10 Best Steel For Beginner Knife Making 2023

Now as you have decided to make a knife as a beginner, do you think which steel material should I use?

Because you want your knife to be tough, sharp, hard, and shiny at the same time.

But to get the best steel for beginner knife making, you need to check few factors that will determine the quality of the steel you decide to use.

Nowadays many brands offer different product ranges in steel. These ranges are available with different chemical compositions and alloys ratios.

To be sure about the durability and sharpness of your knife you have to select the steel that is corrosion-resistant, workable, and offers maximum durability and sharpness.

Well, to get the best out of your time and money we have technically researched the following best steel for beginner knife makers that will ease your decision making.

Moreover, there is a complete guide on factors that you should look upon before selecting good steel for knife making. Let's get started.

Top Steel for Beginner Knife Maker by Editors

• #
  Preview
  Product
  Rating
• Bestseller No. 1
  
  1095 Steel barstock for forging and Knife Making 3/16" x 1-1/2" x 12" Knife Blade Steel...
  Rating:

  
  
• Bestseller No. 2
  
  W2 Steel Flat Barstock | 12x1.5x5/16 | Knife Making
  Rating:

  
  
• Bestseller No. 3
  
  Mr Volcano 1095 Steel (3 Pack) 12"x1.5"x 3/16" - Knife Blade - High Carbon Annealed -...
  Rating:

  
  
• Bestseller No. 4
  
  RMP Knife Blade Steel - High Carbon Annealed, 1095 Knife Making Billets, 12 Inch x 12...
  Rating:

  
  
• Bestseller No. 5
  
  RMP Knife Blade Steel - High Carbon Annealed, 1095 Knife Making Billets, 3 Inch x 12 Inch...
  Rating:

  
  
• Bestseller No. 6
  
  Handmade Damascus Steel Bar - Custom Damascus Steel Billet - Blank Blade - Blade Pattern...
  Rating:

  
  
• Bestseller No. 7
  
  O1 Tool Steel Sheet, Precision Ground, Annealed, 1/8" Thickness, 2" Width, 18" Length
  Rating:

  
  

List of 10 Best Knife Making Steel For Beginners

Reviews: Best Steel For Beginner Knife Making

1. GRA PRODUCT 1095

The GRA product 1095 forging steel bar is ideal for knife making, size 3/16″ x1-1/2″x12. 1095. It is high carbon steel that is very easy to shape through a process called forging.

This best steel for forging knives has 0.95% content of carbon, making sure that you get the best user experience when using the steel to make your knife.

1095 steel holds a great edge and it's very easy to sharpen steel. The additional carbon creates carbon-rich recrystallization. This steel requires more care in the heat treatment process.

Recommended working sequence for 1095 as follows, Forging manage the heat at 2100 degree F/1150 degree C, then for Normalizing, maintain heat temperature at 1575 C.

Furthermore cool in the air and for Annealing manage heat at 1475 degrees F and cool furnace to 1200 degrees F. This steel is perfect for knives that cannot be formed and made too thin.

It is an eminent option for chopping knives, swords, and blades, with a bright finish that makes it best for customer use. This steel is also a very useful metal for making different dining tools. 1095 knife blade steel is USA-made.

Pros

• 1095 forging steel is hardened with the absolute finish
• The steel hardens well when undergoing heat treatment
• 0.95% carbon is used to make steel harden and perfect
• It is very easy to make sharp edges

Cons

• This steel has lower manganese content.

2. W2 Steel flat bar stock

W2 steel flat bar is considered to be the best steel for beginner knife making, for designing knives and blades. This steel bar is highly recommendable for observance knife making. W2 steel bar is composed of the formation of carbon steel (like W1, 1095, or T10) plus vanadium.

W2 knife-making metal is tough with carbon percentage above 1, makes a very sharp edge, and can produce an excellent sword, blades, and knives.

This steel is ready to mold and easy to work with shapes and forms of different tools.W2 is more difficult to heat than other carbon steel. It procures accurate temperature control.

Heat treatment for w2 carbon steel follows to place W2 steel bar in preheat the oven with a temperature of 1450 degree-1475 degree F twice for 2 hours each and then cool them to room temperature in between different required temperatures.

