High Carbon Steel Bar Stock for Knife Blades
Shop 15N20 high carbon steel in a 12 inch bar, 2.0 inches wide and 0.187 inch thick, to grind into knife blades. Its high nickel content adds toughness, heat treatment can bring it to 60-65 HRC, and it is a reasonably inexpensive, easy steel to work for practice blades and prototypes.
At 0.75% carbon and 2% nickel, 15N20 also carries smaller amounts of manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur. Carbon and manganese push hardness and edge retention, nickel and sulfur add toughness, and phosphorus and sulfur make the bar easier to machine. That mix of toughness, hardness, and edge holding is why 15N20 often shows up as a layer in Damascus.
As a carbon steel, 15N20 stays in good shape with regular wiping, cleaning, and oiling, which guards against corrosion and gives it a long shelf life. Both styles of Damascus on our knife making steel page carry 15N20 among their layers, and our team can talk through heat treat questions.