AUS-8

Japanese mid-tier that aged well: tough for its hardness and very easy to bring back.

Typical hardness

57-59 HRC

Edge retention

1/5

Toughness

4/5

Corrosion resistance

3/5

Ease of sharpening

5/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other.