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Knife steel selection in a working knife shop

Knife steel

CPM S45VN knife steel

A premium powder-metallurgy stainless steel from Crucible, built on S35VN with more chromium and nitrogen for stronger edge retention and corrosion resistance at only a small toughness cost.

Also known as

  • S45VN

At a glance

How CPM S45VN behaves

The four meters are relative to the rest of the database. Composition is the published nominal analysis, not a mill certificate for your bar.

Working properties

Toughness
4 / 5
Edge retention
5 / 5
Corrosion resistance
5 / 5
Ease of grinding
3 / 5
Composition
  • Carbon (C)1.48%
  • Chromium (Cr)16.00%
  • Vanadium (V)3.00%
  • Molybdenum (Mo)2.00%
  • Niobium (Nb)0.50%
  • Nitrogen (N)0.15%
Best uses

A top pick for high-end EDC folders and outdoor or marine knives where corrosion resistance and edge retention both matter. Browse more entries in the Knife Steel Database, and see the Heat Treating Guide for the full stage-by-stage process.

Sources
  • Crucible Industries CPM S45VN datasheet
  • Larrin Thomas, Crucible S45VN Steel: Everything You Need to Know, Knife Steel Nerds.
Satin-finished flat stock bar on one black felt pad and a cold knife blank with pin holes on another, in a small shop.

At the bench

What each property means for this steel

Open the property you are worried about. Every note is written for the blade in your hand, not for a spec sheet.

Toughness
Only slightly less tough than S35VN despite the higher carbide load, and still an improvement over S30V once hardness is accounted for.
Edge retention
Rated around 143% CATRA edge retention versus 440C, matching S30V and beating S35VN, among the better edge-holding stainless steels in this class.
Corrosion resistance
The best corrosion resistance in the S-series thanks to 16% chromium and a nitrogen addition; noticeably better than S35VN in salt-air and marine testing.
Grinding and machinability
Grinds similarly to S35VN, moderate for a powder-metallurgy steel; expect faster belt wear than simple carbon or basic stainless steels.
Quench and temper decide whether CPM S45VN gives you the numbers above.
Cold knife blade with a fine lengthwise scratch finish, tang clamped to a wood board, an abrasive block on the bevel and a grit strip beside it.

The full reference

More on CPM S45VN

CPM S45VN is Crucible’s next step up from S35VN, rebalancing the chemistry with more carbon, more chromium, and a nitrogen addition to push edge retention and corrosion resistance higher while giving up only a little toughness. The result is one of the best all-around premium stainless steels available, and a common choice for high-end EDC and outdoor knives.

Open everyday folding knife with a satin drop-point blade and green textured handle on a charcoal pad beside coiled cord.

Head to head

Compare steel data for CPM S45VN

Every matchup CPM S45VN appears in, dimension by dimension.

Browse the steel database
Two plain satin knife blanks, a drop-point and an angled-tip profile, lying on separate gray and olive felt pads on a dark bench.

Keep reading

Guides that use this steel

More in this topic

Same bench

Grind CPM S45VN on a machine that holds still

Whatever the steel, the grind is only as flat as the platen behind it. I machine the parts, hand-assemble and test Torus grinders in Sterling, Illinois.

See the whole shop
  • Classic aluminum 2x72 grinder, side view with flat-platen tool arm and yellow Safety Rules label, on black with a purple glow

    Torus 2×72 Classic Aluminum Belt Grinder

    Prior-design aluminum chassis, 90-degree tilt and 1.5-inch tooling arms.

    Starts at$995View

One-man shop

Thinking about CPM S45VN?

Tell me what the blade is for and how you heat treat. I will tell you whether this is the steel I would use, and what I would use instead.

Ask Rich a questionRun the Steel Selector