HeatTreatBench · knife steel heat-treat recipes

26C3 Heat Treat Recipe

Carbon knife steel · target 61–65 HRC · austenitize 1475°F (802°C)

CategoryCarbon
Austenitize (recommended)1475°F (802°C)
Austenitize range1450–1500°F (788–816°C)
Soak at temperature10 min
QuenchFast oil (Parks 50) — low hardenability, similar to 1095; not a true oil-hardening steel
Temper2× 2 h · cool to room temp between cycles
Reliable hardness61–65 HRC
Uddeholm razor steel ("Spicy White") — very fine carbide, very high hardness for fine cutting edges. KSN recommends temper 300–350°F; up to 450°F pushes it toward general knives (~61 HRC). Do NOT temper above 450°F (embrittlement at 500°F) or below 200°F.

Temper → hardness chart

Approximate HRC after a double-temper at each temperature (from the sources below). Set your target and pick the matching temper.

Temper °FTemper °CHardness
300°F149°C65 HRC
350°F177°C63.5 HRC
450°F232°C61 HRC

Composition (typical, wt%)

Element%
C1.26%
Cr0.25%
Mn0.3%
Si0.25%

Uddeholmstrip UHB 26C3 typical (via KSN)

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Sources

More Carbon steels

10841500°F · 58–64 HRC10951475°F · 59–65 HRCW21450°F · 58–65 HRC