VG10 vs SG2 vs Blue Steel: Japanese Knife Steels Explained

VG10 and SG2 are stainless steels: wash and dry them and they resist rust. Blue Steel #2 is a carbon steel that rusts if you leave it wet. SG2 generally holds its edge longer than VG10 and usually takes longer to sharpen. For a first Japanese knife, most cooks do well with VG10.

This guide is for cooks comparing Japanese knives by the steel in the product name. It covers the steels listed in our online range. If you have not picked a shape yet, start with our guide to Japanese knife types.

Stainless or carbon: which should you choose?

Choose by care first. Stainless steel contains at least 10.5% chromium, which protects it from rust, while carbon knife steels carry well under 1% and rust when left wet.

Buy stainless if you want a knife that only needs washing and drying. Buy carbon if you enjoy looking after a tool and wiping it dry as you cook. Browse our stainless knives and carbon knives.

What is VG10 steel?

VG10 is a stainless steel with 15% chromium plus molybdenum, cobalt and vanadium. Its steelmaker describes it as corrosion resistant, long-lasting at the edge and easy to sharpen.

VG10 appears on more of our online knife listings than any other steel, on santoku, gyuto, petty and nakiri. Many VG10 knives in our range are damascus: a layered steel pattern around a VG10 core, where the pattern is the look and the core does the cutting.

What is SG2 steel?

SG2, also called Super Gold 2 or SPG2, is a stainless steel made from powder.

Molten steel is sprayed into a fine powder, then pressed and forged back into a solid bar. That gives an even, fine structure, and it lets the steelmaker add more alloy than ordinary melting allows.

In the kitchen that means an edge that generally holds longer between sharpenings than VG10. It also usually takes longer to bring back on a whetstone. How the blade is hardened, its edge thickness and how you use and sharpen it also affect the result.

In our online range SG2 comes as kiritsuke, santoku and gyuto, most of them with a damascus finish.

VG10 vs SG2: which is better for you?

Pick VG10 if you are buying your first Japanese knife or plan to learn sharpening on it. Pick SG2 if you sharpen rarely and want the edge to last longer between sessions.

Both are stainless, so the care is the same: wash by hand, dry, store. With either steel, avoid bones, twisting and prying; both can chip.

What is Blue Steel #2 (Aogami #2)?

Blue Steel #2 is a carbon steel: White Steel #2 with tungsten and chromium added. Its steelmaker says the additions make it more wear-resistant and slower to grind.

In the kitchen, the edge generally holds longer and sharpening usually takes a little more time than with White Steel #2. The chromium is far too little to make it stainless.

Blue Steel #2 rusts if you leave it wet, and over time it darkens into a patina, a thin film that is normal on carbon steel and helps slow rust. In our online range it comes on bunka, nakiri, santoku and petty, mostly with a kurouchi finish (the black forge scale left on the blade).

White Steel #2 vs Blue Steel #2: what is the difference?

White Steel #2 is the purer carbon steel. It usually sharpens a little faster and takes a very fine edge; Blue Steel #2 generally holds its edge longer.

Neither is stainless, so the care is the same for both. We list White Steel #2 mainly on deba and yanagiba, the single-bevel fish knives, and on one gyuto and one petty. Single bevel means sharpened on one side only; our guide to single vs double bevel knives explains how that changes the cut, and nakiri vs usuba shows the difference on a vegetable knife.

A few knives in our range use Blue Super, the same steelmaker's grade with more carbon, chromium and tungsten than Blue Steel #2. It is a carbon steel too, with the same care.

What about Ginsan, SLD, Molybdenum and SK?

Two of these are stainless, SLD sits close to stainless, and SK is a carbon steel.

• Ginsan (Silver #3): a stainless steel from the same steelmaker as White and Blue Steel. Mostly in our bunka and santoku listings. Care as for any stainless knife.
• Molybdenum: Molybdenum is an element added to steel, not a specific steel grade. Our listings use this name for stainless knives; molybdenum improves corrosion resistance. In our nakiri, gyuto, santoku and petty listings, often with a kurouchi tsuchime (hammered) finish.
• SLD: a high-chromium tool steel made mainly for industrial dies. It sits between carbon and stainless, so we list it with our stainless knives, but dry it straight after washing.
• SK: a family of Japanese-standard carbon tool steels, the base White Steel was refined from. Some of our deba listings use it. Care as for carbon steel.

Will a stainless Japanese knife rust?

It can, if you leave it wet. Stainless steel resists rust, and a knife left in a sink or a dishwasher can still spot on the surface.

Wash VG10, SG2, Ginsan and Molybdenum knives by hand and dry them before you put them away. If a carbon blade does get an orange spot, our article on removing rust from Japanese knives walks through it.

Does the steel matter more than the shape?

Choose a shape for the jobs you do. Steel affects rust resistance, edge wear and sharpening.

A santoku or a gyuto in VG10 suits most first-time buyers. Read our guides to the santoku, the gyuto and the nakiri, then come back here to pick the steel.

What do damascus and three-layer mean?

They describe how the blade is built. A three-layer blade has a cutting core between two outer layers.

Many damascus kitchen knives have a separate cutting core surrounded by patterned layers. Damascus describes the layered pattern, not one steel grade. For a blade with a separate core, check the core steel named in the product listing. Our damascus knives show the range.

How do you sharpen each steel?

All of them sharpen on Japanese whetstones. VG10 usually sharpens faster than SG2, and White Steel #2 usually faster than Blue Steel #2.

Follow the instructions for your knife and whetstone; soaking requirements vary by stone.

Compare the steels in Tokyo or Kyoto

All four ZAKU Knives stores offer test cutting: Kappabashi, Asakusa and Harajuku in Tokyo, and Nishiki Market in Kyoto. Ask staff which knives are available for test cutting.

Find addresses on the store locator. Buying from home? Tell us what you cook and how you like to look after a knife through our contact page.