There is a lot of noise talked about knife steel. Every year brings a new "super steel" that supposedly changes everything. The truth is simpler: a knife's performance comes from three things working together — the steel, the heat treatment the maker gives it, and the edge geometry. A brilliant steel with a lazy heat treat will lose to a humble steel done properly.
We stock knives from WE Knife Co., CIVIVI, SENCUT, Spyderco, Cold Steel, CRKT, Kershaw, Honey Badger, Browning and Winchester — makers with their own foundries, heat treats and priorities. Below is every blade steel we currently sell, what it genuinely does well, and where it compromises. Where a steel is entry-level, we say so.
The Four Things That Actually Matter
- Edge retention — how long the blade stays sharp with use.
- Toughness — resistance to chipping or breaking under stress.
- Corrosion resistance — how well it shrugs off moisture, sweat, blood and salt.
- Ease of sharpening — how quickly you can bring the edge back on a stone.
You will also see a hardness figure on the Rockwell C scale (HRC). Most quality folders land between 58 and 62 HRC. Harder blades hold an edge longer but tend to be more brittle and harder to sharpen; softer blades are tougher and easier to touch up.
For most of the history of knifemaking, no steel could win on all four — improving one cost you another. That was simply metallurgical fact, and it is why this page is full of trade-offs. It is also why CPM MagnaCut caused the stir it did. The best steel is still the one that matches how you actually use the knife.
Every Steel We Stock, Side by Side
Ratings are relative to one another on a 1–5 scale, and HRC figures are typical published working ranges for production knives.
| Steel | Typical HRC | Edge retention | Toughness | Corrosion | Sharpening | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6Cr13 | 55–57 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Replaceable blade |
| German 4116 | 55–57 | 1 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 | Value |
| 8Cr13MoV | 57–59 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 5 | Value |
| 9Cr18MoV | 58–60 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4.5 | Value |
| 440C | 57–59 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | Value |
| AUS-10A | 58–60 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | Value |
| 14C28N | 58–62 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | Value |
| AEB-L | 59–61 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | Value |
| VG-10 | 59–61 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Mid-range |
| Nitro-V | 59–62 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Mid-range |
| CTS BD1N | 60–62 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Mid-range |
| D2 | 58–62 | 3.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | Tool steel |
| CPM S30V | 58–61 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 3 | Premium |
| CPM S35VN | 58–61 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | Premium |
| CPM SPY27 | 59–61 | 3.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | Premium |
| CPM S45VN | 58–61 | 4 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3 | Premium |
| CPM CRU-WEAR | 60–63 | 4 | 4.5 | 2 | 3 | Tool steel |
| CPM 20CV | 59–61 | 4.5 | 3 | 4.5 | 2.5 | Super steel |
| Böhler M390 | 60–62 | 4.5 | 3 | 4.5 | 2.5 | Super steel |
| CPM MagnaCut | 60–63 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 3.5 | Super steel |
Value Stainless Steels
8Cr13MoV
A Chinese stainless that has been the backbone of affordable folders for two decades. Modest edge retention, but genuinely tough, easy to sharpen on anything, and forgiving of neglect. You will find it across the Honey Badger Cross-Bolt FRN range and on the Spyderco Tenacious, where the point is a knife you use hard and sharpen often rather than one you baby.
9Cr18MoV
A Chinese high-carbon stainless, broadly comparable to American 440C. Roughly 18% chromium gives it genuinely good corrosion resistance, and it sharpens easily on almost any stone. Edge retention is modest — it will not hold an edge like a super steel, and we would rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. What it is, is honest, low-maintenance value: the workhorse across most of our SENCUT range and entry-level CIVIVI models.
German 4116
A Solingen stainless used across quality European kitchen cutlery, and the steel behind the Cold Steel Pro Lite. It does not hold an edge for long and it does not pretend to. What it does is resist rust well, take a very keen edge quickly, and come back on a basic stone in minutes. On a knife at this price that genuinely gets used, that is the right trade.
440C
The old American benchmark, and still the sensible choice for a traditional hunting knife — which is exactly where you will find it, on the Browning Hunter. High carbon and high chromium give real corrosion resistance, and it sharpens back without a fight after a long day in the field. Modern powder steels beat it on paper; very few beat it on ease of living with.
AUS-10A
A Japanese stainless with a little more carbon than the AUS-8 many people know, and the steel in the Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter. It holds a keen edge respectably, resists corrosion well, and — the part that matters on a hunting knife — sharpens easily in camp without a workshop full of stones.
