Heat Treatment Specifications
Austenitizing
Temperature1100°C(2012°F)
Soak Time25 minutes
Tempering
Temperature230°C(446°F)
Time120 minutes
Cycles2x
Quench Medium
oil
Target Hardness
56 - 58 HRC
Performance Characteristics
Toughness6.5/10
Edge Retention8.5/10
Corrosion Resistance8.5/10
Ease of Sharpening4.5/10
Overall Score28/40
Interesting Facts
- 1Originally released as CPM 440V in 1994
- 2Spyderco was FIRST to use powder metallurgy steel in production knives
- 3The 1994 Spyderco Native with CPM-440V started the PM revolution
- 4Renamed to S60V to match S90V naming convention
- 55.75% vanadium for extreme wear resistance
Famous Uses
Spyderco first PM knife (1994)
High-wear custom knives
Best For
Wear resistance priority
Corrosion-critical environments
Similar Steels
Not Recommended For
- Field sharpening
- Impact loads
- Budget
Expert Tips
- 1Discontinued steel
- 2Low hardness limitation
- 3High carbide volume
- 4PM technology