Cold work tool steel. Main notable feature for knife blades is its great toughness. Alloying elements include Chromium, Molybdenum and Tungsten. Some of the makers use it for tough use combat knives, where greater toughness is desired. A8 is tougher than Crucible CPM 3V steel, but less wear resistant. However, if even greater toughness is required then alloys like AISI 5160, AISI S7 would be a better choice, but unless you are making a sword, steels tougher than CPM 3V are not really required in knives, and added wear resistance of 3V(added to toughness) is more beneficial. Working hardness 60-62HRC.
AISI / USA
A8
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Composition
Core alloying elements define the baseline trade-off between wear resistance, corrosion behavior, and toughness.
Material Overview
Performance Radar
Use four core metrics to understand the usable operating envelope of this steel at a glance.
Edge Retention
Toughness
Corrosion Resistance
Sharpenability
Edge Retention
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Toughness
0.0
Corrosion Resistance
0.0
Sharpenability
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At A Glance
Cold work tool steel. Main notable feature for knife blades is its great toughness. Alloying elements include Chromium, Molybdenum and Tungsten. Some of the makers use it for tough use combat knives, where greater toughness is desired. A8 is tougher than Crucible CPM 3V steel, but less wear resistant. However, if even greater toughness is required then alloys like AISI 5160, AISI S7 would be a better choice, but unless you are making a sword, steels tougher than CPM 3V are not really required in knives, and added wear resistance of 3V(added to toughness) is more beneficial. Working hardness 60-62HRC.