Edge retention refers to the material's ability to maintain a sharp cutting edge over time and through consistent use. A knife with high edge retention will stay sharp longer, reducing the frequency of sharpening and ensuring consistent cutting performance. This property is particularly important for knives used in tasks requiring precision and fine cuts, such as culinary applications or detailed woodworking. Edge retention is influenced by factors like the steel's hardness, carbide content, and microstructure. However, there is often a trade-off between edge retention and other properties like toughness and ease of sharpening.
Popular Knife Steels
| Carbon | Manganese | Phosphorus | Sulfur | Chromium | Molybdenum | Silicon | Tungsten | Vanadium | Copper | Nickel | Niobium | Nitrogen | Cobalt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1095 | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 154CM | 1% | - | - | - | 14% | 4% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 20CV | 2% | 0% | - | - | 20% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 4% | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3Cr13 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 13% | 0% | 0% | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | - | - |
| 420 | 0% | 1% | - | 0% | 14% | - | 1% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - |
| 440 | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 18% | 1% | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5160 | 1% | 1% | 0% | - | 1% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 52100 | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7Cr17 | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 17% | 1% | 1% | - | 0% | - | 1% | - | - | - |
| 8Cr13MoV | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 13% | 0% | 1% | - | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |
| 9Cr18Mo | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 17% | 1% | 1% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A2 | 1% | 1% | - | - | 5% | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - |
| AEB-L | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 13% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| AUS 6 | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 14% | - | 1% | - | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |
| AUS 8 | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 14% | 0% | 1% | - | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |
| CPM 3V | 1% | - | - | - | 8% | 1% | - | - | 3% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM 4V | 1% | 0% | - | - | 5% | 3% | 1% | - | 4% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM 9V | 2% | 1% | - | - | 5% | 1% | 1% | - | 9% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM 10V | 2% | 1% | - | - | 5% | 1% | 1% | - | 10% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM 15V | 3% | 1% | - | - | 5% | 1% | 1% | - | 15% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM 20CV | 2% | 0% | - | - | 20% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 4% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM M4 | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | 4% | 5% | 1% | 6% | 4% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM MagnaCut | 1% | - | - | - | 11% | 2% | - | - | 4% | - | - | 2% | 0% | - |
| CPM CruWear | 1% | - | - | - | 8% | 2% | - | 1% | 2% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM REX 45 | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | 4% | 5% | 1% | 6% | 3% | - | - | - | - | 8% |
| CPM S30V | 1% | - | - | - | 14% | 2% | - | - | 4% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM S35VN | 1% | - | - | - | 14% | 2% | - | - | 3% | - | - | 1% | - | - |
| CPM S45VN | 1% | - | - | - | 16% | 2% | - | - | 3% | - | - | 1% | 0% | - |
| CPM S60V | 2% | 0% | - | - | 17% | 0% | 0% | - | 6% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM S90V | 2% | - | - | - | 14% | 1% | - | - | 9% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CPM S110V | 3% | 0% | - | - | 15% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 9% | - | - | 3% | - | 3% |
| CPM SPY27 | 1% | 1% | - | - | 14% | 2% | 1% | - | 2% | - | - | 1% | 0% | 2% |
| Cru-Wear | 1% | - | - | - | 8% | 2% | - | 1% | 2% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CTS BD1 | 1% | 1% | - | - | 16% | 0% | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - |
| CTS XHP | 2% | 1% | - | - | 16% | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |
| D2 | 2% | 0% | - | - | 12% | 1% | 0% | - | 1% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Elmax | 2% | 0% | - | - | 18% | 1% | 1% | - | 3% | - | - | - | - | - |
| H1 | 0% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 15% | 1% | 4% | - | - | - | 7% | - | 0% | - |
| H2 | 0% | 0% | 0% | - | 14% | 2% | 3% | - | - | 0% | 8% | - | 0% | - |
| K390 | 2% | 0% | - | - | 4% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 9% | - | - | - | - | 2% |
| M-2 | 1% | 0% | - | - | 4% | 5% | 0% | 6% | 2% | - | - | - | - | - |
| M390 | 2% | 0% | - | - | 20% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 4% | - | - | - | - | - |
| N690 | 1% | 0% | - | - | 17% | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | 2% |
| M398 | 3% | 1% | - | - | 20% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 7% | - | - | - | - | - |
| Maxamet | 2% | 0% | - | 0% | 5% | - | 0% | 13% | 6% | - | - | - | - | 10% |
| O1 | 1% | 1% | - | - | 1% | - | 1% | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |
| Sandvik 12C27 | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 14% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| VG 10 | 1% | 1% | 0% | - | 15% | 1% | 1% | - | 0% | - | - | - | - | 1% |
| W1 | 1% | 0% | - | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |
| W2 | 1% | 0% | - | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | - | 0% | - | - | - |