CPM154 *Surface Ground Bar Stock HRA .156" - See Length Note
CPM154 Bar Stock
LENGTH NOTE:
We buy this in 36" lengths and sell it in 12", 24", and 36" lengths.
If you buy 1ea, you will get a stick 12" long by the width and thickness shown.
If you buy 2, you will get a bar that is 24" in legnth.
If you buy 3, you will get a bar that is 36" in legnth.
**If you buy 2 or 3 and want 12" length pieces, please specify in the comments section that you would like them cut into 12" pieces.
**Advertised price is for 1qty 12" piece
CPM154
- Surface Ground
- .156"
- DCF (Decarb Free)
We wanted to offer a high quality steel in a perfect thickness for kitchen knives. If you are looking for high quality, corrosion resistant, tough steel with great edge holding
This CPM steel is designated at .075” thickness but we measure it to an average of .085” in thickness so it is slightly oversized, which is typical for CPM steels. This gives you a little room to remove any foundry surface imperfections but we don’t see any. We had this batch of steel “time saver” surface ground. That means all the foundry scale is removed and the metal is ground down to a bright metal surface instead of the typical gray foundry scale “bark” found on most CPM steels.
It is important to note that this is surface ground, not precision ground. There is a difference. Surface grinding just removes the specified amount of surface material on both sides and gets close to the specified thickness. Precision ground is certified ground to a specified thickness and flatness. The more precise the specifications on surface grinding, the more expensive it is.
See our online heat treating reference page for heat treat data. KnifeDogs.com also has extensive data available for heat treating reference.
A quick comparison between S90V, S35VN and CPM154
S90V will offer the most wear resistance. It will stay sharper longer. Wears longer than 440C or D2 with corrosion resistance performance at or slightly better than 440C. That also means it will take longer to sharpen. S90V is one of the longest wearing steels out there.
S35VN has more wear resistance than CPM154 but less than S90V. It is an improved steel over S30V which had earned a reputation as being chippy on a thin edge. S35V does not have that issue. It is a good balance between toughness and edge holding. If you aren’t chopping nails for dinner, this might be the perfect high performance steel for your kitchen knife.
CPM154 is tougher than S35VN but less wear resistant than S35VN or quite a bit less than S90V (which is well above average). The upside to CPM154 that it finishes beautifully. It takes flawless mirror finish with just a little effort. It is also tougher than S35VN so it can handle a very thin edge. This is a great candidate for a fillet knife. It is easy to sharpen, holds a nice, thin edge well and has great corrosion resistance. This steel could end up as your favorite knife steel. It is an enhanced version of ATS-34 using much better particle double vacuum foundry process.
Summarized:
S90V, holds an edge forever, tough to sharpen but could be chippy on a very thin edge.
S35VN better than average edge retention, tougher than S90V so the edge can take a bit more.
CPM154 awesome finish, great edge holding, tougher than S35VN. Great all around high performance steel.