Blade Steel Reference Chart
Seven common knifemaking steels compared side by side. Composition for the 10xx steels (1075, 1084, 1095) is definitional from the AISI designation; O1 and 52100 composition ranges are from published material guides; 80CrV2 and 15N20 composition figures come from knife-steel retailer pages and a community reference thread and are the weaker-sourced figures in this table, since neither is a single controlled alloy-registry spec the way 10xx/O1/52100 are.
| Steel | Category | Composition | Austenitize | Quench | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1075 | Plain carbon | ~0.75% carbon, ~0.4-0.7% manganese, plain carbon steel | 1500°F (816°C) | Oil quench (medium speed) is the common default for blade-thin stock | Leaner carbon (and typically leaner manganese) than 1084/1095 — a common choice for larger blades (swords, choppers) that need more toughness, at some cost to max hardness and edge-holding. Its hardenability varies more by supplier batch than 1084's does — confirm oil is fast enough for YOUR bar stock rather than assuming it from this steel's name alone. |
| 1084 | Plain carbon | ~0.84% carbon, ~0.72-0.90% manganese, plain carbon steel | 1500°F (816°C) | Fast to medium oil quench | A widely recommended first steel for beginner bladesmiths — its relatively high manganese content (compared to 1095) gives real hardenability, so it hardens fully in an ordinary oil quench without needing an exotic fast quenchant. |
| 1095 | Plain carbon | ~0.95% carbon, ~0.30-0.50% manganese, plain carbon steel | 1475°F (802°C) | Fast oil quench for blade-thin stock (~1/8in or less); low hardenability means thicker stock may need water/brine to fully harden | Higher carbon than 1084, but its LOWER manganese (not the extra carbon) is what makes it genuinely less forgiving to quench — 1095 is metallurgist-classed as a low-hardenability, water-hardening steel. A fast oil can fully harden thin (~1/8in) blade stock, but published quench-oil testing found even a fast oil failed to fully harden 1/4in-thick 1095; thicker stock needs water or brine, which is a more dangerous quenchant (stress risers can crack the blade) and not a beginner-friendly step. |
| 15N20 | Alloy tool steel | ~0.75% carbon, ~2.0% nickel, ~0.4% manganese | 1480°F (804°C) | Medium oil quench | Most often paired with a carbon steel like 1084 in pattern-welded (Damascus) billets, since its nickel content resists the acid etch used to reveal the layer pattern — but it's also a legitimate mono-steel in its own right (comparable to AISI L6 minus chromium), used alone for tough utility and kitchen blades. |
| 52100 | Alloy tool steel | ~1.0% carbon, ~1.4% chromium — a bearing-steel alloy | 1545–1615°F (841–879°C) | Medium oil quench | Originally a ball-bearing steel. Its higher hardenability than plain carbon steel actually makes it EASIER to fully harden in oil, not harder — the real challenge is that it ships spheroidized and needs a genuine soak (sometimes with thermal cycling first) to get enough carbon into solution. Wear resistance is good for a low-alloy steel, though not as high as more heavily-alloyed wear-resistant steels. |
| 80CrV2 | Alloy tool steel | ~0.80-0.85% carbon with chromium and vanadium additions — a tough spring-steel-family alloy | 1545–1615°F (841–879°C) | Medium oil quench | A tough, impact-resistant choice popular for chopping/camp knives and axes, in the same role as 5160 but with meaningfully more carbon (~0.80% vs. 5160's ~0.60%), so it takes a harder edge. Its vanadium addition is a well-established grain-refining mechanism (fine vanadium carbides pin grain boundaries and suppress grain growth), not just a maker's folk belief. |
| O1 | Alloy tool steel | ~0.90% carbon with manganese, chromium, tungsten, and a small (~0.20%) vanadium addition — a classic oil-hardening tool steel | 1450–1500°F (788–816°C) | Medium oil quench | A tool-steel workhorse outside knifemaking too (dies, punches); its alloy additions give more consistent, predictable hardening than plain carbon steel, at higher material cost. |
This is a comparison reference, not a substitute for your steel supplier's datasheet. See the heat-treat schedule lookup for the full per-steel guidance and sourcing.