How toChoose aKnife3 Steel Properties to Consider

Blade steel has four primary characteristics. Excellence in one category may mean compromised performance in another, so it’s important to figure out which characteristics are most valuable for the situations you’ll be using the knife for.

Here are the four blade steel characteristics you need to know.

The Rockwell Hardness Scale (abbreviated as HRC for Rockwell scale C) is the industry standard for measuring a blade’s hardness—think of it as a gauge of the steel’s ability to resist deformation.

The test involves pressing a diamond or steel ball indenter into the steel with a specific amount of force before measuring the depth of the resulting indentation. The deeper the mark left by the indenter, the softer the steel.

Picture this: It’s just past dawn in the quiet clearing where you pitched your tent for the night. You get a fire going, hang your percolator above the flames, and start chopping onions, bell peppers, and fingerling potatoes with your trusty compact folding knife. 

After frying the veggies and mixing in sausage, eggs, and cheese, you’ll soon be feasting on a savory breakfast skillet. Each ingredient adds to the dish’s flavor—much like the final “flavor” of a blade steel is determined by the ingredients (or elements) it’s made of.

A metallurgist is a mineral expert who studies the properties of metals and applies that knowledge to practical applications like metal production. In the context of blade steels, metallurgists are like chefs. They decide which elements to put into the steel and what proportion to use to get the desired result.