Use this knife steel heat-treatment chart to look up a known grade, compare the reported austenitizing temperature, quench and temper, and open the source behind the numbers. It now covers 16 steels across carbon and low-alloy, stainless, and tool-steel families. Search by grade or use the type filters.
FORGINGWORLD / WORKSHOP REFERENCE
Find your steel.
Check the source.
Compare cited heat-treatment data for each grade, then read the original source before heating a blade.
IN THE CHART
No steel matches that search. Try another grade or clear the filter.
16 steels shown
1075
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its 1075 stock.
- QUENCH
- Parks 50 oil
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; choose temperature from the supplier hardness table.
Controlled equipment and a commercial quenchant are assumed.
Read the source for 10751084
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its 1084 stock.
- QUENCH
- Parks 50 oil
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; choose temperature from the supplier hardness table.
The supplier table predicts hardness; it does not measure your blade.
Read the source for 10841095
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its 1095 stock.
- QUENCH
- Parks 50 oil
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; choose temperature from the supplier hardness table.
A slower quench may change the result.
Read the source for 109515N20
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its 15N20 stock.
- QUENCH
- Parks 50 oil
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; the supplier gives a hardness table.
Pattern-welded billets need a process suited to the complete billet.
Read the source for 15N2080CrV2
Knife Steel Nerds controlled-furnace stock-removal tests.
- QUENCH
- Commercial quench oil
- TEMPER
- 300–450°F was tested; choose for the properties needed.
Starting condition matters; some supplier schedules differ.
Read the source for 80CrV25160
Knife Steel Nerds toughness tests.
- QUENCH
- Parks 50; cryogenic step in the tests
- TEMPER
- Two 1-hour cycles at 375–400°F gave the reported property balance.
Unknown spring steel should not be assumed to match known 5160.
Read the source for 516052100
Knife Steel Nerds review of 52100 guidance and tests.
- QUENCH
- Oil quench
- TEMPER
- 300–500°F is a broad reported range; choose for the blade.
Read the tested starting conditions before choosing one point in this range.
Read the source for 52100O1
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its O1 stock.
- QUENCH
- Medium-speed oil; supplier lists Parks AAA
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; choose temperature from the supplier hardness table.
The supplier does not recommend Parks 50 or an uncontrolled forge for this long soak.
Read the source for O1W2
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its W2 stock.
- QUENCH
- Parks 50 oil
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; choose temperature from the supplier hardness table.
A hamon depends on the full process; this row cannot predict one.
Read the source for W2AEB-L
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its AEB-L stock, including cold treatment.
- QUENCH
- Pressurized aluminum plates and air
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; select from the supplier tempering table.
Scale protection and cold treatment are part of the cited process.
Read the source for AEB-L14C28N
Alleima manufacturer datasheet; tempering example uses 2.5 mm strip.
- QUENCH
- Rapid oil quench in the datasheet
- TEMPER
- Use the Alleima tempering response chart for the target hardness.
Alleima also publishes a different batch-furnace program.
Read the source for 14C28NNitro-V
Knife Steel Nerds original Nitro-V tests.
- QUENCH
- Plate quench, then immediate cold treatment
- TEMPER
- Tests compared 300–450°F; toughness samples used two 2-hour cycles at 350°F.
The response changes without cryogenic treatment.
Read the source for Nitro-V440C
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its 440C stock, including cold treatment.
- QUENCH
- Pressurized aluminum plates and air
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; see the supplier hardness table.
Preheat, scale protection and cold treatment are part of the cited process.
Read the source for 440CMagnaCut
Knife Steel Nerds original MagnaCut development tests.
- QUENCH
- Plate or oil quench; cold treatment raises hardness
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles at 350°F in the author’s general recommendation.
Larger blades or slower quenching can change the result.
Read the source for MagnaCutD2
New Jersey Steel Baron sheet for its D2 stock, including cold treatment.
- QUENCH
- Pressurized aluminum plates and air
- TEMPER
- Two 2-hour cycles; see the supplier hardness table.
The cited method includes two preheat stages and cryogenic treatment.
Read the source for D2CPM 3V
New Jersey Steel Baron CPM 3V sheet, including cold treatment.
- QUENCH
- Pressurized aluminum plates and air
- TEMPER
- Three 2-hour cycles; supplier lists 975–1000°F options.
Do not combine this temper with a different hardening process without checking the source.
Read the source for CPM 3VThese are source-specific reference values, not a hardness prediction. Steel condition, thickness, furnace control, quench speed and cold treatment can change the outcome.
How to use the chart
Choose the steel marked on your stock. The large temperature is the austenitizing temperature or range in the cited source. The hold, quench and temper shown beside it belong to that same source. Open the source link for preheating, scale protection, cold treatment, thickness limits and the full tempering table before making a plan.
The chart includes 1075, 1084, 1095, 15N20, 80CrV2, 5160, 52100, O1 and W2; stainless grades AEB-L, 14C28N, Nitro-V, 440C and MagnaCut; and D2 and CPM 3V. These are known grades. The chart cannot tell you what an unmarked piece of scrap steel is.
Why heat-treatment schedules differ
A supplier sheet may describe its own stock in a controlled oven. A research article may describe small test pieces and a particular quench or cryogenic step. Blade thickness, starting condition and equipment can change the result. Even the same steel name can have different published schedules. Follow one complete process that fits your stock and equipment; do not combine the austenitizing temperature from one source with the rest of another.
Tempering temperatures are often a choice tied to the properties you want, not one fixed number for a grade. Supplier hardness tables are estimates for their process. Only testing can tell you the finished hardness of your blade. Record the stock source, temperatures, hold time, quench medium and temper cycles if you want to repeat or adjust a result.