Sandvik 12C27

Morakniv and Opinel's steel. Modest edge retention, excellent toughness and grain, sharpens on anything including a river rock.

Typical hardness

56-59 HRC

Edge retention

2/5

Toughness

4/5

Corrosion resistance

4/5

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.