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. Aichi, Japan 🇯🇵
"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. Aichi, Japan 🇯🇵
AUS-10 AUS-10
Typical hardness
Rockwell C Hardness(HRC) measures how resistant a steel is to permanent deformation. For kitchen knives:
55–58 HRC — Soft. Easy to sharpen and forgiving of rough use, but dulls faster. Typical of most German knives.
59–61 HRC — Balanced. Good edge retention with manageable sharpening. Common in mid-range Japanese knives.
62–64 HRC — Hard. Excellent edge retention, holds a very fine edge. Requires more care and a fine stone to sharpen.
65+ HRC — Very hard. Exceptional edge longevity but more brittle — more prone to chipping if used roughly.
Higher is not always better — it depends on how you use and maintain your knife.
55–58 HRC — Soft. Easy to sharpen and forgiving of rough use, but dulls faster. Typical of most German knives.
59–61 HRC — Balanced. Good edge retention with manageable sharpening. Common in mid-range Japanese knives.
62–64 HRC — Hard. Excellent edge retention, holds a very fine edge. Requires more care and a fine stone to sharpen.
65+ HRC — Very hard. Exceptional edge longevity but more brittle — more prone to chipping if used roughly.
Higher is not always better — it depends on how you use and maintain your knife.
58 to 60 HRC
555759616365+
AUS-10 is a stainless steel in Aichi Steel's AUS series, on Aichi's list of stainless steels for blades. Aichi says AUS-6M, AUS-8 and AUS-10 have more carbon, with vanadium and molybdenum added, for more hardness, wear resistance and annealing resistance, and names high-quality knives, scissors and pocket knives among their uses.
Aichi Techno Metal Fukaumi, which supplies the AUS series, lists AUS-10 at 0.95 to 1.10% carbon and 13.00 to 14.50% chromium, with a reference hardness of 60 HRC after quenching and tempering. Stainless steel, strictly, rusts less; wash and dry the knife after use.
We list AUS-10 in Yoshihiro's Uzushio Damascus knives, Tsunehisa's AUS10 Damascus and Tsuchime Damascus knives and steak knives, and the K&S AUS10 Monosteel knives.
Aichi Techno Metal Fukaumi, which supplies the AUS series, lists AUS-10 at 0.95 to 1.10% carbon and 13.00 to 14.50% chromium, with a reference hardness of 60 HRC after quenching and tempering. Stainless steel, strictly, rusts less; wash and dry the knife after use.
We list AUS-10 in Yoshihiro's Uzushio Damascus knives, Tsunehisa's AUS10 Damascus and Tsuchime Damascus knives and steak knives, and the K&S AUS10 Monosteel knives.
Composition
AUS-10 Element Composition
Compare with
AUS-10
—
13.0%
9.8%
6.5%
3.3%
0
C
0.95%
Cr
13.0%
V
0.15%
Mo
0.15%
Mn
0.5%
Si
1.0%
P
0.04%
S
0.03%
C — Carbon
Cr — Chromium
V — Vanadium
Mo — Molybdenum
Mn — Manganese
Si — Silicon
P — Phosphorus
S — Sulfur
Typical values from third-party sources.
Hardness
58–60 HRC
555759616365+
AUS-10 Composition
What's in AUS-10
What each element does in your knife.
| Element | Composition | What it does in your knife |
|---|---|---|
| CrChromium | 13.0–14.5% | Raises corrosion resistance; at roughly 13%+ free chromium the steel qualifies as stainless. Also improves hardenability and wear. |
| CCarbon | 0.95–1.1% | The primary hardening element. More carbon means a harder edge that holds longer — but past a point it trades away toughness and rust resistance. |
| SiSilicon | 1.0% | Strengthens the steel matrix and acts as a deoxidiser, improving hardness and resistance to oxidation. |
| MnManganese | 0.5% | Aids hardenability and strength and acts as a deoxidiser in smelting. Too much can reduce toughness. |
| NiNickel | 0.49% | Improves toughness and ductility without sacrificing hardness, and adds a small boost to corrosion resistance. |
| MoMolybdenum | 0.1–0.3% | Improves hardenability and toughness, boosts corrosion resistance, and helps the steel hold hardness under heat. |
| VVanadium | 0.1–0.25% | Forms extremely hard vanadium carbides for superior edge retention, and refines the grain for a finer, tougher edge. |
| PPhosphorus | ≤ 0.04% | An impurity from smelting. Even small amounts promote brittleness, so steelmakers keep it as low as possible. |
| SSulfur | ≤ 0.03% | 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is AUS-10 a good choice for a first knife?
Published by K&S Education Desk; staff review pending
Knives in AUS-10
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Knives and Stones (K&S)
K&S AUS10 Monosteel Petty 150mm Metal Handle
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K&S AUS10 Monosteel Honesuki 145mm Metal Handle
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Knives and Stones (K&S)
K&S AUS10 Monosteel Santoku 165mm Metal Handle
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Knives and Stones (K&S)
K&S AUS10 Monosteel Gyuto 180mm Metal Handle
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Knives and Stones (K&S)
K&S AUS10 Monosteel Gyuto 210mm Metal Handle
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Tsunehisa
Tsunehisa AUS10 Damascus Steak Knife Red
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Tsunehisa
Tsunehisa AUS10 Damascus Steak Knife Blue
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Tsunehisa
Tsunehisa AUS10 Tsuchime Damascus Sujihiki 240 mm
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Tsunehisa
Tsunehisa AUS10 Tsuchime Damascus K-tip Gyuto (Kiritsuke) 240 mm
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Tsunehisa
Tsunehisa AUS10 Damascus Sujihiki 240 mm Brown Handle
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Tsunehisa
Tsunehisa AUS10 Damascus Gyuto 240 mm Brown Handle
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Yoshihiro
Yoshihiro AUS-10 Uzushio Damascus Nakiri 165mm
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Yoshihiro
Yoshihiro AUS-10 Uzushio Damascus Gyuto 210/240 mm
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Yoshihiro
Yoshihiro AUS-10 Uzushio Damascus K-Tip Gyuto 210/240 mm
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Yoshihiro