Böhler D2 (K110) Steel Knife Blade Blanks
D2 is the tool steel that made its name in knife making long before powder metallurgy existed, and it is still one of the most sensible choices on the bench. We use Böhler D2, sold as K110, in 3.85 mm stock, heat treated to 60–61 HRC.
What D2 actually is
A high-carbon, high-chromium cold work tool steel. At around 12% chromium it sits just below the threshold that would make it stainless — which is why D2 is often called semi-stainless. It resists rust far better than a plain carbon steel and still needs to be dried after use.
That chromium does not go to waste. It forms large, hard chromium carbides, and those carbides are what give D2 its wear resistance and its long working edge.
How it behaves
D2 holds an edge notably longer than our stainless steels at similar hardness. The trade is at the sharpening stone: the same coarse carbide structure that resists wear also resists your abrasive, and it means D2 will not take quite as fine an apex as a fine-grained steel like AEB-L.
In practice this makes D2 excellent for hard-use knives — hunting, camp, EDC, anything that cuts abrasive material and gets sharpened occasionally rather than constantly. At 3.85 mm the stock is substantial enough for a blade that will be pried with, batoned, or simply used without much sympathy.
How our D2 blanks are made
Steel comes directly from Voestalpine, Böhler's parent group. We laser cut and hand grind every blank in our own workshop on belt grinders using jigs we built ourselves; selected full flat models are CNC ground. The ground blades then go back to Voestalpine for hardening in industrial vacuum furnaces.
Every blade arrives at 60–61 HRC, sharpened to a 400 grit edge, drilled for handle pins, and laser engraved with your name free of charge.
Related categories
Related reading: what HRC really means and choosing steel for outdoor and EDC knives.