Types of Steel for Knife Making
Iron is by far the main ingredient in steel.
Simple steel used for blades has a “high” carbon content of, but not limited to, roughly one-half of a percent to two percent of carbon.
Carbon in the steel makes it “hardenable” with heat treatment.
With time, trial and error, and great study, many talented people have added other ingredients into the steel to add various properties to make it perform differently for different purposes. We will focus here on blade steel.
This is only a partial list and does not include all types used for knife making.
The carbon steels are 1040, 45, 50, 60, 75, 1084, and 1095, for a few.
Complex high alloy steel
Stainless steels