The stainless knife steels contain 0.6 – 2.3% carbon and 12 – 18% chromium. The knife steel qualities for demanding applications contain additionally 0.5 – 4% molybdenum for enhancing the corrosion resistance and 0.1 – 9.0% vanadium for better wear resistance. Among the alloying elements lies carbon. Being a part of carbides, carbon contributes crucially to grain size and abrasion resistance.