Carbon Steel Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is reactive — it will rust quickly if not properly cared for. Always wash immediately after use, dry thoroughly, and apply a thin coat of food-safe oil (camellia, mineral) before storage. Over time it develops a patina that offers some natural protection and, for many users, becomes part of the knife's character. Rewarding to use, but not recommended if you want a "wash and forget" knife. Hitachi Special Steel, Japan 🇯🇵

White 3 / Shirogami #3 白三鋼

Hardness

59–61 HRC

555759616365+

White Steel No.3, while not as commonly referenced as White Steel No.1 or No.2, is another variant in the family of Japanese high-carbon steels, known as Shirogami steels. It has a lower carbon content (0.8%) compared to White Steel No.1 (1.2%) and No.2 (1.0%), making it slightly softer and thus more forgiving during use. This characteristic makes it easier to sharpen and less prone to chipping, but it may not hold an edge as long as its higher carbon counterparts. White Steel No.3 is suited for those seeking the fine edge and purity of traditional Japanese cutlery but prefer a blade that requires less meticulous maintenance. Like other Shirogami steels, it is highly reactive and requires proper care to prevent rust and corrosion. This steel is appreciated for its balance between ease of sharpening and performance, offering a good entry point for those new to high-carbon Japanese knives or for applications that benefit from a more durable edge.

Compare with

White 3 / Shirogami #3

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0.8% 0.6% 0.4% 0.2% 0

0.8%

0.2%

0.1%

0.025%

0.004%

C — Carbon Mn — Manganese Si — Silicon P — Phosphorus S — Sulfur

Hardness 59–61 HRC

555759616365+

Steel

White 3 / Shirogami #3

What's in White 3 / Shirogami #3

What each element does in your knife.

White 3 / Shirogami #3 element composition and spec ranges
Element	Spec range	What it does in your knife
CCarbon	0.8–0.9%	The primary hardening element. More carbon means a harder edge that holds longer — but past a point it trades away toughness and rust resistance.
MnManganese	0.2–0.3%	Aids hardenability and strength and acts as a deoxidiser in smelting. Too much can reduce toughness.
SiSilicon	0.1–0.2%	Strengthens the steel matrix and acts as a deoxidiser, improving hardness and resistance to oxidation.
PPhosphorus	0.025%	An impurity from smelting. Even small amounts promote brittleness, so steelmakers keep it as low as possible.
SSulfur	0.004%	An impurity that reduces toughness and promotes brittleness; only ever added deliberately in free-machining steels.

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.