Steel is the most important thing to look for before buying a knife. There are many steel grades found in today’s world that are found in knives; CTS BD1 steel is one of them. Some of you may already know about CTS BD1 steel.
If you are not aware of CTS BD1 steel, this article will help you know what CTS BD1 steel is, the chemical composition of CTS BD1 steel, the properties of CTS BD1 steel, and almost everything about CTS BD1 steel.
Let’s start with the CTS BD1 steel.
What is CTS BD1 steel?
CTS BD1 is low-end vacuum-melted stainless steel. It is mainly used in the knife industry for making knives, scissors, and other related tools.
CTS BD1 steel is widely used in the making of knives because it offers a great finished look as well as great edge retention. This steel is great in terms of wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Moreover, CTS BD1 steel is user-friendly, reliable, balanced with unique properties, and overall high performance.
CTS steel was introduced in 2009 by Carpenter Technology Corporation, an American company. It is one of the leading providers of top-quality steels. CTS BD1 steel has three families of alloys, including powder metals, bearing steel, and low alloy martensitic stainless steels.
CTS BD1 steel chemical composition
The elements in the steel are used for different purposes and have different features. The elements which are included in the CTS BD1 steel grade are as follows:
| Elements |
Percentage (%) |
Features |
| Chromium |
15.50 |
Chromium increases the hardness, strength, wear/corrosion resistance, and edge retention of the steel. |
| Carbon |
0.9 |
It increases the wear resistance, edge retention, and hardness of the steel, but a high amount of carbon may decrease the steel’s strength. Moreover, it is helpful for easy sharpening. |
| Manganese |
0.6 |
Manganese increases the hardness and brittleness of the steel. |
| Silicon |
0.37 |
It increases the hardness and strength of the steel. |
| Molybdenum |
0.30 |
Molybdenum increases the strength, hardness, and machinability of the steel. |
| Vanadium |
0.10 |
It improves the wear resistance and hardenability of the steel. |
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Rockwell hardness of CTS BD1 steel
CTS BD1 steel is user-friendly, reliable, balanced with unique properties, and overall high performance. CTS BD1 steel meets the standards of true quality steel.
It has a great combination and composition of elements, and because of this, this steel possesses great hardness. The steel offers high Rockwell hardness, which is around 58 to 60 HRC.
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CTS BD1 steel properties
CTS BD1 steel has a great hardness and a great chemical composition; it offers some amazing properties, which are as follows:
Sharpness: CTS BD1 steel is hard and easy to sharpen with simple sharpening tools. This steel smoothly takes a sharp form.
Edge Retention: As you know, this steel offers a high hardness which is around 58 to 60 HRC; this means CTS BD1 steel offers great edge retention compared to low-end steel.
Toughness: CTS BD1 steel is popular tough steel. This is because of the high percentage of chromium in it.
Wear Resistance: CTS BD1 is generally known for its Wear resistance. It contains a high percentage of chromium and a bit percentage of Carbon; both these elements offer the CTS BD1 steel a high wear resistance.
Corrosion Resistance: CTS BD1 steel contains a high chromium percentage, which offers this steel high corrosion resistance. However, this steel is not corrosion-proof.
Is CTS BD1 steel good for Knives?
Yes, CTS BD1 steel is good for knives.
CTS BD1 offers amazing hardness, good toughness, great wear resistance, great corrosion resistance properties. Moreover, CTS BD1 steel holds an edge for a good time and also is easy to sharpen. These features make this steel an excellent choice for making knives.
On top of these features, this steel is budget-friendly, making it a better choice for making knives.
CTS BD1 Best Knives
There are many knives available in the market that are made with CTS BD1 steel. In this section, I will review some of the popular and best knives of CTS BD1 steel.
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Spyderco Alcyone Value Folding Knife
Spyderco offers a line of knives; Spyderco Alcyone is one of them. No doubt this is a stunning knife. It has a 2.91-inch blade which is made from CTS BD1 stainless steel. This is perfect for small tasks.
