Doesn't 'corrosion passive tool steel' have a good ring to it rather than stainless? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

My understanding is that steel is sold according to the primary application which in the case of D2, is tooling. If I remember correctly, tool steels typically have some amount of Vanadium content. Admiral Steel characterizes O-1 steel as "tool steel". O-1 has a Cr content of .50 (half a percent) so its definitely not a stainless steel. So you can have a tool steel which isn't stainless and you can have a stainless steel which isn't a tool steel. They are independent characteristics. I would say that D2 is a stainless tool steel. Interestingly, Crucible just calls D2 "tool steel" and only lists their proprietary CPM S30V/S60V/S90V steels as "stainless tool steels". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

they just don't call it stainless till the chromium content breaks 13%. that's all there is to it.

edit: i just did some runnin around, seems by crkt's standard d-2 would qualify as stainless since for them it's only 10.5% chromium. there are other things you can add to a steel to increase corrosion resistance but bein practical, you're probably not gonna tell the difference between 10% and 15%.

I think part of the confusion on how much chromium is needed to call a steel stainless is that consumer applications and industrial applications of stainless steel are probably very different. The steelmakers are probably far more biased toward the industrial side in their metrics rather than the consumer side. For consumer products, like kitchen knives, a high chromium content is needed to prevent product returns.

"I cut the tomato with my new knife and it turned black! Ewww! I'm taking it back and getting my money back!" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Good point Kraz! Ditto the Rockwell hardness.. My knife is blunt but I can't sharpen it, so back it goes.. (hence the Rc 50 to 52 of most kitchen knives so they steel up real easy..)

I'm Stumped.