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Edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance
This chart plots knife steels with edge retention on the horizontal axis and toughness on the vertical axis.
Circle size indicates corrosion resistance; larger circles denote better corrosion performance.
These values are based on Dr. Larrin Thomas's book Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry [1].
The plot does not include sharpness, as it depends strongly on sharpening technique, finishing, and carbide grain size.
This chart is an independent visualization based on published data by Dr. Larrin Thomas. Interpretation and presentation are by the author.
These ratings represent typical heat-treated performance ranges and do not account for edge geometry, finishing method, or sharpening strategy.
Download knife-steel-ratings.pdf
The yellow-orange diagonal line roughly indicates an empirical boundary between stainless steels and tool steels.
The upper-right region beyond this line is predominantly occupied by tool steels.
Advances in alloy design have enabled some stainless steels to extend toward tool-steel-like performance
while maintaining corrosion resistance.
The chart makes clear that many widely held preferences among experienced users are not subjective,
but rather reflect structural trade-offs in alloy design.
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© 2000 Takayuki HOSODA.