Heat Treatment Specifications
Austenitizing
Temperature1121°C(2050°F)
Soak Time28 minutes
Tempering
Temperature551°C(1024°F)
Time120 minutes
Cycles3x
Quench Medium
oil
Target Hardness
63 - 65 HRC
Performance Characteristics
Toughness4.5/10
Edge Retention8.5/10
Corrosion Resistance2/10
Ease of Sharpening3/10
Overall Score18/40
Interesting Facts
- 1Originally developed for punches, dies, and industrial tooling
- 2Benchmade Bailout brought CPM M4 to mainstream knife market
- 3Achieves 62-65 HRC with exceptional edge retention
- 4Not stainless - requires regular maintenance
- 5One of the best steels for hard use combined with edge holding
Famous Uses
Benchmade Bailout
Industrial punches and dies
Custom tactical knives
Best For
Competition cutting
Custom knives
High-performance cutting tools
Custom knife blades
Edge retention demands
Similar Steels
Not Recommended For
- Wet environments (rusts actively)
- Lazy owners
- Budget projects
Expert Tips
- 1Competition cutting standard
- 2Higher toughness than M2
- 3PM technology
- 4Careful heat treatment required
- 5Improved toughness over M2 at same hardness
- 6Strong carbide former
- 7Requires proper heat treatment