YOUR BUYING GUIDE TO JAPANESE KNIFE STEEL TYPES (UPDATED JUNE 2023) (2024)

Traditional Japanese knives are made by combining two different materials; they have both durability and sharpness. Some of them have unique patterns due to their structure, such as Damascus. Their functionality and beauty are valued all over the world.

The biggest distinction of the Sakai Japanese knives is that they are made with a division of labor. Blacksmiths, blade sharpeners, and patterning artisans stick to their areas of expertise and make each by hand.

This is a great type of stainless steel for kitchen knives and is very common. 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. The name stands for V Gold 10, where "gold" refers to quality. The approximate content is 1% carbon, 1-3% vanadium, 14.5%-15.5% chromium, 0.9-1.2% molybdenum, 1.3-1.5% cobalt, 0.5% manganese, and 0.03% phosphorus.

It is a high-performance knife with a sharp and rust-resistant AUS-10 core material. This Japanese stainless steel is offers slightly less chromium than VG-10 and may be more susceptible to corrosion but should have a little better edge retention to compensate.

This stainless steel is about 1.05% of carbon, 14% of chromium, 0.2% of molybdenum, 0.2% of vanadium, 0.5% of manganese, 0.5% of nickel, and 1% of silicon, and has a hardness of 58-61 HRC.

Molybdenum/vanadium is added to ordinary stainless steel, and the hardness is strengthened more than the basic stainless steel.

This Japanese steel is very fine-grained stainless steel and can have an edge sharpness and edge retention similar to some high-carbon steels. This steel is generally thought to be slightly easier to sharpen than VG-10 while also slightly more susceptible to rust due to the lower chromium content.

Often, when Japanese chefs choose stainless steel over high-carbon steel types for their knives, they will choose Ginsan.

Ginsan-Ko steel was developed by Hitachi Metals and is composed of about 1.05% carbon, 13% chromium, and 0.8% manganese, and has a hardness rating between 59 and 62 HRC.

ZA-18 was designed by Aichi to compete with or even outperform VG-10. This is an incredible stainless steel with great edge retention that our customers have loved.

This Japanese stainless steel is composed of 0.95-1.2% carbon, 17-18% chromium, 1-1.5% molybdenum, 0.1-0.25% vanadium, 0-1% manganese, 0-1.% silicon, 0.04% phosphorus, and 0.03% sulfur, and has a hardness of 61-63 HRC. This stainless steel has a very high hardness and can be sharpened to a razor-sharp edge.

Developed by Takefu Special Steel, Super Gold 2 (SG2) is a premium powdered tool steel alloy specifically engineered for crafting high-quality blades. Renowned for its exceptional performance and durability, SG2 has earned its reputation as one of the most sought-after high-end powder steels in the blade-making community. With the ability to be heat-treated to an impressive hardness of up to 64 HRC (Rockwell hardness scale), SG2 blades exhibit outstanding edge retention and wear resistance.

Interestingly, there is a steel known as R2, produced by Kobelco Steel, which is widely believed to be identical to SG2 in composition and properties. Due to their indistinguishable characteristics, these steels are often referred to interchangeably as SG2/R2, acknowledging their shared origin and performance attributes. Blades made from SG2 (or R2) steel have gained considerable popularity among both professional chefs and knife enthusiasts for their exceptional cutting performance and long-lasting edge sharpness.

Molybdenum stainless steels are a general class of Japanese steels that have a higher content of molybdenum than standard stainless steel knives. While all stainless steel knives have 10.5% or more chromium, not all have molybdenum.

Molybdenum increases the corrosion resistance of stainless steel, making its use in kitchen knives particularly useful.

World-class Bohler-Uddeholm steel is the highest quality stainless steel material, and it has excellent sharpness, strength, and resistance to abrasion. Knives made of this type of steel are lightweight and easy to use.

Bohler-Uddeholm is a large Austrian company that manufactures the steel used in the Japanese knife series Grand Chef. Established in 1670 in Sweden, they have a long history of more than 300 years. Since quality iron ore excavated from this company’s mines contains an extremely low amount of phosphorus and sulfur, their steel is reputed to have exceptional sharpness; it also has excellent abrasion and corrosion resistance and will serve you for many years. Grand Chef is a registered trademark in Japan.

Shirogami #1, also known as White Steel #1, has a higher carbon content than Shirogami #2. The higher the carbon content, the better a knife holds an edge. However, it also becomes more brittle.

This is a rigid material containing Japanese steel made of pure fine-grained carbon and very few contaminates within the iron. It is used in the manufacture of the Honyaki knife via the traditional smithing process. There are only a few knife craftsmen who can bring out the real value of this material, even in Sakai. As a result, Shirogami kitchen knives have become a very rare kitchen implement with great value. These knives can be sharpened to a razor's edge.

For practical purposes, many sushi chefs will choose Shirogami #2 (White Steel #2), as it is less brittle and less likely to chip than its higher-carbon counterpart. Additionally, Shirogami #2 is easier to sharpen due to the slightly lower carbon content.

Shirogami #1 has about 1.2-1.4% carbon, 0.25% manganese, and a practical hardness of 61 to 64 HRC, depending on how the blade is finished.

Shirogami #2, or White Steel #2, is one of the most common types of high-carbon knife steels, particularly when forging handcrafted traditional Japanese kitchen knives.

While the composition of Shirogami #2 (White Steel #2) is virtually the same as Shirogami #1, the carbon content is slightly less (1.0-1.2% carbon). This allows the knife to be less prone to chipping and is generally preferred by most chefs, given the option of White Steel knives. It is also easier to sharpen than Shirogami #1.

Both White Steel #1 and White Steel #2 allow Japanese chefs to make very fine, particular cuts of fish, vegetables, and garnish.

Aogami, or Blue Steel #1, has the same carbon content as White Steel #1 — the difference is the addition of tungsten and chromium to the material. These additions add specific qualities to already high-quality steel.

Aogami (Blue Steel #1) has about 1.3% carbon and 0.4% chromium added to the basic white paper. It has a practical hardness of 61 to 64 HRC. It’s high-grade Japanese steel that strengthens the heat treatment characteristics and wear resistance by adding chromium and tungsten to white steel. The sharpness lasts longer and cuts smoothly, so the cut is finished clean.

Aoniko, or Blue Steel #2, is one of the most common high-carbon steels found when looking at Western-style, double-bevel Japanese kitchen knives.

Similar to Shirogami #2, the composition of Aoniko is 1.0-1.2% carbon. Tungsten and chromium are added to increase durability and abrasion resistance.

Generally speaking, the differences between Aogami (Blue Steel) and Shirogami (White Steel) are that it is harder to break, and the sharpness lasts longer. Additionally, it is said that Shirogami or White Steel is easier to sharpen compared to Aogami or Blue Steel due to the addition of the tungsten.

Aogami Super, or Blue Super Steel, is composed of all the chemical components that make up Blue Steel #1, but with the addition of molybdenum and vanadium. These help increase the corrosion resistance and strength, respectively for this Japanese steel. It has a practical hardness of 61 to 65 HRC.

The Aogami Super (Blue Super Steel), which further improved the carbon and chromium content, is considered to be the best Yasugi steel, with excellent hardness and abrasion resistance.

Note that Aogami Super is also harder to sharpen as a result of the addition of tungsten and vanadium.