Knife Steel Heat Treat Calculator
Pick a common blade steel to see its austenitizing temperature, quench medium, and temper guidance.
~0.84% carbon, ~0.72-0.90% manganese, plain carbon steel
1084 heat-treat schedule
Austenitize: 1500°F (816°C). Heat to 1,500°F.
Quench: Fast to medium oil quench
Temper: Temper at least once for 30 minutes; two 2-hour tempers preferred. Target temperature: Roughly 400-450°F for a working-knife hardness around Rc58-60; lower temper temperatures raise hardness further at the cost of toughness. (weaker-sourced figure — see FAQ)
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.
Don't water-quench blade-thin stock of any of these steels — water cools much faster and less evenly than oil, and concentrates stress right where a thin edge meets a thick spine, risking a crack. Thicker stock of a low-hardenability steel like 1095 may genuinely need water or brine to fully harden; that's a more advanced, more dangerous step, not a beginner default.
Quenching in oil can flash-ignite. Keep a metal lid within arm's reach to smother a flame, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and keep the blade fully submerged until it stops steaming.
See the full blade steel reference chart to compare steels, or the forge & temper color guide to judge temperature by eye.
Frequently asked questions
- Where does this data come from?
- Austenitizing temperature, quench medium, and temper guidance are sourced from Alpha Knife Supply's published heat-treating information, a reference widely used as a starting point in the hobbyist bladesmithing community. It is not a steel mill's own certified datasheet.
- Can I use these exact numbers for my own blade?
- Treat this as a starting reference, not a guarantee. Exact schedules vary by steel mill, the bar or billet's cross-section, and the hardness/toughness balance you're after. If your steel supplier provides its own datasheet, follow that over this chart.
- Can I quench any of these steels in water?
- Usually no, and it's a more dangerous quenchant even when it works: water's fast, uneven cooling concentrates stress right where a blade is thinnest (a thin edge next to a thick spine), risking a crack. Most steels on this page are oil-hardening. The one exception is 1095, which is metallurgist-classed as low-hardenability — thin (~1/8in) blade stock can fully harden in a fast oil, but thicker stock may need water or brine to harden at all, which is not a beginner-friendly step. See the blade steel reference chart for each steel's specific quench guidance.
- How do I pick a temper temperature?
- Higher temper temperatures trade some hardness for more toughness; lower temper temperatures keep more hardness at some cost to toughness. This page gives the number of temper cycles and hold time reported for each steel — the target temperature within that process depends on the hardness/toughness balance you want for the blade's use. See the forge & temper color guide for how temper color relates to temperature.
- Is quenching in oil dangerous?
- Hot oil can flash-ignite, so treat it with real respect: keep a metal lid within arm's reach to smother a flame if one starts, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, do the quench somewhere with good ventilation and no water nearby, and keep the blade fully submerged and moving until it stops steaming rather than pulling it in and out.
- Is my data uploaded anywhere?
- No. Everything runs in your browser — nothing you enter is sent to a server.