5Cr15MoV Steel: Full Details And Review

5Cr15MoV Steel

5Cr15MoV Steel For Knives

Have you been looking for a knife recently and come across blades made out of 5Cr15MoV Steel?  Do you want to know how a 5Cr15 knife blade stacks up against other types of knife steels?

I have been carrying and collecting knives for over 40 years and have used quite a few different knives with 5Cr15 steel in that time.

Before buying a new knife it is a good idea to learn a bit about the type of steel used for its blade.  This can help you avoid the mistake of getting a knife that won’t work for the tasks you have planned for it.

In this article we are going to review 5Cr15MoV steel; its chemical composition, properties, how these properties impact its performance as blade steel, and if it is an overall good steel for your next knife.

What Is 5Cr15 Steel?

5Cr15 is a moderately priced stainless steel that has been used by many knife manufacturers around the world.  It is very similar to 420hc steel but has a bit less vanadium, more chromium, and added molybdenum.

One of the most important factors in the performance of a knife is the type of steel that it is made from.  This determines the knife blades strength, durability, edge retention, and overall performance.

5Cr15 is a very economical steel that gained popularity due to its good corrosion resistance due to a good amount of chromium.  Along with this, it is also very easy to sharpen with the proper tools.

Freeman Guide 5Cr15MoV Steel

5Cr15MoV Composition

5Cr15 steel contains 0.5% Carbon, 15% Chromium, 0.6% Molybdenum, 0.4% Manganese, and 0.1% Vanadium.

  • 0.5% Carbon
  • 15% Chromium
  • 0.6% Molybdenum
  • 0.4% Manganese
  • 0.1% Vanadium

There is a great chart of 5Cr15 steel composition over at zknives.

Properties Of 5Cr15

Edge Retention

Edge retention is arguably one of the most important factors in determining good blade steel.  That said, that is the one area where 5Cr15 lacks in its performance.  That is not to say that it is not suitable as a knife steel, just that it tends to score lower compared to more expensive steel.

With a moderate amount of carbon and a relatively low amount of vanadium, 5Cr15 does not have a lot of extremely hard carbides to help hold a sharp edge for a long time.  Conversely, this lack of ultra-hard carbides allows this steel to handle some rough duty tasks that may chip the edge of harder steels.

Hardness

The hardness of a steel can vary widely depending on the type of heat treatment applied to the knife.  5Cr15 is usually hardened to about 52 to 56 HRC although some manufacturers have been known to run it as high as 58 HRC.

Toughness

One of the areas where 5Cr15 really shines is in its overall toughness. Being that it is not a super hard steel, it can flex slightly and withstand shock and lateral forces quite well that would cause some harder and less tough steels to break.

Many users of this steel have reported that although the edge does not hold up too well against abrasive cutting, the overall edge stability is pretty good and it is not prone to edge rolling or chipping. 

Corrosion Resistance

One of the main reasons that 5Cr15 has become such a popular steel for kitchen knives and lower cost pocket and fixed blade knives is its overall high level of corrosion resistance.

To be considered as a true “stainless steel” the alloy must contain 15% or more chromium.  This, along with the molybdenum addition helps this knife steel to avoid rusting or staining in normal use.

Sharpening

One of my favorite characteristics of 5Cr15 is that it is extremely easy to sharpen.  This is a great steel for someone who is learning to sharpen, or who doesn’t want to be frustrated trying to get a razor sharp edge on a much harder premium steel.

Along with being very easy to sharpen, it can achieve an extremely high level of sharpness.  It is quite easy, even for a novice sharpener, to get 5Cr15 steel shaving sharp.  For this reason, this is a great knife steel for newer knife owners or anyone looking to learn how to sharpen their own knives.

5Cr15MoV Equivalent Steels

5Cr15MoV is very similar to 420hc, 8cr13MoV, and also the German steel X50CrMoV15 or 1.4116. 

The German steel X50CrMoV15 was made by Thyssen and has been used in many good quality German kitchen knives over the last 40 years.  

Compared to 420hc, 5Cr15 has roughly the same amount of carbon, but has a higher chromium content and a little less Vanadium.  This makes 5Cr15 a little more corrosion resistant and a little less resistant to abrasion than 420hc.  

If you want to know more about 420hc steel you can check out 420hc Steel: Full Details And Review here.

CRKT Minimalist 5Cr15

Is 5Cr15 Steel A Good Knife Steel?

Overall, 5Cr15MoV is a decent knife steel.  What it lacks in edge retention, it makes up for in toughness and ease of sharpening.  This makes it a great steel for new knife users as well as anyone who is learning to sharpen their knives.

The good resistance to rust and the ability to withstand a bit of abuse also make it a decent knife kitchen knife or even as a camping  knife or bushcraft knife.  Another very similar blade steel with just a little bit better edge retention is 7Cr17MoV Knife Blade Steel.

Best 5Cr15 Knives

Gerber Freeman Guide

The Gerber freeman guide is a great drop point fixed blade knife that has a very grippy rubber grip.  I am taking this knife out on a hunting trip very soon and will be writing a detailed review of how it performs.


CRKT Minimalist Cleaver


SOG Baton Q3 Multitool 


FINAL VERDICT

While there are many high-end knife steels that hold an edge better than 5Cr15, it still performs quite well as an EDC blade steel for its lower price point.  

It is equally at home in the kitchen or around the campfire and if you are looking for a moderately tough steel that will sharpen very easily and not break the bank then 5Cr15 may just be right for your next knife.

4comments
Eric - February 17, 2022

Thanks for info very helpful for a novice my cheap but beautiful kitchen 2 pc knife set is this steel set was 10.50 Amazon thanks.

Reply
Teo-Salu - June 2, 2022

I decided to buy the Cold Steel Kudu Lite after reading this article, and a BPS folder also. 5Cr seems to do the job, it cuts well, holds a decent edge even if it needs to be sharpened regularly. Surprisingly it holds a better edge than my Gerber in 7Cr, probably a better HT with Cold Steel or BPS.
To be honest I’d put 1.4116 or 420HC (especially Buck’s) slightly above in terms of overall quality, but it’s ok for me as I am not a steel snob at all.

Reply
    Mike Syms - July 2, 2022

    Thanks for the comment Teo-Salu, how do you like the Kudu Lite? I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on it yet. 5Cr is very similar to many of the different “mid grade” blade steels on the market today. And I agree, the heat treatment of many of these steels can very easily make many of them better or worse than many others. That is one of the great things about the world of modern blade steel, there are so many great steels to choose from we can all find one (or many) that work for us!

    Reply
jmac27 - July 27, 2022

Thank you so much for taking the time to make an article about this steel. It was very useful and easy to read. I have been looking for a good knife, and it is very important to me that the steel will hold up to the uses I have intended it for. Thanks again!

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