1095 Steel
Also: AISI 1095, SAE 1095, UNS G10950, C1095, 1095 spring steel, 1095 high carbon steel, 1095 blade steel, blue tempered spring steel, CK101 / 1.1274 (near), SK95 (JIS, near)
1095 is the classic high-carbon steel for blades, springs and wear parts: cheap, easy to harden to 58-62 HRC, and available as annealed strip or blade stock. Values for annealed and hardened.
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At a glance
| Density | 7.85 g/cm³ (0.284 lb/in³) |
|---|---|
| Tensile strength | 655 MPa (95 ksi) annealed; about 1,290 MPa (187 ksi) oil quenched and tempered at 205 °C (400 °F) |
| Yield strength | 380 MPa (55 ksi) annealed; about 830 MPa (120 ksi) quenched and tempered at 205 °C (400 °F) |
| Hardness | 190-200 HB annealed; 58-62 HRC hardened for blades; 45-52 HRC tempered for springs |
| Elongation | 13% annealed; about 10% quenched and tempered at 205 °C; under 5% at 60 HRC |
| Modulus of elasticity | 205 GPa (29.7 Msi) |
| Thermal | Melts at about 1,400-1,460 °C (2,550-2,660 °F); loses hardness quickly above about 200 °C (400 °F) at blade hardness |
| Composition | Fe, 0.90-1.03% C, 0.30-0.50% Mn, up to 0.04% P, up to 0.05% S |
Typical values, Annealed (as stocked); hardened figures for oil quench from about 800 °C (1,475 °F) and temper at 205 °C (400 °F). Blade and spring hardness ranges stated separately.. Confirm against the mill certificate and the purchase spec.
- MachinabilityFair
- About 45% of the 1212 benchmark in the annealed state, with hard carbides that wear tooling; spheroidize-annealed stock cuts best. Hardened 1095 is ground, not machined.
- WeldabilityPoor
- High carbon hardens and cracks in the heat-affected zone. Fusion welding needs 260-315 °C (500-600 °F) preheat, low-hydrogen filler and immediate post-weld annealing; most fabricators braze or rivet instead. Forge welding in damascus is a separate craft.
- FormabilityFair
- Annealed strip forms and blanks well with a bend radius of about 2x thickness; hardened or blue-tempered strip only takes gentle curves and must be formed before hardening.
- Corrosion resistancePoor
- Rusts fast, especially at a polished edge. Oil, wax, black oxide or a forced patina for blades; springs get oil, phosphate or zinc with a hydrogen bake.
1095 is a plain carbon steel at about 0.95% carbon, just above the eutectoid, which is as much carbon as a plain steel can usefully carry. It is bought annealed, as strip, sheet, flat bar and plate, or as pre-tempered "blue" spring strip, and it is the material behind most flat springs, clutch and saw blades, scrapers, agricultural knives and a great many hand-forged and stock-removal knives.
Annealed it runs about 655 MPa (95 ksi) tensile at roughly 190 HB and machines slowly but cleanly. Hardened and tempered it reaches 58-62 HRC for blades or 45-52 HRC for springs, with tensile strength above 1,200 MPa (175 ksi) in the tempered spring condition. The hardened edge takes a fine, aggressive grind and is easy to resharpen, which is why knife makers keep using it despite better stainless and tool steels.
It is a shallow-hardening steel: only thin sections, roughly under 6 mm (1/4"), harden through in oil, and thicker parts need water or brine with a real cracking risk. It rusts fast, it cannot be welded without cracking, and it is brittle at full hardness. When a part needs deeper hardenability or toughness, O1 and 52100 are the neighbours; for corrosion resistance, 440C or 420.
Heat treatment
Austenitize at 790-815 °C (1,450-1,500 °F) with a short soak, quench in fast oil for strip and thin blades or in water or brine for sections over about 6 mm (1/4"), then temper immediately. Temper at 175-230 °C (350-450 °F) for 58-62 HRC blades, or at 370-480 °C (700-900 °F) for 45-52 HRC springs. It hardens shallowly and cracks on a water quench if left untempered, so quench, temper within an hour, and normalize at 870 °C (1,600 °F) before hardening to refine the grain of forged stock. Spheroidize anneal at 730-760 °C (1,350-1,400 °F) with a slow cool for the best machining.
Tempers and conditions
- Annealed (spheroidized) strip and bar (as stocked)
- Hot rolled bar and flat
- Blue tempered (pre-hardened spring strip, about 48-52 HRC)
- Hardened 58-62 HRC (blades)
- Tempered 45-52 HRC (springs, scrapers)
Stock forms
- Cold-rolled strip and coil (annealed or blue tempered)
- Sheet and plate for blade blanks
- Hot-rolled flat and round bar
- Precision-ground flat stock (limited)
Relative cost
Tier 2 of 5. Annealed strip and flat bar run about 1.5-2x 1018 by weight; blue-tempered spring strip more. Cheap for a blade steel: a fraction of O1 or 440C.