Pros

• It is perfect for long-length knives and blades.
• W2 is high in carbon and vanadium.
• It is recommendable to sharpen the edges of Hamons.
• It is consistent high-quality steel
• It can handle a lot of damage to Hamon due to its carbon consistency.

Cons

• The product comes ½ inch lesser in thickness when compared with what a label says.

3. Mr Volcano 1095 Steel

Mr Volcano 1095 steel is the abundantly used steel for making knives, blades, hand tools, etc. It is made with a high value of carbon. The steel material is made with the composition of low phosphorus, low Sulphur, and calcium for elongated internal cleanness of the steel.

Mr Volcano 1095 steel is molded on high heat to makes the knives, blades, and different tools with perfection. It is the best choice for bladesmiths and blacksmiths.

It is perfect for grinding and sharpening to shaving edges of tools. It satisfies the customer demand regarding the shapes of different tools.

Moreover, it is essential to get the material red hot and let it cool down naturally to get it to be cotton soft before putting a single strike over it. And, the plus point is that a single acid wash is enough to get off even minor rust over this steel.

Pros

• It is easy to mold
• It is ready to use to make perfect knives, blades, and different tools with great properties.
• The best steel for a beginner knife maker
• High durability and edge retention
• No need for grinding before tempering.

Cons

• Relatively higher in price

4. 1080 High Carbon Annealed Forging Steel

1080 High Carbon Annealed Forging Steel by Texas Knife Makers Supply is lifetime steel used to create custom-based products including knives, blades, and other tools. 1080 High Carbon Annealed Forging Steel is oil quenching steel. Due to this, it is much better than stainless steel and sharpens easily, and endure damage.

This knife steel for beginners is rolled and annealed in cold so is highly recommendable for customers to ease their usage according to their requirements.

A high temperature for steel till it gets blue is required to get that sharpness and hardness in the tools. The 1080 High Carbon Annealed Forging Steel sharpens easily and has an anti-rust feature that makes the steel last longer.

Furthermore, it is a great value of money for a customer to approach in terms of durability and viability of the product.

Pros

• This steel is smooth and easy to heat
• The cold steel annealed feature enhances durability
• It is affordable
• It has anti-rust features

Cons

• Because of high carbon, it is unable to resist stain.

5. RMP Knife Blade Steel

RMP knife blade steel is used to design the usage of products including knives, blades, and other tools. RMP Knife blade steel is made from high carbon steel and it uses one billet sheet. Due to the use of a billet sheet, it brushes up easily, and undergo damage.

RMP knife steel for beginners is annealed so, it's highly recommendable for customers to alleviate their usage according to their needs. A high temperature for steel is required to get that sharpen the tools.

The RMP Knife billets sharpen easily and have an anti-rust feature that makes the steel last longer. Furthermore, it is reasonable for a customer to approach such a durable and viable product. Moreover, RMP knife blade steel is mostly used to repair tools.

Pros

• This steel is easy to heat
• It is affordable
• It has the anti-rust feature
• Satisfy the requirement of customers for product improvement

Cons

• It is difficult to cut or grind

6. Handmade Damascus Steel Bar

Handmade Damascus steel bar is a beginner knife-making steel, consist of steel billets and ladder patterns. A steel blade is available in the length of 12 inches. Damascus steel is also available in 15 different types of patterns regarding the demand of the customer.

Damascus steel bar is annealed custom-made steel used for making knives, jewelry, and cutlery. It has stunning patterns with high carbon content.

Damascus steel bar is consists of 352 layers of steel quality material that is 1095/15n20 alloy steel, Moreover, it is folded five times with layers of 1095 and 15n20 alloy steel.

Although the folding adds in strength I feel as this folding and layering makes a polishing bit difficult to handle.

On contrary, the Damascus steel bar is welded well enough to forge at the temperature of 1250 degrees, and when it reaches its optimal temperature then we can shape or mold with the hammer and obtain the number of desired layers.

Pros

• It uses superior quality carbon.
• It consists of multiple layers of material 1095 and 15N20 alloy steel
• Available in 15 different patterns.

Cons

• High carbon makes it tough to work on.

7. O1 Tool Steel Sheet

O1 tool steel sheet is annealed with a thickness of 1/8 inch. It is an iron alloy consist of carbon and any other elements that are used to adjust the steel to achieve specific requirements.

