You will find CPM CruWear steel being used for making blades of expensive knives as the steel is high-end. Users are a fan of blades that are made using the CPM CruWear Steel. Crucible is the manufacturing company that came up with the design of the CPM CruWear Steel. There are more amazing details you are yet to know. Keep on reading!
What is CPM CruWear Steel?
Crucible is an American brand that dedicatedly brings out various kinds of steel that you can use for various purposes including making knife blades. The CPM CruWear steel is designed and formulated for air-hardening tools. The steel goes under the procedure of the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process which is also known as CPM.
The CPM CruWear steel is the better-upgraded version of two other steels of the company which are known as CruWear and D2. The steel is better on many terms which include hardness, toughness, resistance to wear, machinability and also ductility. As the steel is ductile it can be easily tempered which a lot of knife makers opt for.
You will find famous knife companies like Boker, Benchmade and Spyderco using CruWear Steel for the making of their knife blades. The steel is also used in the making of dies and as well as shear blades.
Chemical Composition of CruWear Steel:
The carbon content of the CruWear Steel is very high which makes the steel not stainless. There are different other elements present that contribute to various other properties.
- 10% of Carbon: Increases the hardness level of the steel and improves the resistance of the steel to corrosion and wear.
- 50% of Chromium: This makes the steel resistant to corrosion and increases the hardenability and strength of the steel.
- 48% of Vanadium: Adds more toughness and strength to the steel and also increases corrosion resistance.
- 60% of Molybdenum: Increases hardness, toughness, strength, hardenability and machinability of the steel.
- 15% of Tungsten: Increases hardness of the steel at high temperatures, adds strength, toughness and hardenability.
The Hardness of the steel:
According to the rating shown on the Rockwell Scale, the hardness rating of CPM CuWear is about 60 to 65 HRC. This is a high hardness level as it can go above 61 HRC. The range can vary depending on the heat treatment of the steel. The reason for high hardness is because of the presence of high carbon content, tungsten and molybdenum.
Properties of CPM CruWear Steel:
- Amazing Toughness: Surprisingly, CPM CruWear steel has amazing toughness given the fact that the toughness is indirectly proportional to hardness. You already know the high hardness rating of the steel. The reason behind the amazing toughness is because of the CPM procedure that Crucible does on the steel. The process results in an even distribution of toughness as the size of the carbides gets reduced. High toughness level ensures that the steel is resistant to breaking and chipping upon impact.
- Excellent Wear Resistance: With a high rating of hardness excellent wear resistance of CPM CruWear steel is already expected as they both are directly proportional to each other. The presence of elements like chromium, tungsten and vanadium also contributes to improving the wear resistance of the steel.
- Great Edge Retention: CPM CruWear Steel is popular for great edge retention making it the favourite steel of a lot of knife makers. The steel is capable of holding sharpness even after heavy duty.
- Fair Corrosion Resistance: As the chromium content of the steel is low, it is unfortunately not stainless. Yet, the steel has some capacity of resisting corrosion but you will see rusting as soon as you expose the steel to saltwater and humidity. For overcoming the issue, knife makers use anti-corrosion coating for preventing rust from forming.
- Ease of Sharpening: Usually you would expect the difficulty to sharpen the steel because of the high toughness level. Yet, surprisingly the steel is easy to sharpen because of the CPM process used for the steel.
Comparing CPM CruWear Steel with other knife options:
CPM CruWear vs. D2:
CruWear Steel has a higher hardness level because of containing a greater amount of vanadium carbides compared to D2. CruWear is better in terms of resisting corrosion, wear and tear because of having greater toughness level than D2.
Cru-Wear vs. S30V:
S30V is also a high end steel with premium quality that has greater corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and edge retention compared to CruWear Steel. On the other hand, CruWear steel has better toughness and is easier to sharpen compared to S30V.
CPM CruWear vs. CPM 3V:
3V is also the product of Crucible that has less carbon content than CruWear which means the hardness is lower as well. The edge retention of 3V is also lower than CruWear. However, the amount of elements like vanadium and molybdenum is high in 3V which makes it tougher than CruWear. Both of the steels have the same corrosion resistance as the amount of chromium is the same in both of the steels.
CruWear vs. M4:
As the chromium content in CruWear is higher, the steel beats M4 in corrosion resistance. Furthermore, CruWear is better in toughness and holds a sharp edge for a long time. However, M4 has greater amount of carbon making it have a high hardness level which contributes to greater edge retention and wear resistance compared to CruWear steel.
CruWear vs. Elmax:
Both the steel types have similar performance in edge retention and resistance to wear and tear. CruWear beats Elmax at toughness level. However, as Elmax has greater chromium content it is better at resisting rust and corrosion than CruWear.
CPM-CruWear vs. M390:
M390 is high-end knife steel with premium quality that shows unbelievable hardness than various other steels on the market. Furthermore, you will see M90 defeating CruWear in terms of resisting corrosion and retaining edge. However, CruWear is tougher than M90 which means it can resist wear better.
CPM-CruWear vs. Maxamet:
Maxamet has a popularity for being one of the hardest steel that is available in the market. It does defeat CruWear in terms of edge retention and wear resistance but it is more poor in corrosion resistance than CruWear.
CPM CruWear vs. S110V:
S110V also belongs to Crucible and it is also high-end steel with premium quality. The S110V possesses a great amount of hardness which gives rise to its better corrosion resistance and edge retention than CruWear.
So, is CruWear Steel Good Knife Steel?
Yes, CPM CruWear can be used for knife steel easily because of the amazing properties that you will need to see in a knife blade. The only issue is you can not allow contact of saltwater with CPM CruWear as it has poor corrosion resistance.