About blade material

Points to note for kitchen knives:  The forged high glade HRC especially "Blue 1-2, white 1 " of Japanese steels are very sharpness and hardness, however these hard core materials are liable to easily be broken and chipped, please be careful. Not recommend to use it for frozen foods, hards foods and use it on the hard material cutting boads.

Material searching for Yasugi Specialty steel

- Blue Steel - Aogami
Blue Steel is the highest quality steel material produced by our supplier Hitachi Metals. The characteristics of this steel are its high edge retention and durability. Knives made from this material are commonly used in restaurants such as Sushi Restaurants, where there is a need to continuously slice Sashimi, since the steel retains its edge the chefs are able to produce beautifully prepared Sashimi all day long.

- White Steel - Shirogami
White Steel is the next highest steel material after Blue Steel and has good edge retention, and is easy to sharpen.
For those uncertain which steel type is best, we think you should buy white steel as you should not have any problems.

- Yellow Steel - Kigami
Kigami Steel is the highest steel material as same as Shirogami has good edge retention, and is easy to sharpen.Carbon steel with minimum impurities. High hardness over HRC 60.

- Silver-3 steel - Gingami / Ginsan stainless steel
This is a high grade stainless steel. The image of most rust resistant knives is that they have a poor edge compare to knives which are susceptible to rust, however, the characteristic of this metal is that is rust resistant and also has a good edge. This is currently the most popular steel type.

- VG-10 -
VG-10 – The name stands for V Gold 10 (V金ゴールド 10号）. Made up of Carbon: .95 – 1.05%, Vanadium: .10 - .30%, Chromium: 14.50 – 15.50%, Molybdenum: .90 – 1.20%, Cobalt: 1.30 – 1.50%, Manganese: .50%, Phosphorus: .03% This is one of the most popular stainless steels among-st Japanese knife makers. It has good edge retention and is very wear and corrosion resistant. 

- HAP 40 steel -
Hitachi metal tools manufactures HAP40 steel and it contains abundant amounts of hard elements like W (Tungsten), Mo(molybdenum), V(Vanadium) & Co(Cobalt) We heat treated this steel for optimal performance at 65 HRC and you will find this steel will hold its edge an amazingly long time.

- AUS 8 -
AUS 8 molybdenum vanadium stainless steel is made by Aichi steel which is one of the most famous steel company in Japan. These Inox steel is used by various Japanese famous knife maker GLOBAL, Sakai, Seki, and world wide.

- ZA18 steel -
Made up of Carbon: .95 – 1.2%, Vanadium: 0.10 - .25%, Chromium: 17.0 – 18.0%, Molybdenum: 1.0 – 1.50%, Cobalt: 1.80%, Manganese: 1.0%, Phosphorus: .04% This results in slightly better corrosion-resistance and durability than VG-10.

- Molybdenum Steel -
This is the most commonly used steal for rust resistant knives. Since this metal is highly rust resistant we suggest this type to those who do not like their knives rusting.

- Sweden BOHLER-UDDEHOLM Special alloy steel -
The Uddeholm company manufactures the steel used in the Grand Chef Knife series from Sakai Takayuki knife. Established in 1670 in the Munkfors district, Sweden, Uddeholm has a history of more than 1300 years. In the field of precision rolled steel products, the company leads the world. Since quality iron ore excavated from company mines contains an extremely low amount of phosphorus and sulfur, the special steel is reputed to be of the finest in the world. The Grand Chef Knife series products use the special Swedish steel manufactured by Uddeholm and offer exceptional sharpness and abrasion and corrosion resistance for many years of service. 



Note: Stainless steels are difficult to rust. However it will be rust after not good maintenance. about soil, salt, blood of fish or meat and tiny scratches from sanding,whet.

source of a quote：Aichi steel