O1 tool sheet can obtain a concise shape and size. And frankly telling you that this steel is very easy to work and the crisp that you get on your knife lasts long dangerously.

This best carbon steel for knife making is hardened in oil which can be done at a rather low temperature for good magnitude stability.

This steel sheet has great content of resistance, great hardness, and the ability to cut edges and meets the requirements of American society for testing materials ASTM.

Pros

• 01 tool steel sheet is made up with high chemical material based on carbon and other elements
• It can easily be shaped when heated.
• It is useful to make knives and other tools with sharp edges
• Knives made with 01 steel sheet has a comfortable grip, which is a demand of customers

Cons

• 01 tool steel sheet is available with unpolished or mill texture.

8. RMP High Carbon Knife Blade Steel

RMP knife blade steel is used to make, custom-made knives according to customer requirements. This knife making steel stock blade consist of three billets each with the length of1.5 inch x 12-inch x 0.187 inches.

RMP knife blade steel is made from high carbon that will provide ease to the manufacturer to easily sharp billets and hold a strong edge

Although RMP knife steel consists of annealing that makes the material most viable and easy to adjust but still it's better to use a metal band if you want to get a smooth metal cut.

This steel is mostly used to make knives with different pattern and almost have same properties of 1095 steel but it has more carbon oriented content.

Pros

• It is easy to work on.
• It is made up of high carbon
• It is useful to make the different pattern of tools
• Its texture is smooth.

Cons

• Usually comes with improper dimensions.

9. Patriot Steel - 1095 High Carbon Knife Making

Patriot steel is a precision, ground, and annealed sheet with a thickness of 3/16″. This knife-making metal is an iron alloy consist of carbon and any other elements that are used to adjust the steel to achieve specific requirements. O1 tool sheet can get the incisive shape and size.

Patriot steel sheet is hardened in oil that can be concluded nearly at low temperature for the good extent of stability. This steel sheet has a great element of resistance, great hardness, and the ability to cut edges. This steel is mostly used to make the knife, blades, and other sharp tools

Patriot steel sheet meets the requirements of American society for testing materials. It comes up with toughness which traces the material's ability to absorb energy before breaking, while hardness describes its resistance to permanent surface deformation.

Moreover, it has a feature of machinability which describes that how it can be cut, shaped, finished, and easily welded.

Pros

• 01 tool steel sheet made up of high-quality carbon.
• It can simply be mold with relatively low temperature
• Good knife making steel
• It is helpful to make knives, blades, and other tools with sharp edges

Cons

• 01 tool steel sheet is available with the distinction of unpolished texture

10. BLD-49, Custom Handmade Damascus steel

BLD - 49 is a custom handmade Damascus steel billet with a great property of twist pattern in it. It is manufactured by posh land manufacturers for their knife users.BLD-49, billets with twist bar available in length of 10.40 inches along with the width of 1.07 inches.

BLD- 49 is made with a high composition of carbon and is high carbon steel for knife making. It is very easy for the manufacturer to use, moreover to fulfill the demand of customers according to the pattern they want to achieve.

Many posh land manufacturers used this product or prefer it before grinding and molding the product.

Pros

• It is mostly used to made knives with different designs
• Its composition is soft and easy to mold
• Its grind or drill easily
• BLD-40 steel bar is available in a twist pattern

Cons

• Often delaminate during formation.

Best Steel For Beginner Knife Making - Buying Guide

If you are planning to make a knife preferably from steel then we are here to give you a complete Buyer Guide on the best steel for beginner knife making.

Primarily steel that is used to make a knife is a combination of iron and carbon in addition to other alloys like vanadium.

It is the proportion of these alloys that differentiate the properties of steel and make them entirely different in terms of hardness, forging, grinding, and cooling.

That's why you can see a wide range of different brands and their vast product lines with each having distinct properties to mention.

Every product line of steel has a distinct name and a secret recipe of exact alloy ratios. We have researched the 10 best steel for knife making, that are mentioned above.

Only knowing the above-mentioned products is enough for you. But still, for better understanding, you need to consider the following factors too.