14C28N
A fine-grained Swedish stainless developed by Sandvik, with a small nitrogen addition. It punches well above its price: very tough, resistant to rust, takes an extremely keen edge, and is easy to bring back on a stone. It gives up some outright edge retention to do it. Excellent for a hard-use everyday carry or a knife that may get knocked about — it is what we use in the CIVIVI Cibus kitchen knives, what the upgraded Honey Badger G10 and Black FRN Cross-Bolts run, and what sits inside the Kershaw Leek.
AEB-L
A Swedish razor-blade stainless and a close cousin of 14C28N. Its very fine grain structure means it takes a superb edge and is unusually tough for a stainless, with good corrosion resistance and easy sharpening in exchange for moderate edge retention. You will find it on the CIVIVI Carveth in our fixed blade range.
6Cr13
A soft, highly corrosion-resistant stainless that is extremely easy to sharpen but does not hold an edge for long. That is by design: we only stock it where the blade is replaceable, in the Elementum Utility. A fresh edge is a new blade away.
Mid-Range Workhorses
VG-10
The Japanese cutlery stainless that made Spyderco's reputation in Seki-City, and still the steel in the Delica 4. Vanadium and cobalt give it a well-judged balance: good edge retention, good corrosion resistance, and — unusually for a steel that performs this well — it sharpens back to hair-splitting on ordinary stones without a fight. It has been in production for decades because the balance is genuinely hard to improve on at the price.
Nitro-V
An American nitrogen-enhanced stainless in the same family as 14C28N and AEB-L, with a little vanadium added. It holds an edge slightly better than either while keeping their toughness, corrosion resistance and easy sharpening. A sensible step up, and common across the CIVIVI EDC range.
CTS BD1N
A nitrogen-enriched stainless from Carpenter Technology in Pennsylvania, and the steel in the Para Military 2 Lightweight. It sits in a genuinely useful middle ground — good edge retention, good toughness, good corrosion resistance — and is markedly easier to sharpen than the premium powder steels above it. If you want a full-size working folder you can maintain on a basic stone, this is the honest answer.
Tool Steels
These are not stainless. They trade corrosion resistance for wear resistance and toughness, and they ask you to look after them in exchange. In a dry Highveld climate that is easy. On the coast it is a commitment.
D2 — please read this one
A high-carbon tool steel with excellent wear resistance and an aggressively toothy edge that many people prefer for rope, cardboard and general work. But D2 is only semi-stainless. With around 12% chromium, much of it locked up in carbides, it can develop spots and a patina if left wet. In Lowveld or KwaZulu-Natal humidity, or anywhere near the coast, that is a real consideration rather than a technicality. Wipe it dry after use and give it a light oil now and then, and it repays you with a lot of edge for the money. You will find it on the CRKT Drifter in D2 and the Spyderco Tenacious R.I.L.
CPM CRU-WEAR
A powder-made tool steel and the choice on the Spyderco Para 3 CruCarta. It gives up corrosion resistance — less even than D2 — and buys back an unusually good pairing of edge retention and toughness. This is the steel to pick if you would rather an edge rolled than chipped, which on a hard-use knife is the failure mode you want. Keep it dry and oiled and it will outlast most stainless steels on edge holding.
Premium Powder Steels
These are made by compressing fine metal powders under enormous pressure, producing a cleaner and more uniform grain than conventionally melted steel. You will find them across our premium WE collection and on the upper Spyderco and Kershaw models.
CPM S30V
The steel that brought powder metallurgy into mainstream production knives, and still an excellent working choice. Fine, dense grain, a very keen edge, and far better edge retention than conventional stainless. It is a little harder to sharpen than the S35VN that succeeded it — the extra niobium in S35VN was added partly to address exactly that. The steel in the Kershaw Blur.
CPM S35VN
Crucible's American powder steel, developed with input from custom knifemakers as a refinement of S30V, with niobium added for finer grain and better toughness. It is the definition of a balanced premium steel — good edge retention, good toughness, good corrosion resistance, and importantly it is noticeably easier to sharpen than the top-tier super steels. If you want premium performance you can still maintain yourself at home, start here.
CPM SPY27
A steel Crucible developed exclusively for Spyderco. Think of it as VG-10 taken further — the proven balance, enriched with cobalt and other alloys, then made by the particle process for a far more uniform grain. It has a distinctive "sticky sharp" edge, excellent corrosion resistance, and it does not become a chore to sharpen. Found on the Sage 5 Lightweight, which is why those knives wear that particular blue.
