High Carbon and Tool Steel Knife Blanks
High carbon tool steels for a knife that has to hold its edge: D2 (Böhler K110) and Uddeholm Sleipner, ground, then hardened at Voestalpine. They trade a little corrosion resistance for wear resistance, so wipe the blade dry after use.
What we stock
Sleipner at 60-62 HRC: Uddeholm’s improvement on D2, with a finer carbide structure that gives better toughness and a cleaner edge. Kitchen profiles run 60-61 HRC and selected models come with a stonewash finish.
D2 at high hardness: the classic tool steel, sold by Voestalpine as K110. Semi-stainless, excellent wear resistance, well priced.
Rigor: a dimensionally stable tool steel for specific profiles.
Living with a tool steel
Like all carbon steel knives, these blades will develop a patina and can spot if left wet. That is normal and, for many makers, part of the appeal; a used carbon steel blade tells you where it has been. What it is not is a knife to leave in the sink.
If the blade will see constant moisture or salt water, choose a stainless or a powder stainless instead. For dry work with long cutting sessions, a tool steel outperforms both at the price.
After laser cutting, the blades are ground in our own workshop, most of them by hand, through 40, 120 and 240 grit, then vacuum heat treated at Voestalpine and shipped sharpened unless the order note asks otherwise, with free laser engraving.
Browse carbon and tool steels
Related reading: what HRC really means and choosing steel for outdoor and EDC knives.