HRC (Rockwell Hardness)
hrc
A scale measuring how hard a blade's steel is; higher numbers generally mean longer edge retention but more brittleness and harder sharpening.
HRC (Rockwell C hardness) is the standard scale for how hard a knife’s steel is, measured by pressing a diamond cone into the blade and reading the depth of the dent. Kitchen knives run from the mid 50s to the mid 60s. A soft budget knife sits below 56; a German knife is usually 56 to 58; a forgiving Japanese knife is 59 to 61; a hard Japanese knife is 62 to 64; powder-steel specialist blades reach 65 and above.
Higher HRC holds a sharp edge for longer and can take a finer edge, but the steel is more brittle, chips instead of rolling, and is slower to resharpen. Lower HRC dulls sooner but is quick to bring back on a stone and tolerates rougher use. Neither end is “better.” HRC is also only one variable: blade geometry and grind affect how a knife cuts at least as much, and the number is manufacturer-stated, typically accurate to within a point or two.
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