• Impervious (corrosion resistance)
  • Malleability (ability to bend without breakage)
  • Edges formation capacity
  • Hardness (Deformation Resistance)
  • Toughness (Force Resistance)
  • Molding Capacity (ease of changing shapes)

Let's discuss these in detail:

1. Impervious:

The steel which you are going to use for making a knife should be impervious i-e it should be corrosion resistant. It is the primary feature of good knife-making steel that it resists rust and erosion caused by other materials like water, salt, or carbon. It will enhance the durability of the knife too.

2. Malleability:

Your knife-making metal should be wear-resistant and bendable. It means that the chemical composition of the steel should be in a way that when it undergoes any abrasion or damage.

the upper surface hard particles should not slip off to the softer particle region. Furthermore, this upper layer of particle should not adhere to any debris left behind on the surface

3. Edge Formation Capacity:

The steel composition should forgo from hard sharp edges and here the durability of these edges will decide the quality of your steel.

4. Hardness:

The best steel for knife making is usually soft at the time of shaping but when the steel is cooled down, it's the hardness of the steel that decides the quality and longevity of your knife. Hardness is all related to force resistance. It will allow the knife to withstand high pressure without losing its shape and performance.

5. Toughness:

The toughness of the steel will determine the shape of your knife. The greater the toughness of the steel the greater the force it can bear information process without getting any cracks and chips.

6. Molding Capacity:

Molding Capacity is directly related to the toughness and strength of the steel. It's a combination of steel toughness and softness that allows it to bend the way a knife maker wants it to be.

7. Chemical Composition:

To get the best steel for beginner knife makers, one should know that steel is a combination of Carbon and Iron. But many other tracer elements define the above-mentioned traits of the steel. These traces include:

• Chromium
  • Cobalt
  • Manganese
  • Molybdenum
  • Nickel
  • Tungsten
  • Vanadium

Industries from a specific formula to get specific featured steel. The ratios of the above-mentioned alloys will make the steel stainless, adds in its strength, toughness, hardness, and wear resistance capacity.

Commonly used Knife Making Steels

The best steel for a beginner knife can be tool steel, stainless steel, or carbon steel. But professionals suggest using Tool-steel in abundance as beginner knife-making steel.

It is because the alloy combination in this steel makes it heat-resistant, increases its hardness and at the top it is stainless.

Well, the choice of the steel is highly dependent upon the purpose it will serve. If you are going to make sharp blades or knives for the kitchen then carbon- steel will be your choice because it outranges any other steel in sharpness, can be re-sharpen and has maximum hardness.

But on the other side carbon steels catch erosion easily. Thus, it's better to go for tool steel if you want to select knife steel for beginners.

Buy now at Walmart, eBay, Etsy (subject to availability)

1095 Steel barstock for forging and Knife Making 3/16" x 1-1/2" x 12" Knife Blade Steel - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

W2 Steel Flat Barstock | 12x1.5x5/16 | Knife Making - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Mr Volcano 1095 Steel (3 Pack) 12"x1.5"x 3/16" - Knife Blade - High Carbon Annealed - - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

RMP Knife Blade Steel - High Carbon Annealed, 1095 Knife Making Billets, 12 Inch x 12 - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

RMP Knife Blade Steel - High Carbon Annealed, 1095 Knife Making Billets, 3 Inch x 12 Inch - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Handmade Damascus Steel Bar - Custom Damascus Steel Billet, Ladder Pattern, Blank Blade - - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

O1 Tool Steel Sheet, Precision Ground, Annealed, 1/8" Thickness, 2" Width, 18" Length - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

4#1080 High Carbon Annealed Forging Steel - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

1080 steel for knife making - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Conclusion: Best Steel for Beginner Knife Making

To conclude, I must say that before categorizing any steel as the best steel for beginner knife making just read the range of the above-mentioned factors that should clearly define its toughness, wear, corrosion-resistance capacity, and hardness.

Moreover, you must check the alloys used too. As these things are somewhat technical and involve chemicals, we have done the job for you.

The above mention 10 best steel for beginner knives are listed here with complete research and technical in-depth analysis. You can select any of them.

But, if still you are confused and ask my opinion as a knife maker about what steel to use for knife making, then I will surely recommend the following best steel for beginner knife making that outranks the other seven also. Check them out here!

1080 steel for knife making is considered as one of the best steel for beginners because of its heat treatment and the high carbon steel which keep it much better in performance as compared to stainless steel. it is cheap, durable, and decent steel for knife makers as it takes less time during knife making process.