In this article, we'll tell you all you need to know about 9Cr18MoV steel blades found on knives.
9Cr18MoV Chinese Steel
Like many products found in today markets, 9Cr18MoV steel is made in China. 9Cr18MoV is a type of stainless steel that contains higher quantity carbon and chromium content, giving it good corrosion resistance and good hardness.
However, unlike most things that are made in cheaply in China, 9Cr18MoV steel is categorized as a mid to high end Chinese stainless steel, but its price is remains affordable, making it very popular for many steel products such as knives.
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How is 9Cr18MoV Steel Made?
9cr18mov steel undergoes three phases of heat treatment in order for it to reach the best hardness, edge resistance, and wear resistance levels.
It first goes through the process of annealing, which is to heat it above the critical temperature and then cool it down slowly in a controlled temperature and atmosphere.
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The typical temperature range for annealing 800 – 920 ℃.
The second phase of manufacturing process is tempering. Tempering also involves heating and cooling but is generally done in an air vacuum.
The tempering range of temperature is 100 – 200 ℃ and it happens in the open air.
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Finally, quenching is done. Quenching also involves heating the steel but cooling it down in a liquid such water or mix of water and other hardening chemicals.
9Cr18MoV is typically cooled down in an oil bath. This is done to improve the internal strength of the steel.
The temperature range for oil quenching is 1050 – 1075 ℃. This three phase process produces the most optimum quality 9Cr18MoV steel that has great hardness and good toughness.
9Cr18MoV Steel Hardness
Measuring blades hardness is done using Rockwell Scale. The Rockwell hardness of 9Cr18MoV steel blades is typically 58-60 HRC.
However, this can vary from manufacture to manufacturer depending on the process used to harden the steel; whether the manufacturer adds carbon to the steel.
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High-carbon content is what gives 9Cr18MoV steel a high hardness level. High hardness levels assure that your knife will last longer.
9Cr18MoV Steel Blade Properties
Whenever we buy knives, we look for several different characteristics of a blade that will help us determine quality of a blade.
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9Cr18MoV Steel Corrosion Resistance
9Cr18MoV contains enough Chromium in its composition to make it stainless steel. Levels of Chromium found in steel will determine whether a steel will be become stainless steel.
There are also several other steel materials that are added to steel with Chromium to improve its corrosion resistance such as nickel.
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So, what are benefits of having a stainless steel blade? 9Cr18MoV stainless steel blades are great for use in area of high humidity, water, and sodium.
9Cr18MoV steel blades are great for use in winter, hunting or fishing where the blade is likely to be exposed to sodium, blood, and water.
Best of all, stainless steel blades are easy to clean to keep all of the above of the blades!
9Cr18MoV Steel Toughness
9Cr18MoV does sacrifice toughness for hardness. So what does this mean?
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As a rule of thumb, you sacrifice Toughness for Hardness in steel. As we mentioned above, 9Cr18MoV steel hardness on the Rockwell scale is high, but it does lack toughness due to the higher hardness.
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Therefore, since 9Cr18MoV is hard steel on the Rockwell scale, it's more brittle. This kind of steel blade is not great for tough cuts since the stainless steel blade it's brittle and will chip and break easily.
However, look for some manufacturers adding Nickel, Manganese, or other similar materials to the 9Cr18MoV steel's composition, which will improve it's Toughness, but these types of blades may cost more money.
9Cr18MoV Steel Blade Edge Retention
9Cr18MoV has high hardness. Typically, as a rule of thumb, higher the hardness, longer the sharpness. Higher hardness blades will retain sharper edges longer.
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Due to it's hardness 9Cr18MoV steel has a better wear resistance.
Sharpening 9Cr18MoV steel is not that hard; its hardness level allows it to be sharpened easily. Once sharpened, it will maintain the sharp edge for longer so you will not need to sharpen it often.
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Popular 9Cr18MoV Steel Brand Knives
The most popular brand of 9Cr18MoV steel knives is the CIVICI knives. CIVICI mostly manufactures 9Cr18MoV steel knives. They're great quality and affordable.
9Cr18MoV Steel Sharpening and Honing
Due to its high level of hardness and brittle nature, the 9cr18mov isn’t very easy to sharpen. A knife made out of 9cr18mov will take longer to sharpen due to it's brittle nature.
Due to it's brittle nature, it will be to be honed. Learn more about honing.
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However, the great news is that you may not have to do it as often thanks to the 9cr18mov steel's great edge retention.
Are 9Cr18MoV Steel Blade Knives Good?
The answer is yes, 9Cr18MoV steel is good quality knife steel. 9Cr18MoV has a lot of great qualities for a steel blade.
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The high hardness 58-60 HRC, excellent corrosion resistance (great for humid and wet environments), good edge retention, and good Toughness making it a great choice for an everyday pocket knife.
Final Thoughts
9Cr18MoV stainless steel is a great choice steel for pocket knives. What makes it great is corrosion resistance, hardness, great edge retention, and good toughness.
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Best of all, 9Cr18MoV steel blades are typically considered to be high-quality budget knives. So, if you looking for a great budget knife, those made with 9Cr18MoV steel are a great choice.