AUS-8 knife steel
AUS-8 is a stainless knife steel, typically hardened to HRC 57-59.
| Type | Stainless |
|---|---|
| Hardness | HRC 57-59 |
| Edge retention | mediumhigher than 5 of 48, tied with 13 |
| Corrosion resistance | mediumhigher than 15 of 48, tied with 6 |
| Toughness | highhigher than 25 of 48, tied with 14 |
| Ease of sharpening | easy to sharpeneasier to sharpen than 35 of 48, tied with 13 |
| Price tier | Budget |
| Best for | EDC / foldersBudget |
AUS-8 chemical composition
| C | Cr | Mo | V |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~0.73 | ~13.75 | ~0.2 | ~0.18 |
Nominal weight %, midpoint of the standard's range. Source: Boker USA steel glossary. What the alloying adds: vanadium (0.18%) gives hard vanadium carbides, the main source of wear resistance.
Knives in AUS-8
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Similar stainless steels
| Steel | Type | HRC | Edge | Corrosion | Toughness | Tier | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4116 (X50CrMoV15) | Stainless | 54-57 | low | high | high | Budget | Shop → |
| 420HC | Stainless | 56-58 | low | high | high | Budget | Shop → |
| 440A | Stainless | 55-58 | low | high | medium | Budget | Shop → |
| 440C | Stainless | 58-60 | medium | high | medium | Budget | Shop → |
| 8Cr13MoV | Stainless | 57-59 | medium | medium | medium | Budget | Shop → |
| 9Cr18MoV | Stainless | 58-60 | medium | high | medium | Budget | Shop → |