Aichi Steel Corporation / Japan

MBS 26

Stainless Steel58-61HRCConventional Ingot Steel Process

Composition

Core alloying elements define the baseline trade-off between wear resistance, corrosion behavior, and toughness.

Material Overview

MBS-26 is a Japanese stainless steel produced by Aichi Steel Corporation and widely associated with high-performance kitchen knives. Similar in composition to AUS-8 with refinements for cutlery applications, it provides a balanced combination of sharpness, toughness, stain resistance, and ease of maintenance. Its fine grain structure allows for very keen edges and smooth cutting performance, making it especially popular among culinary knife makers.

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

8.0

Toughness

8.0

Corrosion Resistance

8.0

Sharpenability

8.0

Advantages

Fine-grained structure for razor-sharp edges
Good balance of toughness and hardness
Easy to sharpen and maintain
Reliable corrosion resistance
Excellent for kitchen and everyday cutting tasks

Disadvantages

Edge retention lower than premium powder steels
Not optimized for extreme hard-use applications
Wear resistance is moderate compared to high-vanadium steels

At A Glance

MBS-26 is a fine-grained Japanese stainless steel known for balanced edge retention, toughness, corrosion resistance, and easy sharpening, commonly used in high-quality kitchen knives.