It comes with a G 10 handle which is easy and safe to grip. You can use the knife for a long time without any fear of slipping from your hand. Moreover, the knife can be easily open with one hand.
Spyderco Alcyone comes with a Walker Liner Lock that securely locks the blade so that you can safely use a knife. It also includes a 4-way pocket clip that helps you in carrying a knife with you. This is a beautiful and amazing pocket knife which makes it perfect for a gift.
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Spyderco Z-Cut Kitchen Knife
Spyderco Z-Cut blade is made with a CTS BD1N steel which is sharp. This is the perfect kitchen knife that helps you in doing your kitchen-related tasks. You will get an amazing cutting experience with this knife.
Moreover, Spyderco Z-Cut is safe, thanks to the round trip of a knife. It is lighter, which makes it perfect for carrying for a long time. The good thing about this knife is that it is available in different colors, including red, green, or red handles, which makes it a more appealing and perfect option for adding to the kitchen utensils.
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Comparison with the Other Steel
In this section, I will compare the CTS BD1N steel with some other steels. For this, I will make comparison tables so that you can easily understand which steel is better than other steel.
CTS BD1 VS VG10
|
CTS BD1 |
VG10 |
|
| Edge retention |
7/10 |
5/10 |
| Stainless steel |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ease of Sharpness |
4/10 |
6/10 |
| Rockwell Hardness |
58-60 HRC |
60-61 HRC |
| Toughness |
5/10 |
4/10 |
| Corrosion Resistance |
5/10 |
7/10 |
CTS BD1 steel has better edge retention and toughness, while VG10 steel is better in terms of ease of sharpness, Rockwell hardness, corrosion resistance.
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CTS BD1 vs. AUS10a
|
CTS BD1 |
AUS10a |
|
| Edge retention |
7/10 |
6/10 |
| Stainless steel |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ease of Sharpness |
4/10 |
3/10 |
| Rockwell Hardness |
58-60 HRC |
58-60 HRC |
| Toughness |
5/10 |
4/10 |
| Corrosion Resistance |
5/10 |
6/10 |
These two sheets of steel are very similar in almost all aspects.
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CTS BD1 vs. 8cr13mov
|
CTS BD1 |
8cr13mov |
|
| Edge retention |
7/10 |
5/10 |
| Stainless steel |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ease of Sharpness |
4/10 |
6/10 |
| Rockwell Hardness |
58-60 HRC |
62 HRC |
| Toughness |
5/10 |
4/10 |
| Corrosion Resistance |
5/10 |
3/10 |
CTS BD1 steel has better toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention, while 8cr13mov steel is better in terms of ease of sharpness and Rockwell hardness.
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CTS BD1 vs. S30V
|
CTS BD1 |
S30V |
|
| Edge retention |
7/10 |
5/10 |
| Stainless steel |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ease of Sharpness |
4/10 |
5/10 |
| Rockwell Hardness |
58-60 HRC |
58-61 HRC |
| Toughness |
5/10 |
6/10 |
| Corrosion Resistance |
5/10 |
7/10 |
S30V steel is better in terms of ease of sharpness, toughness, and corrosion resistance, while CTS BD1 steel is better in terms of edge retention. However, in terms of Rockwell’s hardness, both are almost the same.
Conclusion
CTS BD1 steel is reliable, user-friendly, balanced with unique properties, and overall high performance. CTS BD1 offers good toughness, amazing hardness, great corrosion resistance, and great wear resistance properties.
CTS BD1 is perfect stainless steel with many amazing properties. This is why it is widely used in the making of knives. Moreover, this steel is budget-friendly which makes it a better choice for making knives.
CTS BD1 steel knives are sharp and hold a sharp edge for a time. Furthermore, this steel is easy to sharpen as well. This is the reason I recommend CTS BD1 steel knives.
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