Carpenter / USA

XHP

High Carbon Stainless Steel / Powder Metallurgy Steel60–64 HRCParticle Metallurgy (Micro-Melt® Process)

Composition

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

Material Overview

CTS-XHP is a high-performance stainless steel produced by Carpenter Technology using its Micro-Melt® particle metallurgy process. It is often described as a “stainless D2” because it combines strong wear resistance and edge retention with significantly better corrosion resistance than traditional D2 tool steel. CTS-XHP can achieve very high hardness while maintaining fine edge stability, making it popular in premium production and custom knives. It offers a balanced performance profile between traditional tool steels and modern stainless super steels.

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

7.0

Corrosion Resistance

8.0

Sharpenability

6.0

Advantages

Excellent edge retention
High hardness capability
Better corrosion resistance than D2
Fine and aggressive cutting edge
Premium all-around cutting performance

Disadvantages

Harder to sharpen than mid-range steels
Toughness lower than MagnaCut or CPM 3V
Can chip under abusive hard use
Premium price category

At A Glance

CTS-XHP is a premium American powder metallurgy stainless steel known for excellent edge retention, high hardness, and a balance between D2-like wear resistance and stainless corrosion resistance.