Whittling Knife Steel Hardness Chart

When choosing the right whittling knife, steel hardness is a key factor in determining if the knife is up to the task.

Knife hardness is often measured using the Rockwell C Hardness tests (HRC). This primarily measures how hard the steel is, but not necessarily how durable the blade is as durability is much harder to consistently measure.

The ideal hardness rating for whittling knives is between 58 and 62 HRC. Knives between this range will typically have the best balance of edge retention and durability.

Knives below 58 HRC will typically suffer from having a softer steel and will loose their edge faster and but have more flexibility preventing the blade from chipping.

Knives above 62 HRC can often be too brittle and the cutting edge may suffer chips during use and loose their cutting edge. They do however excel at being able to create a sharp cutting edge.

List of Knife Steels and Their Hardness Ratings

Below is a list of companies that make wood carving tools as well as some popular brands of knives with what steel they use and their hardness ratings.

Company	Steel Type	Rockwell C Hardness Value (HRC)
Beavercraft	30MnB5	58-62
Buck	420J2	53-55
Buck	420HC	58
Buck	S30V	59-61
Case Cutlery	TruSharp Surgical Steel	54-57
Deepwoods Ventures	W1 Tool Steel	60-62
Drake Knives	O1 Tool Steel	58
Flexcut	High Carbon Spring Steel	59-61
Gerber	420HC/425MOD	54-56
Gerber	440A	57-59
Gerber	440C/154CM	58-60
Great Eastern Cutlery	1095 Carbon Steel	57-59
Helvie	High Carbon Steel	59-61
Leatherman	420HC	54-56
Leatherman	154HC	58-60
Lee Ferguson	High Carbon Tool Steel	60
MasterCarver	440C	61
OCC Tools	O1 Tool Steel	59-61
Opinel	XC90 Carbon Steel	57-59
Pfeil	Special Alloy Tool Steel	57-60
Sarge Knives	440C	~58-60
Schrade	65MN Carbon Spring Steel	53-55
Schrade	7CR17	57-59
Victorinox	Martensitic Stainless Steel	56