Takefu / Japan

VG10

Stainless Steel59–61 HRCConventional Ingot Steel Process

Composition

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

Material Overview

VG-10 is a Japanese stainless steel produced by Takefu Special Steel and widely adopted in knife manufacturing. It contains cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium, which improve hardness, corrosion resistance, and edge stability. VG-10 offers a balanced performance profile, making it easy to sharpen and maintain while still providing reliable cutting ability. It is especially popular in Japanese kitchen knives and mid-range folding knives.

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

7.0

Toughness

7.0

Corrosion Resistance

9.0

Sharpenability

8.0

Advantages

Good corrosion resistance
Easy to sharpen and maintain
Balanced overall performance
Widely available and affordable
Reliable for kitchen and EDC use

Disadvantages

Edge retention lower than modern PM steels
Moderate toughness
Not suitable for extreme hard-use applications
Less wear resistance than premium super steels

At A Glance

VG-10 is a widely used Japanese stainless steel known for good corrosion resistance, balanced performance, and ease of sharpening, commonly found in kitchen and EDC knives.