Best Steel for Katana – Choosing Between Decoration and Arts

Do you know the qualities to look for when picking the best steel for katana? Katana swords are known as the soul of the samurai, but there are a lot of details and terminologies that you should know before you dive into your katana sword shopping spree especially when you are planning to buy your first katana sword. This simple and easy to comprehend guide will help you in selecting your katana steel sword whether you plan to have one in your house for decoration, or plan to use it for a fundraising event.

Best Steel for Katana

Stainless Steel

If you are looking for a katana sword to use as a conversational piece or decoration, then this is the perfect steel to go for. Stainless steel is brittle and is well known for making either knives or short blades, normally not more than twelve inches. They may break when trying to cut something, or even hurt the user.

Carbon Katana Steel

When buying a carbon katana steel, it is essential for you to know how its hardness scale is measured. Usually, the first two digits designate its steel while the second two, which is 01 to 99, is the measure of the carbon content. The carbon content ranges between .01 % to .99 %. Proper katana steel ranges between 1045 and 1095; here are some of the best and most common carbon katanas steels.

• 1045 Carbon Steel

If you are looking for a soft steel that does not break but only bends, then this is an option. It is on the soft end of the spectrum, which means it is durable but loses its edge more frequently.

• 1060 Carbon Steel

1060 is known for keeping its sharp edge for a longer period and is flexible. This type is one of the most used carbon steels for katanas as it is a good balance.

• 1095 Katana Steel

If you want an incredibly harder carbon steel with a sharper edge and longer in length, then this will be a perfect pick for you. Note that this option is not as tough as the other lower carbon steels. This type is very flexible and hardly fragile.

Spring Katana Steel

The primary reason for the name is because it has silicon added to it, and this allows them to spring back to their initial shape when bent. Apart from the silicon added to them, these types of katana swords have .60 % carbon added to them. There are only two types of these katana swords: the 5160 and 9260 spring katana swords.

• 5160 Spring Steel

This spring steel has a low content of chromium, which means it can’t be fully considered entirely stainless. The portion of silicon added to it makes it a tough alloy, and it is usually favored compared to other steel types.

• 9260 Spring Steel

Also known as Silicon Manganese Steel, this type of spring steel has roughly 10 times more silicon compared to the 5160 spring steel. This type of spring steel is surprisingly flexible and can spring back from up to about 90-degree bend.

Tool Katana Steel

Tool katana steels are popularly known for their ability to keep a sharp edge and hold it and are moreover tough.

• T – 10 Tool Steel

This type of katana sword has a small amount of silicon and carbon content. T-10 tool steel is scratch resistant because it is a tungsten alloy.

• L6 Bainite

The L6 is hard to work with, but is also the toughest of the katana steels in the market. Because it is a low alloy katana steel, you will most likely have to dig deeper into your pockets if you want to purchase it.

Damascus Katana Steel

The Damascus katana steel is one that has been folded in the process of making a particular sword. The initial aim of the sword was to remove impurities when making other types of swords like the traditional katana sword. Although it is fair quality, it needs sharpening and has a spectrum of about 1045.

Bottom Line

There are some things that you should look for before making your purchase of a katana. First, you need to consider what you are using the sword for. You will require different swords when it comes to decoration and arts. Selecting the best steel for katana sword is not complicated, but you have to make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terminologies and the details.