When looking for the best quality knives, then you probably did notice some Damascus knives and mid-range knives made with 9cr18mov steel. After researching many knives, we decided to make a 9cr18mov steel review.
However, if you want to buy 9cr18mov steel, then we have some professional guidelines for you, and we did some research about it, and we answered some common questions, like is steel good for knives? What is its hardness? What is its chemical composition?. So let’s dive in.
What is 9Cr18MoV steel?
The 9cr18mov steel is Chinese high-end stainless steel high in Chromium and mid-high in carbon, for good corrosion resistance. The steel is actually used for corrosion resistance demanding tools, like stainless steel blades, surgical blades, cutlery.
If you need more in-depth information on the other top steel, then you may check out our buyer’s guide – Is 5160 steel good for knives?
9Cr18MoV Composition
| Materials | Quantity | Works |
| Carbon | 0,95% | It will increase hardness Wear/corrosion resistance Unfortunately a high amount of it decreases strength. |
| Chromium | 18% | Perfect for tensile strength and Edge retention. On the other hand it enhances corrosion resistance and wear resistance |
| Molybdenum | 1,3% | It improves Machinability and strength |
| Nitrogen | 0,60% | It can improve strength and edge retention. |
| Manganese | 0,80% | It improves hardness and brittleness. |
| Silicon | 0,80% | Good for strength. |
| Phosphorus | 0,04% | Improves strength. |
| Sulfur | 0,03% | Improves machinability. |
| Vanadium | 0,12% | It improves wear resistance and hardenability. |
9cr18MoV steel hardness
The steel’s maximum hardness is 58-60 HRC. There are many heat treatments used on every steel. The fixed heat treatments can drastically affect the properties of the steel in question.
During this time, Carbon content is one of the main causes that helps in hardening the steel. For this, a high carbon content results in steel becoming harder upon heat treatment.
On the other hand it can be heat-treated to reach a Rockwell hardness of 58-60 HRC. Because the presence of Vanadium also boosts its Vanadium Carbide content which helps with the overall hardness and wear resistance.
9cr18MoV steel properties
After researching the chemical composition and the HRC of the steel, th e9cr18mov steel has the following features:
9cr18mov edge retention: It comes with a high level of Chromium and carbon and maximum hardness of 60 HRC, which makes the steel hard with a great edge retention.
9cr18MoV Corrosion Resistance: It has 18% of Chromium 9cr18MoV and provides great corrosion resistance.
9cr18MoV Wear Resistance: The steel has good wear resistance, thanks to the mixture of Carbon, Chromium, and a little bit of Vanadium (0.12%).
9cr18MoV Sharpness: According to the steel chemical chart, the harder to sharpen it, 9cr18Mov has a decent hardness, therefore sharpening it won’t be an easy task.
9cr18MoV Toughness: Simply, it can’t offer good hardness, corrosion resistance, and toughness at the same time. The 9cr18MoV provides perfect hardness and corrosion resistance and a lower toughness ( a decent one it can handle low-mid impact).
I’m sure that you would also enjoy our list of top steels – W2 steel vs D2.
9cr18MoV steel equivalent
After researching the chemical composition, we found that 9cr18move steel would be the 440c steel closest.
These two steel comes with very close chemical composition, and they both provide great corrosion resistance and great edge retention, these two steel fall in the same price range and they’re both used in low or mid-entry knives.
Is 9cr18MoV steel good for Knives?
Absolutely, right, this is great steel for knives. But it depends on your usage, as we mentioned before 9cr18mov has perfect corrosion resistance and good edge retention with a decent toughness so that it will be perfect EDC knives and kitchen knives.
On the other hand if you want a very tough knife for hunting or camping, and your knife might go through hell of beating, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Best 9Cr18MoV Knives
1. Civivi Baklash Knife
- 🔪【Solid Pocket Knife】9Cr18MoV stainless steel blade offers you an...
- 🔪【 Pocket Knife with Durable G-10】Textured G-10 handle scales provide a...
- 🔪【Pocket Knife with Ball Bearings】Ball bearings in the pivot allow...
- 🔪【 Pocket Knife with Reversible Pocket Clip】Pocket knife for men with a...
When you are looking for the folding knife that comes with a 3.5” 9cr18mov stain finish blade, then you purchase the Civivi Baklash Knife. Most people use this knife that is a combination of ergonomics and design that enhances the low-end steel and a knife with low-end steel wouldn’t be interesting.
On the other hand if you add a good G10 handle to it, a strong liner lock, ball bearing system for effortless opening and flipping and finally a beautiful design with an index finger choil and thumb ramp and you can make yourself a great quality knife.
9cr18mov vs 8cr13mov
9Cr18Mov steel is high-quality stainless steel with 0.9% Carbon and Chromium. That comes with is high hardness and 58-60 HRC and excellent corrosion resistance make this steel ideal for surgical blades, and the steel is stainless steel that is great for knives and cutlery.
On the other hand, the 8cr13moc is stainless steel that produced in China. The steel belongs to the Cr13 steel series- which feature high carbon and high chromium elements. It already gained most popularity as the perfect steel for the money.
9cr19mov vs 440c
9Cr18Mov steel is high-quality stainless steel with 0.9% Carbon and Chromium. That comes with is high hardness and 58-60 HRC and excellent corrosion resistance make this steel ideal for surgical blades, and the steel is stainless steel that is great for knives and cutlery.
440c stainless steel, that has high carbon. The steels hardness, mechanical strength and fatigue resistance. So for this combination of properties makes the steel useful in the production of cutting tools.
9cr18mov vs d2
9Cr18Mov steel is high-quality stainless steel with 0.9% Carbon and Chromium. That comes with is high hardness and 58-60 HRC and excellent corrosion resistance make this steel ideal for surgical blades, and the steel is stainless steel that is great for knives and cutlery.
D2 can match the famous M2 steel that it’s widely available and comes with a lower cost, which gives a great advantage to the D2 steel.
9cr18MoV vs vg10
9Cr18Mov steel is high-quality stainless steel with 0.9% Carbon and Chromium. That comes with is high hardness and 58-60 HRC and excellent corrosion resistance make this steel ideal for surgical blades, and the steel is stainless steel that is great for knives and cutlery.
VG-10 steel is great for knives; it is stainless steel that often used in knife blades. It is produced in Japan, and it is the Japanese cutlery market that has traditionally made the most use of this particular type of steel in its knives.
We would recommend you to have a look at our best steel list – 154CM Steel VS D2 Steel.
Conclusion:
Finally, we find the 9cr18mov steel that is very great and reasonable steel. This steel is great for kitchen knives and many Damascus knives are made from it. The steel provides a good corrosion resistance, and that can hold an edge pretty good. The steel is like owning a premium kitchen knife for a low or mid-range price; let’s not forget that it can be good for EDC knives.
After researching this steel, we see that the steel is not quite as famous as the 8cr13mov, even while being a better performer, but why? After all, if you have any other questions about these steel, feel free to leave a comment below, we’ll gladly answer knives with you.