HeatTreatBench · knife steel heat-treat recipes

CPM-S35VN Heat Treat Recipe

Stainless knife steel · target 58–61 HRC · austenitize 1950°F (1066°C)

platecryo
CategoryStainless
Austenitize (recommended)1950°F (1066°C)
Austenitize range1900–2000°F (1038–1093°C)
Preheat1550°F (843°C)
Soak at temperature10–20 min
QuenchPlate quench / air
Cryo / sub-zeroRequired — dry ice or LN2
Temper2× 2 h · cool to room temp between cycles
Reliable hardness58–61 HRC
PM stainless — popular for production folders. Plate quench, cryo, low temper. High wear resistance, moderate toughness.

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°C61 HRC
350°F177°C60 HRC
400°F204°C59 HRC
450°F232°C58 HRC

Composition (typical, wt%)

Element%
C1.4%
Cr14%
V3%
Mo2%
Nb0.5%

Niagara / Crucible CPM S35VN datasheet

HeatTreatBench — the recipes in your shop, offline

Get the full CPM-S35VN recipe plus 25 more steels offline — set your target HRC and the app gives you the exact temper, with a forge timer and a per-blade log. Works in the shop with no signal.

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Sources

More Stainless steels

AEB-L1950°F · 61–64 HRC14C28N1950°F · 58–62 HRCNitro-V1900°F · 58–64 HRCMagnaCut2050°F · 59–63 HRCCPM-1541950°F · 60–62 HRCCPM-S30V1950°F · 58.5–60.5 HRC