Stainless Stainless Steel

"Stainless" means stain-resistant, not stain-proof. In kitchen use, the steel can still discolour or pit if exposed to acidic environments — citrus, vinegar, or salt water — for extended periods. Wash and wipe dry after every use, and avoid leaving the blade soaking in water. With basic care, a stainless knife is very low-maintenance and a great everyday choice. Takefu Special Steel, Japan 🇯🇵

VG5 V金5号

Hardness

58–59 HRC

555759616365+

VG5 steel is a high-grade stainless cutlery steel known for its superior mechanical properties, including high flexural strength, yield point, elongation, reduction of area, and impact strength. Its refined, low-impurity composition results in enhanced grindability and ease of hot forging. VG5 distinguishes itself with elevated levels of chromium (Cr) and carbon (C), surpassing common stainless steel grades in these aspects. This composition helps suppress eutectic carbide crystallization, maximizing hardness through well-balanced elemental ratios and a uniform structure of refined carbides. The steel undergoes a meticulous refinement process during manufacturing to minimize impurities and achieve an optimal grain structure, further improved by strategic heat treatments. VG5's higher carbon and molybdenum (Mo) content, compared to VG2, along with the addition of vanadium (V), results in finer carbides. This blend ensures an excellent balance of hardness, abrasion resistance, and corrosion resistance, making VG5 particularly popular for consumer kitchen tools.

Compare with

VG5

—

14.0% 10.5% 7.0% 3.5% 0

0.75%

14.0%

0.15%

0.3%

C — Carbon Cr — Chromium V — Vanadium Mo — Molybdenum

Hardness 58–59 HRC

555759616365+

Steel

VG5

What's in VG5

What each element does in your knife.

VG5 element composition and spec ranges
Element	Spec range	What it does in your knife
CrChromium	13.0–15.0%	Raises corrosion resistance; at roughly 13%+ free chromium the steel qualifies as stainless. Also improves hardenability and wear.
CCarbon	0.7–0.8%	The primary hardening element. More carbon means a harder edge that holds longer — but past a point it trades away toughness and rust resistance.
MoMolybdenum	0.2–0.4%	Improves hardenability and toughness, boosts corrosion resistance, and helps the steel hold hardness under heat.
NiNickel	0.0–0.25%	Improves toughness and ductility without sacrificing hardness, and adds a small boost to corrosion resistance.
CuCopper	0.0–0.25%	A minor player in knife steel — a small lift to corrosion resistance, and often present only as a residual rather than a deliberate addition.
VVanadium	0.1–0.2%	Forms extremely hard vanadium carbides for superior edge retention, and refines the grain for a finer, tougher edge.

Composition from zknives (K&S steel dataset) reference material. These ranges come from the K&S steel composition dataset, which is derived from zknives; maker figures are cited separately only when they are used on the page.