Browse knife steels grouped by material category.
VG-10 is a Japanese stainless steel from Takefu Special Steel, widely used in Spyderco and Japanese production knives. It offers an excellent combination of sharpness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance.
AUS 10 is a high-end Japanese stainless steel from Aichi Steel. With higher carbon content than AUS 8, it offers better edge retention and hardness while maintaining good corrosion resistance.
AUS 8 is one of the most popular mid-range knife steels in the world. Made by Aichi Steel in Japan, it provides a solid balance of sharpness, corrosion resistance, and ease of sharpening at an accessible price.
AUS 6 is a lower-grade Japanese stainless steel used in entry-level and budget knives. It is very easy to sharpen but requires frequent honing due to limited edge retention.
440A has the lowest carbon content of the 440 series, making it the softest but most corrosion-resistant of the three. It is used in budget knives and applications where rust resistance is prioritized over hardness.
440C is the highest-carbon variant in the 440 series and was once considered a premium steel. It offers good hardness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance, and remains popular in mid-range production knives.
The 440 series is a family of martensitic stainless steels including 440A, 440B, and 440C. Generic '440 stainless' labeling on budget knives often means 440A or 440B — the lower-performing variants.
420 stainless is one of the most common and inexpensive knife steels. It is very corrosion-resistant and easy to sharpen but holds an edge poorly, making it suitable mainly for budget or decorative knives.
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