Johan Nel
Well-Known Member
I wonder if someone here on Knifedogs can assist with information and experience with an unknown, to me, stainless steel called BECUT.
There seem to be very little information out there, and very few knife makers that seem to use it for knives. The only reference to the steel that I have found here on Knifedogs is by a gentleman from Italy known as “ziozeb”. He posted on knives that he had made of this steel. Unfortunately, he has not reflected on the qualities of the steel, etc. The posts date from between 2009 to 2015, and the photos are no longer viewable. I have sent him a message to enquire about the steel, but I am unsure if I will get a response from him, as he had not visited the forum since last year.
What I am able to establish is that the German company BESTAR manufactures the steel. Then there is a British company BARMOND that also stocks/manufactures it. The composition listed by the two companies, are very similar with small variations. BECUT gives the numbers as fixed, where BERMOND gives it as variables with a minimum and maximum level. The chemical analysis tables from the two companies are as follows:
BESTAR
C 0.72
Si 0.55
Mn 0.45
Cr 14
Mo 1.90
V 0.60
Nb 0.80
BERMOND
C 0.68 – 0.75
Si 0 – 1.00
Mn 0 – 1.00
Cr 14 – 15
Mo 1.70 – 2.00
V 0.50 – 0.70
Nb 0.70 – 0.86
BERMOND gives slightly more information on the heat treat of the steel than BECUT.
According to BARMOND, the steel is annealed at 840°C (1544°F) with a gentle, slow cooling.
Heat treat is between 1050°C & 1090°C (1925°F - 1990°F).
Quenching is “oil, salt bath” (Oil, salt bath or nitrogen – BECUT).
Tempering is done between 150°C - 200°C (300°F - 374°F). No length of time is given.
Hardness after heat treat is given as HRC54 – HRC59.
Can any of the more knowledgeable makers or steel gurus’ weight in on this steel please? I do not know what other stainless knife steel is close to this steel, what its characteristics are, pros & cons, etc.
The reason for my enquiry is because I can buy some of this steel locally at a reasonable price and being an inexperienced knife builder, would like to verify its suitability.
Of interest is the Niobium which (Nb) in the steel that iis added to this steel. BARMOND states the following: “Fundamentally, niobium is added for similar reasons to Vanadium: to form hard MC carbides, where M can refer to V, Nb, Ti, etc. The hard carbides can contribute to grain size refinement, and wear resistance.”
See the links to the two sites:
https://www.barmondsheffield.com/product/becut-niobium-stabilised-stainless-50-x-5-50-600-descaled/
https://www.bestar-steel.com/en/products/product-groups/knives/
https://www.bestar-steel.com/media/pdf/b7/19/df/BECUT.pdf
There seem to be very little information out there, and very few knife makers that seem to use it for knives. The only reference to the steel that I have found here on Knifedogs is by a gentleman from Italy known as “ziozeb”. He posted on knives that he had made of this steel. Unfortunately, he has not reflected on the qualities of the steel, etc. The posts date from between 2009 to 2015, and the photos are no longer viewable. I have sent him a message to enquire about the steel, but I am unsure if I will get a response from him, as he had not visited the forum since last year.
What I am able to establish is that the German company BESTAR manufactures the steel. Then there is a British company BARMOND that also stocks/manufactures it. The composition listed by the two companies, are very similar with small variations. BECUT gives the numbers as fixed, where BERMOND gives it as variables with a minimum and maximum level. The chemical analysis tables from the two companies are as follows:
BESTAR
C 0.72
Si 0.55
Mn 0.45
Cr 14
Mo 1.90
V 0.60
Nb 0.80
BERMOND
C 0.68 – 0.75
Si 0 – 1.00
Mn 0 – 1.00
Cr 14 – 15
Mo 1.70 – 2.00
V 0.50 – 0.70
Nb 0.70 – 0.86
BERMOND gives slightly more information on the heat treat of the steel than BECUT.
According to BARMOND, the steel is annealed at 840°C (1544°F) with a gentle, slow cooling.
Heat treat is between 1050°C & 1090°C (1925°F - 1990°F).
Quenching is “oil, salt bath” (Oil, salt bath or nitrogen – BECUT).
Tempering is done between 150°C - 200°C (300°F - 374°F). No length of time is given.
Hardness after heat treat is given as HRC54 – HRC59.
Can any of the more knowledgeable makers or steel gurus’ weight in on this steel please? I do not know what other stainless knife steel is close to this steel, what its characteristics are, pros & cons, etc.
The reason for my enquiry is because I can buy some of this steel locally at a reasonable price and being an inexperienced knife builder, would like to verify its suitability.
Of interest is the Niobium which (Nb) in the steel that iis added to this steel. BARMOND states the following: “Fundamentally, niobium is added for similar reasons to Vanadium: to form hard MC carbides, where M can refer to V, Nb, Ti, etc. The hard carbides can contribute to grain size refinement, and wear resistance.”
See the links to the two sites:
https://www.barmondsheffield.com/product/becut-niobium-stabilised-stainless-50-x-5-50-600-descaled/
https://www.bestar-steel.com/en/products/product-groups/knives/
https://www.bestar-steel.com/media/pdf/b7/19/df/BECUT.pdf
Last edited: