Knife steel profiles

Researched from published material properties and manufacturer specifications

Quick answer

Published hardness and the real trade between edge retention, toughness and sharpening effort, one steel at a time. There are 14 tables in this set, each one worked through for a specific combination rather than described in general terms.

Common questions

Where do these figures come from?

Every number on these pages is calculated from the same material properties and published manufacturer specifications that the calculators use, so the two can never disagree. Each page is labelled as resting on either a published standard or a kitchen convention, and where no defensible figure exists the page says so rather than inventing one.

Why are there so many of these pages?

Because the useful answer is almost always specific. A page that tells you what size pan four seared portions need is far more useful than a page about pan sizing in general, and there are genuinely that many combinations worth working through. Each one carries its own worked table rather than a generic one.

Are the prices on these pages current?

Product prices come from live retailer data at build time and they move constantly, which is why every product card carries that warning rather than presenting a figure as fixed. The calculated figures, meaning areas, capacities, temperatures and hardness, do not change.

Related on this site