Typical applications
- Knife, machete and sword blades
- Flat and clock springs, spring clips and retainers
- Clutch plates and washers
- Saw blades, scrapers and putty knives
- Agricultural cutting edges and tines
- Hand tool blades, chisels and shims
- Wear plates and guides
Process compatibility
How 1095 takes each process, and what to specify. Each process links to its own guide and to the shops that do it.
| Process | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Treating | ExcellentExcellent | Straightforward hardening to 58-62 HRC in oil or water; temper immediately. The whole point of the grade. |
| Waterjet Cutting | ExcellentExcellent | Blade and spring blanks with no heat-affected zone; cut annealed or hardened stock alike. |
| Laser Cutting | GoodGood | Thin strip cuts fast, but the edge hardens and can crack; anneal or grind the edge before forming. |
| Metal Stamping | GoodGood | Blanks and forms cleanly as annealed strip; springs are stamped soft, then hardened and tempered. |
| CNC Grinding | ExcellentExcellent | Blades and wear parts are finished by grinding after hardening; keep it cool to avoid tempering the edge. |
| Wire EDM | GoodGood | Cuts hardened blanks without stress; a light recast layer to remove on an edge. |
| CNC Machining | FairFair | Annealed only, at 1018 speeds divided by two; carbide tooling. |
| Press Brake Forming | FairFair | Annealed strip at about 2x thickness radius; never bend hardened stock. |
| Black Oxide | GoodGood | The usual low-cost finish on hardened parts; oil it for any rust resistance. |
| Zinc Plating | FairFair | Springs plated bright must be baked within hours to avoid hydrogen embrittlement; oil or phosphate is safer. |
| Forging | GoodGood | Forges well between about 1,150 °C and 850 °C; normalize after forging to refine the grain. |
| Welding | PoorPoor | Cracks in the HAZ without preheat and immediate anneal; braze, rivet or bolt instead. |
| Carburizing | Not recommendedNot recommended | Already nearly saturated with carbon; there is no case to add. |
| Vacuum Heat Treating | FairFair | Gas quenching is too slow for anything but the thinnest blades; use an oil-quench furnace or a conventional shop. |
Design and sourcing tips
- Specify the condition ("1095 annealed, spheroidized" or "1095 blue tempered, 48-52 HRC") and the final hardness range; the number on its own says nothing.
- Keep sections under about 6 mm (1/4") if the part must harden through in oil; thicker blades need a water or brine quench and a shop that will accept the cracking risk.
- Design springs to be blanked and formed soft, then hardened and tempered as a batch; do not ask for a formed part from pre-tempered strip unless the radii are gentle.
- Avoid sharp inside corners, stamped lettering and abrupt section changes at the hardening stage: they start quench cracks.
- For blades, add a distal taper and a generous plunge radius; call for a stress relief before final grinding on long thin parts.
- Give a corrosion plan: black oxide, oil, patina or a coating. Bare 1095 rusts in the box.
Frequently asked questions
- How hard can 1095 steel get?
- As quenched it reaches about 64-66 HRC in thin sections. Tempered for a working blade it is used at 58-62 HRC, and for springs, scrapers and impact tools at 45-52 HRC. The shallow hardenability means only sections under roughly 6 mm (1/4") reach full hardness in oil; thicker parts need a water quench.
- Is 1095 good for knives?
- Yes, and it has been for a century. It takes a keen edge, sharpens easily and is cheap and forgiving to heat treat. Its drawbacks are rust (it needs oil or a patina) and lower toughness and edge retention than O1, 52100 or the modern powder steels. Good for field, kitchen and general-purpose blades; less good for thin, hard-use blades that need toughness.
- Can 1095 be welded?
- Not practically. The high carbon makes the heat-affected zone harden and crack unless the part is preheated to 260-315 °C (500-600 °F), welded with low-hydrogen filler and annealed right after. Springs and blades are joined mechanically or brazed. Forge welding 1095 into pattern-welded (damascus) billets is a different process done hot at the anvil.
- What is the difference between 1095 and 1084 or 1075?
- Carbon. 1084 (about 0.84% C) and 1075 (about 0.75% C) sit at or below the eutectoid, so they harden more forgivingly, are a little tougher and are easier for a beginner to heat treat; 1095 carries more carbide for slightly better edge retention and wear. All three are shallow-hardening plain carbon steels with similar rust behaviour.
- What is blue tempered 1095?
- Spring strip that the mill has already hardened and tempered, typically to about 48-52 HRC, and that shows the blue oxide colour from the temper. It is bought when the part needs no forming beyond gentle curves and no further heat treatment: shims, flat springs, scraper blades. Anything blanked with tight bends should start as annealed strip instead.
Processes that commonly use it
Related materials
Where to verify these values
- ASTM A684 and A682 (high-carbon strip)
- ASTM A29/A29M and SAE J403
- ASM Handbook Vol. 4, Heat Treating (1095 tempering curves)
- Producer data sheets for 1095 spring strip and blade stock
