A2 chromium content from McMaster Carr?

[Smallshop]

I bought some A2 from McMaster...no certs. Then I got to thinking it would be nice to know the content % of the different alloying materials. They could not provide certs after the fact because there was know real identifying marks on the paper wrapper as to company or lot #.

So they told me to look at the detail page on the website for the range of composition. the A2 will fall within this range. Here's the pic of that page. Is the Chromium too much of a spread as to allowable %? Would not 2 pieces of steel from either end of the tolerance be entirely different knives? 4.75%-13% seems like a very big difference to me.:52:

 

[samuraistuart]

Tthat is a misprint. A2 has around 5% Chromium, but D2 has 12%. Someone just made an error in combining A2 and D2 numbers when making that document.

Same with the carbon content. A2 has (usually) 1.05% carbon, while D2 has 1.5%. Looks to me like they just threw in the D2 numbers on the max end...by mistake.

Now that I'm looking even closer, the Vanadium is the same way, along with the other elements. A2 usually has only .2% while D2 has 1.1%

 

[Smallshop]

Thanks Samuraistuart....That makes sense. I've used A2 years ago and never remembered a real high chrome content...machining-wise. That was toolmaking not knife making but the stuff I have from McMaster machined as I remember.