (also called ball bearing), usually used on hunting knives due to good toughness and decent wear resistance on high hardness. Has some minor applications on kitchen knives.

Average – Lower options:

Lower range steels: These steels are usually made for budget knives or specialized uses. Many of them are considered “good value for money” and some of them, may, under specific conditions perform (visually or on the field) very well.

N690 : Similar to VG10 with slightly higher amount of Chromium and Carbon. Stainless with slightly improved edge retention than VG10. Popular blade steel used from companies for mass production knives.

N680 :  Steel that was designed for high corrosion resistant applications like diving knives. Doesn’t harden enough for a good kitchen knife though.

VG-1 / O1 / 420 /420HC / 420J / 420J2 / 440A /440C / ATS-8A / 425M

Special Category:

The following steels have shown extreme wear resistant and edge holding capabilities. They are very (to extremely) hard to grind, polish and sharpen. The higher the hardness the lower the toughness.

CPM Rex 121: The king of wear resistance. It can achieve an amazing of 72 HRC with immense amount of carbides (about 25%). It is extremely difficult to sharpen at higher hardness.

Z max: Made with PM technology this steel can achieve hardness of 71 and show extreme edge holding. Low toughness though, as expected. Not stainless.

CPM 15V: Super wear resistant as well. With Carbon 3,4% and Vanadium about 15% is on the top wear resistant steels out there. Not stainless.

HAP72: Another high carbide steel from Hitachi. Can achieve hardness of 70 HRC and has extreme wear resistance capabilities.

Maxamet: Not stainless, high carbide steel that is top in wear resistance as well.

Damascus steel is made by forge welding two or more steels. The idea is to heat and weld the steel, create a pattern, acid etch the blade and create a nice aesthetic and eye pleasing result. Originally Damascus steel was originated from today’s India and Pakistan area and nowadays its “secret technique” is considered lost. At that time, the welding technique helped distributing impurities of the steel evenly and therefore creating a better/stronger blade. The Damascus blades are not considered top performance kitchen knives because of the poor performance steels used to make the patterns. Of course, there are some rare exceptions of damascus performing brilliantly!

A great example is the work of Damasteel which makes Damascus patterned steel with PM technology combining RWL 34 steel with PMC27 (for their DS93X variation). The final result is a very pure, fine grained stainless steel that performs amazingly, highly recommended!

4 different Damascus pattern examples