CPM S45VN
A further refinement of S35VN with more chromium and nitrogen, buying better corrosion resistance and a little more edge retention for a small trade in toughness. A beautifully balanced modern blade steel.
CPM 20CV
Crucible's high-chromium, high-vanadium super steel: outstanding edge retention and outstanding corrosion resistance, with moderate toughness. It is harder to sharpen than the steels above, and you will want diamond stones for it. A flagship steel on our WE Knife Co. folders.
Böhler M390
The Austrian benchmark super steel, and for practical purposes 20CV's twin — the two share a near-identical recipe, and there is no meaningful performance gap between them. Choose the knife you like the look of rather than the stamp on the blade. Expect excellent edge retention, excellent corrosion resistance, moderate toughness, and diamond stones at sharpening time.
CPM MagnaCut
The steel that broke the old compromise, and the reason the table above has one row that does not look like the others.
Every steel on this page trades one property against another, because carbides — the hard particles that give a steel wear resistance — normally lock up the chromium that would otherwise fight rust. Metallurgist Larrin Thomas designed MagnaCut specifically around that problem, using vanadium and niobium carbides for wear resistance while leaving the chromium free in the steel matrix to do its corrosion-resisting job.
The result is a steel with the edge retention of a premium powder steel, the toughness of a good tool steel, and corrosion resistance better than almost anything else here — at the same time. It also sharpens more readily than 20CV or M390.
It is not magic and it is not free: it costs more, and a super-steel with poor heat treatment is still a poor knife. But if you have been told MagnaCut is overhyped, the honest answer is that this one largely earns it. You will find it on the Spyderco Manix 2 Salt and Sage 5 Salt and the Cold Steel Recon M1.
Damascus
Damascus is not a single steel but a pattern-welded blade: layers of steel are forge-welded together and then acid-etched to reveal flowing, one-of-a-kind patterns. No two blades come out identical.
Be clear about what you are buying it for. On our CIVIVI Damascus models the pattern is chosen primarily for its appearance, so judge the knife on its looks and on the fit and finish rather than expecting super-steel cutting performance. As a rule of thumb, treat a Damascus blade as a capable mid-range cutter and a genuine showpiece. Layer count is an aesthetic figure, not a performance one.
Blade Coatings
A coating is not a steel, but it changes how one behaves.
- Stonewash — a tumbled finish that hides scratches rather than showing every one. The sensible choice on a knife that will actually get used.
- DLC (diamond-like carbon) — a hard, non-reflective black coating that adds real wear resistance.
- TiCN (titanium carbonitride) — a vapour-deposited ceramic coating harder than most tool steels and chemically inert. On the Sage 5 Salt it sits over MagnaCut, which is two layers of corrosion protection on a steel that did not need help.
- Titanium nitride and similar — the grey and gold coatings you see on budget and mid-range blades. Mildly wear-resistant, mostly cosmetic, and they will wear through at the edge with use.
Handle Materials
The steel does the cutting, but the handle is what you actually hold.
- G10 — a tough fibreglass-and-epoxy laminate: light, grippy, and impervious to water. The everyday-carry workhorse.
- FRN — fibre-reinforced nylon, moulded rather than machined. Lighter and cheaper than G10 with a bit more flex, and effectively immune to water. The standard on hard-use working folders.
- Micarta — layered canvas or linen set in resin. Warm in the hand, grips better as your hands get wetter, and develops character with use. A favourite for hunting and field work.
- Titanium (6AL4V) — strong, light and effectively corrosion-proof. Used for frame locks and our high-end WE handles, and the best choice for coastal and wet conditions. Anodising it changes colour by oxide thickness rather than pigment, which is why flame-anodised handles are never quite identical.
- Aluminium — light and slim, often anodised in rich colours. Can feel cold and a little slick when wet.
- Carbon fibre — extremely light and stiff with an unmistakable premium look. Costs more and is less impact-tolerant than G10.
- Ultem — a translucent amber high-performance polymer: light, chemical-resistant and distinctive.
- Lexan — a clear, impact-resistant polycarbonate that shows off the knife's internals.
- Natural wood — Guibourtia and similar hardwoods. Beautiful and warm; keep it out of prolonged soaking.
- Stag and bone — the traditional handle materials, natural or imitation. Character over performance, and the right look on a classic pattern.
- Resin — cast and polished for depth of colour and pattern. A dress-knife finish.
Choosing for South African Conditions
Most steel guides are written for a climate that is not ours. Here is how the range maps onto the way knives actually get used in this country.
