Tru-Sharp Surgical Steel

Case's proprietary 420HC-class stainless. Chosen for how easily it re-sharpens, which is what traditional pocket knife owners want.

Typical hardness

56-58 HRC

Edge retention

1/5

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.