← Steels
Tool steel
D2
Semi-stainless: enough chromium to resist spotting, not enough to be stainless. Big carbides mean long edge life and a coarse, toothy edge.
- Typical hardness
- 58-62 HRC
- Edge retention
- 3/5
- Toughness
- 2/5
- Corrosion resistance
- 2/5
- Ease of sharpening
- 2/5
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.