Everyday carry on the Highveld
Gauteng is dry for most of the year, so corrosion is a secondary concern and you can choose on edge retention and how much sharpening you enjoy. 14C28N, VG-10, CTS BD1N or Nitro-V for value; CPM S35VN or S30V if you want premium that is still easy to maintain yourself. If the knife is going to live in a toolbox or a bakkie door rather than a pocket, a Honey Badger Cross-Bolt in FRN or a CRKT Drifter is the sensible answer — cheap enough that you will actually use it.
Bushveld hunting and field dressing
You want enough edge retention to process an animal without stopping, enough toughness to survive contact with bone, and resistance to blood and stomach contents — which are salty and acidic and will stain a neglected blade. CPM MagnaCut is now the best answer if the budget allows, because it does not make you choose. CPM S35VN and S30V are the sensible all-rounders. AUS-10A and 440C are excellent easy-to-maintain choices on a traditional hunting folder, and 14C28N and AEB-L are hard to fault on a fixed blade.
Coastal and fishing — KZN, the Cape, humid Lowveld
Corrosion resistance leads here, and this is where CPM MagnaCut has changed the conversation. It resists salt better than anything else we stock while still holding a working edge through a session of cutting line and processing fish — which is why Spyderco's Salt Series knives use it. M390, CPM 20CV, CPM SPY27 and S45VN are the next strongest, with VG-10 and 14C28N close behind for the money. Titanium handles are a real advantage. We would steer you away from D2 and CRU-WEAR for salt exposure unless you are genuinely diligent about drying and oiling.
Kitchen, braai and biltong
You want easy sharpening, resistance to food acids, and something that cleans up quickly. 14C28N is ideal and is exactly why the Cibus kitchen range uses it. VG-10, AEB-L, Nitro-V and German 4116 are equally at home.
Looking After a Blade in This Climate
- After field dressing, rinse and dry the blade as soon as you reasonably can. Blood and stomach contents will stain even good stainless if left on overnight.
- After the coast, rinse salt off with fresh water, dry thoroughly, and put a light film of oil on the blade and the pivot.
- In humid areas, do not store a knife wet or leave it in a closed sheath long-term. A silica sachet in the drawer costs nothing.
- D2 and CRU-WEAR in particular want a wipe-down after every use and occasional oiling. They are tool steels, not stainless.
- Sharpening: value and mid-range steels come back on any decent stone. CPM 20CV and M390 want diamond or CBN abrasives. MagnaCut, S30V, S35VN, S45VN and SPY27 sit comfortably in between. Our sharpening range covers all of it, and if you own a premium powder steel, buy diamond — ceramic and carbide will blunt themselves against it.
Common Questions
What is CPM MagnaCut, and is it worth the money?
It is a powder steel designed by metallurgist Larrin Thomas to deliver edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance simultaneously, rather than trading one against the others as almost every steel before it did. For coastal, fishing and hunting use in South Africa it is the strongest all-round choice we stock. It costs more, and heat treatment still matters — but yes, it largely earns the reputation.
Is D2 stainless?
No — it is semi-stainless. It resists rust far better than plain carbon steel but can still spot and patina, so keep it dry and lightly oiled. CRU-WEAR is less stainless still.
What is the difference between M390 and CPM 20CV?
Almost nothing. They are near-identical recipes from two different mills, Böhler in Austria and Crucible in the United States, and they perform the same in use.
S30V or S35VN — which should I choose?
S35VN is the later refinement, with niobium added for finer grain, slightly better toughness and easier sharpening. In practice the difference is modest. Choose the knife, not the stamp.
What is the best all-round knife steel?
CPM MagnaCut, if the budget reaches. If not, CPM S35VN balances edge retention, toughness, corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening better than steels that chase a single number.
What is the best budget knife steel?
14C28N is hard to beat: tough, rust-resistant and easy to sharpen. AEB-L is its equal, and VG-10 is worth the small step up.
Which steel is best for the South African coast?
CPM MagnaCut, comfortably. M390, CPM 20CV or CPM S45VN after that, ideally with a titanium handle.
Do I need a diamond sharpener?
For 20CV, M390 and MagnaCut, yes — the vanadium carbides in those steels are harder than the abrasive in a standard ceramic or carbide sharpener, so anything else will struggle. For value and mid-range steels, any decent stone will do.
Still Not Sure?
Come and handle the range at our showroom in Kempton Park, or get in touch and tell us how you will actually use the knife. We would rather sell you the right one than the expensive one.
Veld Born SA.