S110V vs S30V Steel

S110V and S30V are two high performance stainless steels made by Crucible Industries using the CPM (Crucible Particle Metallurgy) process.

This powder metallurgy process allows the creation of steels with very high alloy contents and fine carbide structures.

S110V steel has exceptionally high wear resistance thanks to very high levels of vanadium, niobium, and other carbide formers.

This gives S110V knives outstanding edge retention but compromises toughness. In contrast, S30V offers better toughness from its lower, but still substantial, vanadium content.

The lower alloy provides S30V with improved toughness over S110V for better resistance to chipping and breaking in hard use.

S30V also benefits from the refinements Crucible has made over the years in powder metallurgy technology, giving it a fine carbide structure for reasonable toughness despite its high hardness.

S110V vs S30V At A Glance

Hardness

S110V steel has the potential for significantly higher hardness than S30V steel.

The datasheet for S110V shows it can reach 64 HRC when properly heat treated in contrast, the datasheet for S30V indicates a maximum hardness of 62 HRC.

The higher hardness potential of S110V is enabled by its higher alloy content, including more carbon, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, and other carbide forming elements.

These allow for greater formation of hard vanadium and niobium carbides during proper heat treatment.

Toughness

S30V knives and blades have better toughness than S110V knives, making them more resistant to chipping during hard impacts. The lower alloy content of S30V provides improved toughness.

S30V steel has superior toughness compared to S110V steel based on available data and independent tests.

In direct Charpy impact testing, S30V achieved higher toughness values around 10 ft-lbs whereas S110V was in the range of 7 ft-lbs when tested after similar heat treatments.

The higher alloy content of S110V, including more carbon and carbide-forming elements like chromium, vanadium, and niobium, leads to increased formation of hard carbides during heat treatment.

These provide exceptional hardness and wear resistance but reduce toughness. In contrast, S30V has a lower volume fraction of carbides, and they are slightly finer due to refinements in powder metallurgy production over the years.

Less and finer carbides improve the toughness of S30V relative to S110V. For knives that need to resist chipping and breaking, especially in tasks like chopping or prying, S30V would likely be the better choice over S110V.

However, for applications like razor blades where hardness and edge retention are paramount over impact resistance, S110V may be preferred despite its lower toughness.

Edge Retention

S110V steel has vastly superior edge retention compared to S30V steel due to its very high volume of hard vanadium and niobium carbides.

S110V knives stay sharp much longer during extended cutting tasks than S30V knives.

In standardized edge retention testing, S110V performed 25-30% better than S30V over a fixed time and cutting distance.

The difference stems from the much higher volume fraction of vanadium and niobium carbides in S110V, around 27%, versus only 14.5% vanadium carbides in S30V.

These very hard carbides are responsible for abrasion resistance. In another study, the weight loss of S110V in a dry sand rubber wheel abrasion test was about half that of S30V when compared at similar hardness levels.

Again, the high carbide content of S110V, which is among the highest of any stainless steel, allows it to significantly outperform S30V in wear resistance.

Corrosion resistance

S110V has enhanced corrosion resistance versus S30V and will resist rust better in harsh environments.

The higher chromium and molybdenum in S110V stainless steel improve its corrosion resistance.

In salt spray testing, S110V stainless steel resisted pitting corrosion significantly longer than S30V stainless steel before signs of red rust appeared.

The higher chromium and molybdenum content of S110V, at 15.25% Cr and 2.25% Mo, compared to 14% Cr and 2% Mo in S30V attributes to its high corrosion resistance.

The niobium in S110V stainless steel also helps bind more of the chromium in solid solution to resist corrosion.

In cyclic polarization testing, which analyzes localized corrosion behavior, S110V again outperformed S30V across a range of test conditions including different pH levels.

Both S110V and S30V stainless steels have adequate corrosion resistance for many applications, but S110V is the clear choice if maximizing corrosion resistance is critical.

Ease of sharpening

S30V knives are significantly easier to sharpen than S110V knives because of S30V’s lower carbide content, It takes much less effort and time to raise a burr and edge on S30V.

The high vanadium and niobium carbide content of S110V, around 27% by volume, makes it more difficult and time-consuming to abrade and raise a burr during sharpening.

S30V knife steel has a more moderate carbide content of around 14.5% which allows for easier deburring and edge formation.

In practical use, many users have noted that S110V takes noticeably longer to sharpen and requires more abrasive wear to reform the edge after dulling.

The fine carbides in S30V, owing to refined production methods, sharpen reasonably well while still providing good edge retention.

While both steels could be considered difficult to sharpen versus simple carbon steels, S30V is significantly more responsive to sharpening compared to S110V.

The very high alloy and carbide content of S110V comes at the cost of poor grindability. For most general-purpose knives where ease of maintenance is important, I recommend S30V over S110V.

However, S110V may be an acceptable tradeoff for applications like razors or surgical knives where maximum edge retention is critical and there is no frequent resharpening.

Final Thoughts on S110V vs S30V

In the end, while S110V offers vastly better edge retention than S30V, I find myself preferring S30V for most of my knives.

The combination of toughness, corrosion resistance, and reasonable ease of sharpening makes S30V better suited for general everyday carry in my experience.

I’ve tried S110V knives in the past but found them too difficult to sharpen compared to S30V.

While S110V can maintain an edge for incredibly long periods, it becomes a chore to reform that edge when dulling does occur.

For me, S30V offers the best balance between edge retention, ease of maintenance, and toughness.

The powder metallurgy process gives S30V carbides that are fine enough to sharpen without excessive effort while still performing well in real world cutting. And I value toughness in an EDC blade.