Knife steel chart

34 blade steels rated for edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance. Pick up to three to compare. Ratings are Ricochet editorial ratings (1 to 10) informed by producer data and published testing, not lab measurements.

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Edge retention	Toughness	Corrosion	Sharpening	Typical HRC
3.5	5	1	9	56-60
5	4.5	6.5	6.5	58-61
4	3.5	6.5	5.5	57-59
4.5	7.5	2	8	59-62
3	4.5	5.5	7.5	56-58
4.5	6.5	3	6.5	58-61
3.5	6.5	6.5	9	59-62
6	5	1.5	7	61-64
3	5	6	8	57-59
8.5	3.5	9.5	3.5	60-62
4.5	4.5	7.5	6.5	58-60
5.5	5.5	6.5	6.5	58-61
8.5	3.5	9.5	3.5	59-62
5.5	9	3	6	58-60
6.5	7.5	2.5	5	60-63
6.5	7	3	5	60-64
7	5.5	2.5	4.5	62-65
6.5	8.5	8	6	60-63
9.5	2.5	8.5	2.5	59-62
6.5	5	7.5	5.5	59-61
6	6	7.5	6	59-61
9	3	8	3	59-62
6	3.5	3.5	4.5	59-61
5	5.5	3	6	56-62
4	6.5	7.5	8.5	59-62
3.5	6	1.5	8.5	58-61
3	5.5	6.5	8.5	56-59
3.5	6	7	8	58-61
7	4.5	7.5	5.5	62-64
3.5	4.5	1	9.5	60-63
7.5	5	8	5	59-62
6.5	6.5	10	5	59-62
5	4.5	7	6.5	59-61
8.5	2.5	7	3.5	64-67

Popular comparisons

CPM MagnaCut vs CPM S35VN

CPM MagnaCut leads on edge retention (6.5 vs 6); CPM MagnaCut leads on toughness (8.5 vs 6); CPM MagnaCut leads on corrosion resistance (8 vs 7.5).

CPM MagnaCut vs CPM S30V

tie on edge retention (6.5/10); CPM MagnaCut leads on toughness (8.5 vs 5); CPM MagnaCut leads on corrosion resistance (8 vs 7.5).

CPM S35VN vs CPM S30V

CPM S30V leads on edge retention (6.5 vs 6); CPM S35VN leads on toughness (6 vs 5); tie on corrosion resistance (7.5/10).

Bohler M390 Microclean vs CPM S90V

CPM S90V leads on edge retention (9 vs 8.5); Bohler M390 Microclean leads on toughness (3.5 vs 3); Bohler M390 Microclean leads on corrosion resistance (9.5 vs 8).

VG-10 vs CPM S35VN

CPM S35VN leads on edge retention (6 vs 5); CPM S35VN leads on toughness (6 vs 4.5); CPM S35VN leads on corrosion resistance (7.5 vs 7).

D2 vs Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean

Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean leads on edge retention (7.5 vs 6); Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean leads on toughness (5 vs 3.5); Uddeholm Elmax SuperClean leads on corrosion resistance (8 vs 3.5).

Questions

What is the best knife steel?

There is no single best steel; it is a trade-off between edge retention, toughness, corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening. For a balance of all three in a pocket knife, modern powder steels such as MagnaCut and CPM-S35VN are popular. Use the compare tool on this page to weigh the trade-offs for your use.

How are these ratings produced?

They are Ricochet editorial ratings on a 1 to 10 scale, informed by producer datasheets and published testing such as Knife Steel Nerds. They are relative, not lab measurements, and real performance also depends on heat treatment, edge geometry and hardness.

What does HRC mean?

HRC is the Rockwell C hardness scale. Harder steels usually hold an edge longer but can be more brittle; the typical range shown is what knife makers commonly use, and individual knives vary.

Sources: nsm-ny.com, northriveroutdoors.com, nsm-ny.com, knifesteelnerds.com, nsm-ny.com, nsm-ny.com, alphaknifesupply.com, nsm-ny.com, knifesteelnerds.com, nsm-ny.com, nsm-ny.com, bohler-edelstahl.com. Per-steel sources are listed in each compare card.