However if manufacturers go over the top with too much carbon it can make the steel brittle and also increases proneness to corrosion.
High carbon knife steel chart.
The most well rounded steels like cpm 154 and 154cm create an even shape while a steel like cpm 3v is severe due to high toughness and lower scores in all other categories.
Generally considered the king of the 420 steels 420hc is similar to 420 steel but with increased levels of carbon hc stands for high carbon which makes the steel harder.
1095 a popular high carbon steel for knives.
1055 cold steel slant tip machete.
There is not enough chromium to make it a stainless steel but the chromium has been added to strengthen the material.
Honestly i m not a big fan of high carbon low end steel but it s a really decent steel for knives its has a good edge retention hardness wear resistance and toughness but some of the high carbon alloys lacks chromium which is the case for the 80crv2 so if it s used in a knife it will be very corrosion prone therefore it will always need to be taken care of after humid usages.
Popular high carbon steel knives.
They can take and keep a very sharp edge.
A high carbon stainless steel used in many production knives.
A glorified pry bar of a knife will not become a super slicer just because it has a high carbide super steel that is conceived with edge retention in mind and in the same vein an anemic filleting knife in cpm 3v will not be optimal as a beater rough duty blade just because it features a tough steel.
It is harder but more brittle than lower carbon steels such as 1055 1060 1070 and 1080.
The 10xx series is the most popular choice for carbon steel used in knives as well as katanas.
Buck can really bring out the best in this affordable steel using quality heat treatments.
Knife steels are typically described as high carbon if they contain more than 0 5 carbon and these generally what you want to look for in a knife steel.
1095 esee izula.
440a is used in many production knives because of its edge retention ease of resharpening and corrosion resistance.
The charts below aid visualization of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular knife steel.
High carbon stainless steels this grade of stainless can be hardened to a greater degree than 420 grade steel allowing for greater strength and wear resistance.
5160 steel this is plain carbon steel 1060 that has been mixed with a little bit of chromium.
A good balance of edge retention easy resharpening and corrosion resistance.
9cr18mov is a chinese high end stainless steel high in chromium and mid high in carbon for great corrosion resistance it s mainly used for in corrosion resistance demanding tools like stainless steel blades knives surgical blades cutlery.
A high chromium stainless steel which exibits an excellent balance of hardness and corrosion resistance.