Steel matchup
CPM S30V and CPM S35VN, compared on the five things that decide a blade: toughness, edge retention, corrosion, heat treat and how each one grinds.
A landmark premium stainless steel developed for knifemaking, prized for top-tier edge retention and good corrosion resistance, though tougher to grind and slightly less tough than its successor, S35VN.
A refined, well-balanced powder-metallurgy stainless steel from Crucible, offering dependable all-around performance across toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance.
Dimension by dimension
Each steel's own note, its score out of five, and what separates the two in that one column. The higher score in a row is marked in purple.
| Dimension | CPM S30V | CPM S35VN | What separates them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toughness | The weakest point of an otherwise excellent steel; a heavier vanadium carbide load than S35VN makes it more prone to chipping, which is the main reason Crucible developed S35VN as a tougher successor. | Noticeably tougher than its predecessor S30V, thanks to niobium carbides replacing some of the vanadium carbide load, one of the better toughness figures among premium powder-metallurgy stainless steels. | S35VN is noticeably tougher. Replacing some of S30V's vanadium carbide with niobium carbide was the whole point of developing S35VN, and it reduced chipping risk without giving up meaningful wear resistance. |
| Edge retention | Rated around 149% CATRA edge retention versus 440C, among the best in its class and the main reason it remained the benchmark premium stainless steel for years. | Strong, dependable edge retention, slightly below S30V's, but still well ahead of basic stainless steels like 420HC or AEB-L. | S30V holds a real but modest edge here, rated around 149% CATRA versus S35VN's 132%. Most users switching from S30V to S35VN will need to sharpen only slightly more often. |
| Corrosion resistance | Good stainless performance from 14% chromium, comparable to S35VN and suitable for everyday-carry and outdoor use. | Nearly identical to S30V and considered very good for a high-performance stainless, suitable for kitchen, marine, and everyday-carry use. | Essentially tied. Both use around 14% chromium and offer good, dependable stainless performance suitable for everyday-carry and outdoor use. |
| Heat treat | Austenitize at 1900-2000 F for 15-30 minutes, then quench with air or positive pressure quench (or an interrupted oil/salt quench) to below 125 F. A cryogenic treatment is commonly added for maximum properties. Double temper at 400-750 F, holding at least 2 hours per cycle: temperatures near 400 F favor maximum edge retention and hardness, while higher temper temperatures trade some hardness for improved toughness. Most knife applications land in the low-to-mid 60s Rc. | Preheat at 1550-1600 F, then austenitize around 1900-2025 F for 15-30 minutes. Plate quench, followed by a cryogenic treatment (liquid nitrogen, at least 30 minutes) for best properties. Double temper at 300-400 F for 2 hours per cycle: 300 F favors maximum hardness (60+ Rc), while 400 F trades some hardness for added toughness. This combination gives S35VN's well-rounded, dependable performance without any single weak point. | Both use a similar heat-treat window (roughly 1900-2000 F austenitize, double temper 400-750 F), so neither is meaningfully harder to heat treat than the other at the shop level. |
| Grinding | Notably harder to grind than S35VN due to its higher vanadium carbide content; expect faster belt wear and slower stock removal. | Easier to grind than S30V, a deliberate improvement in the alloy design, but still a powder-metallurgy steel that wears belts faster than simple carbon or basic stainless steels. | S35VN is noticeably easier to grind and finish than S30V. Improving machinability over S30V was one of the explicit design goals when Crucible developed S35VN, and it shows in day-to-day shop work. |
Best use
CPM S30V
Choose CPM S30V for EDC folders where maximum edge retention is the top priority and you do not mind a steel that is a bit more demanding to grind.
Open the CPM S30V referenceCPM S35VN
Choose CPM S35VN for general-purpose EDC, hunting knives, or any build where a more forgiving, easier-to-finish steel with strong all-around performance is preferred.
Open the CPM S35VN reference
The long answer
CPM S35VN was designed as a direct, deliberate improvement on CPM S30V, and the two remain one of the most common “which one should I get” questions in premium stainless steel. Both come from Crucible, share a similar chromium-vanadium-molybdenum base, and differ mainly in how much vanadium carbide has been swapped for niobium carbide.
Keep comparing
Keep reading
CPM S30V is one of the more demanding steels in this database to grind, sitting alongside CPM 20CV and CPM M4 near the top of the “hardest to work” list…
CPM S35VN was deliberately engineered to grind and finish more easily than its predecessor, CPM S30V, while keeping nearly all of its edge retention. That…
Every knife steel is iron plus a specific recipe of other elements, and each of those elements pulls the steel’s behavior in a particular direction…
Same bench
Whichever steel wins, the grind is only as flat as the platen behind it. I machine the parts, hand-assemble, track and test Torus grinders in Sterling, Illinois.
Current dual-axis platform with a fiber-laser-cut 6061 chassis and single-knob tracking.
Current dual-axis platform with a steel chassis, more mass and less vibration.
Prior-design aluminum chassis, 90-degree tilt and 1.5-inch tooling arms.
One-man shop
Tell me what the blade is for and how you heat treat, and I will tell you which of these I would put on the bench — including when the answer is neither.
