10XX (Steel) - 1095 is the most common 10XX steel used for knife blades. 1045 steel has less carbon (.45%), where 1095 has more (.95%), inversely 1095 has less Manganese and 1045 has more. So in essence, 1095 steel would have more wear resistance, but would also be less tough. 1045 holds an okay edge, 1095 steel holds an edge great, and is easy to sharpen.
12C27 Sandvik (Steel)- A very pure alloy. Contains: 0.6% Carbon, 13.5% Chromium; 0.4% Maganese, .03% Phosphorus, 0.01% Sulfur, and 0.4% Silcon.
13C26 Sandvik (Steel)- this steel is similar in composition to the 12c27 steel but with a slight increase in Carbon and decrease in Chromium. This change in composition gives this steel a better edge retention.
14C28 Sandvik (Steel)- has an increase in Chromium for better stainless attributes not as much Carbon as 13c26 however what is unique is the added Nitrogen (.11%) which increases corrosion resistance and hardness to provide exceptional edge retention.
154-CM (Steel) - high quality steel. It has a carbon content of 1.05%. Holds an edge well and is a hard steel. It has pretty good toughness for how hard the steel is as well. It is tougher than 440C. This steel often gets compared to ATS-34 because the two are so similar.
4116 Krupp (Steel) - is used in a number of entry level Cold Steel fixed blades. Similar in composition to 420HC. However rumor has it that it has increased wear resistance. Contains: 0.45%-0.55% Carbon; 14%-15% Chromium; 0.5%-0.8% Molybdenum; 0.1%-0.2% Vanadium.
420 (Steel) - has about .38% carbon. The low carbon content means that this steel is very soft, and doesn't hold an edge well. It is low quality, low cost material. Many cheap knives tend to be made of this material because of its cost. Blades made from this material need to be sharpened frequently, and often chip. On the bright side, all 420 stainless steel is extremely rust resistant. This means that one of the best uses for this material is to make diving knives because of their constant contact with saltwater. Sometimes, you will also see 420J. 420J is the lowest quality 420 steel, but is also the most rust resistant.
420HC (Steel) - is used extensively in Buck knives. It has decent performance for comparative cost and has a higher Carbon content than other 420 steels. Contains: 0.46% Carbon; 0.3% Vanadium; 13% Chromium; 0.4% Manganese; 0.4% Silicon.
425M (Steel) - a material similar to the 400 series that has .5% carbon and is used by Buck knives.
440 (Steel) - there are three different types of 440 steel, ranked A-C, C being the highest quality. The hardest part of telling them apart is that often steel makers mark 440 on the tang of the blade and not the letter grade. This is especially true when it is one of the lower grades. This has led certain knife manufacturers to rename 440C as other things in order to differentiate the quality of the product.
5160 (Steel) - plain carbon steel (1060) that has been mixed with a little bit of chromium. There is not enough chromium to make it a stainless steel, but the chromium has been added to strengthen the material. This type of steel is known for its outstanding toughness.
52100 (Steel) - high carbon tool steel. It typically has .98-1.10% carbon. This steel is harder than many others, and consequently it holds an edge well. This is one of the best steels to use if you are worried about it holding an edge. This material is used often for hunting knives.
8Cr13MoV (Steel) - a steel containing .80% carbon with a typical hardness of 58-59. It also contains 13.00% Chromium, which means it is a stainless steel, so it has good corrosion resistance.
8Cr14MoV (Steel) - very similar to AUS-8. It is manufactured in China and has about .75% carbon content.
9Cr13CoMoV (Steel) - 440 steel with extra cobalt mixed in to strengthen the blade. Has about .85% carbon.
A2 (Steel) - very tough tool steel. However, it has less wear resistance than other tool steels. This steel is often used for custom made combat knives because of its toughness. It has a carbon content range of 0.95-1.05%.
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