Heat Treatment Specifications
Austenitizing
Temperature1038°C(1900°F)
Soak Time15 minutes
Tempering
Temperature163°C(325°F)
Time120 minutes
Cycles2x
Quench Medium
oil
Target Hardness
58 - 60 HRC
Performance Characteristics
Toughness6.5/10
Edge Retention3.5/10
Corrosion Resistance7.5/10
Ease of Sharpening8/10
Overall Score25.5/40
Interesting Facts
- 1Developed by Carpenter at Spyderco's request
- 2Named 'Blade Design One' - Sal Glesser's vision for optimal blade steel
- 3Based on Hitachi Gingami (silver paper) steel
- 4BD1N adds nitrogen to original BD1 for higher hardness (60-63 HRC)
- 5PESR process adds nitrogen and CrN for wear resistance
- 6Extremely easy to sharpen - described as 'like butter'
Famous Uses
Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight
Budget Spyderco models
Best For
Folding knives
Fixed blade production knives
EDC blades
Knife blades requiring high corrosion resistance
EDC folders
Utility blades
Similar Steels
14C28N
Similar class with nitrogen
BD1
Previous version without nitrogen
Not Recommended For
- Extreme wear
- Heavy work
- Conservatives
Expert Tips
- 1Vacuum-melted ingot provides consistent quality
- 2Vanadium enhances wear resistance
- 3Suitable for production and custom work
- 4Fine-grained steel for high-polished edges
- 5Can be hardened in oil or air
- 612-15° per side edge geometry