Heat Treatment Specifications
Austenitizing
Temperature1080°C(1976°F)
Soak Time25 minutes
Tempering
Temperature204°C(399°F)
Time120 minutes
Cycles2x
Quench Medium
plate
Target Hardness
62 - 64 HRC
Performance Characteristics
Toughness7/10
Edge Retention7.5/10
Corrosion Resistance4/10
Ease of Sharpening4/10
Overall Score22.5/40
Interesting Facts
- 1Crucible development - sits between 3V and M4
- 2Designed for powder compaction tooling originally
- 361-63 HRC with proper cryogenic treatment
- 4Fine vanadium carbides for toughness + wear resistance
- 5Very popular in custom knife community
- 6Easier to grind than M4, tougher than M4
Famous Uses
Bushcraft knives
Tactical fixed blades
Competition chopping knives
Best For
Light to medium-use knives
High-impact applications
Hard-use fixed blades
Similar Steels
CPM 3V
Tougher, but worse wear resistance
CPM CruWear
Even more wear, less toughness
Vanadis 4E
European equivalent with similar properties
Not Recommended For
- Marine environment (rusts)
- Budget projects
- Only toughness needed (3V is better)
Expert Tips
- 1Similar to Vanadis 4E
- 2Vanadium carbides provide excellent wear resistance
- 3PM process improves toughness