HRC (2024)

FAQs

Is 58 HRC good? ›

An HRC rating of 52-54 is soft but would make a reasonable, inexpensive kitchen knife. Professionals and experienced home cooks look for kitchen knives with an HRC rating of 55 and above. Most premium steels are in the 58-60 HRC range.

The Rockwell hardness scale number appears inverse to the depth differential calculation. For instance, a soft Rockwell value is 45, whereas a hard value is 60.

WHAT IS A GOOD ROCKWELL SCALE RATING FOR KITCHEN KNIVES? The best quality chef knives have a Rockwell Hardness Rating or HRC rating of 60 and above. This means the steel is hard, retains its edge for a long time, but may also be slightly more brittle than other knives.

52-54 HRC: Quite soft steel, reasonable quality. 54-56 HRC: The hardness of many French chefs' knives. The steel is hard enough for kitchen use, but regular use of a sharpening steel is required to keep the knife sharp. Knives of this hardness are usually easy to sharpen.

Typically, a good everyday use pocket knife is about 57-59 HRC. You will be perfectly happy with a steel that hard. We have great success hardening 8Cr13MoV to the 57-59 range and it performs admirably. When you start getting into steels higher than 59 HRC, you are most likely buying a premium steel.

➨ The hardness of most Japanese knives is between 60 and 62 HRC, they keep an edge for a long time and are easy to resharpen due to steel structure. They are prone to breakage, however, and can get damaged if used incorrectly.

This means that C30 concrete has a strength of 30 newtons after 28 days, making it hard wearing and suitable for a range of commercial applications. C30 concrete strength in PSI is 4350.

(ASTM E18 Standard Method for Rockwell Hardness. 65+ is the maximum reading for this range.)

Japanese damascus knives are made of very high carbon steel, which have a hardness between 60-63 Rockwell (HRC). In comparison, our European chef's knives are between 55-58 HRC.

How strong is VG10 steel? ›

VG1 steel has a hardness of 58 to 59 HRC, while VG10 reaches the higher tier, with a hardness level of 60 to 62 HRC.

Typically, these knives have an HRC between 60 and 61, good edge retention, and excellent corrosion resistance. Damascus-style knives often use VG-10 as the core, with Damascus steel wrapped around them. VG-10 is a grade of Japanese stainless steel primarily focused on cutlery.

Secondly, when it comes to knives that stay sharp the longest, nothing beats a carbon steel blade. Thirdly, ceramic blades tend to be more brittle and less durable than stainless steel ones. Fourthly, high-carbon steel blades need an occasional touch-up to keep them sharp.

60-62 HRC: The knives remain sharp for a long time but have more risk of becoming brittle. Harder to sharpen, and quality depends on the production. Mostly used in Japanese knives. 63-66 HRC: Needs cleaning after each use and more prone to breaking and becoming brittle.

The higher the HRC rating, the harder and more durable the blade will be. As a general rule, knives with an HRC of 62 or higher are considered to be hard enough for most uses and can last for many years without breaking.

58-60 HRC. This is the hardness you find in quality kitchen knives from Japan. These knives remain sharp for considerably longer than knives with lower HRC ratings but are more difficult to sharpen. 60-62 HRC. These knives stay sharp for a long time but can become brittle and are difficult to sharpen.

A good hardness range for a katana typically falls between 58 HRC and 62 HRC (Rockwell Hardness Scale), although there can be some variation depending on the specific design, intended use, and personal preferences.

55 HRC is a very high hardness, even for steels. Ideally the corrosion resistance of the steel would have to match AISI 316L or be even better.

The higher HRC the harder steel, while inversely the lower the HRC the softer the steel. We've found that the ideal hardness for most blades falls between 52 (high-impact blades) to 65 HRC (low-impact blades). These knives balance the ability to hold an edge and endurance to withstand regular abuse without breaking.