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    • CPM S30V

    CPM-S30V Steel Knives — Benchmade, Spyderco, Zero Tolerance & More

    CPM-S30V is the steel that set the modern standard for stainless EDC knives. Developed by Crucible Industries metallurgist Dick Barber in collaboration with Chris Reeve, Sal Glesser, Ernest Emerson, and Tony Marfione, S30V was built from the ground up to deliver what the best knife makers in the industry actually needed: better edge retention than 154CM, better toughness than S60V, better corrosion resistance than BG42 — all in a steel that could be heat treated with common shop equipment.

    The result was a powder metallurgy stainless steel with 4% vanadium, 14% chromium, and 2% molybdenum — a formula that produces fine vanadium carbides for edge retention without the brittleness of high-vanadium steels like S90V. Edge retention tests place CPM-S30V solidly above 154CM, 440C, XHP, and Elmax. Corrosion resistance is rated “above average” — better than CPM-154, close to CPM-S35VN. Toughness lands in the middle of the stainless class: more than adequate for hard EDC use, not a purpose-built chopper.

    Over 20 years later, CPM-S30V remains the benchmark stainless steel against which every new blade steel is measured. Benchmade built their reputation on it. Spyderco put it in some of their most iconic folders. Zero Tolerance uses it as a baseline for their production line. If you've carried a quality EDC folder in the last decade, there's a good chance it was CPM-S30V.

    Steel type
    PM Stainless
    Vanadium content
    4%
    Typical hardness
    58–61 HRC
    Edge retention
    Above average
    Corrosion resistance
    Above average
    Produced by
    Crucible Industries
    Compare Selected
    Is CPM-S30V a good everyday carry steel?

    Yes — CPM-S30V is one of the best all-around stainless steels for daily carry. It holds a sharp working edge through extended use, resists rust well enough for most climates and conditions, and sharpens without the difficulty of higher-wear-resistance steels like M390 or CPM-S90V. For most EDC users carrying a folder every day, CPM-S30V hits the sweet spot of edge retention, corrosion resistance, and sharpenability.

    How does CPM-S30V compare to CPM-S35VN?

    CPM-S35VN is the direct successor to CPM-S30V, developed to address its one weakness: chipping resistance. By replacing some vanadium with niobium, CPM-S35VN improved toughness and made the steel slightly easier to sharpen, at a small cost in edge retention. For hard use — prying, batoning, tasks that stress the edge laterally — CPM-S35VN has an edge. For pure slicing edge retention, CPM-S30V tests slightly better. Most production knives that moved from S30V to S35VN did so for manufacturing reasons as much as performance ones.

    How hard is CPM-S30V to sharpen?

    Moderate. CPM-S30V is harder to sharpen than common stainless steels like 8Cr13MoV or 14C28N, but significantly easier than M390, CPM-S90V, or ZDP-189. A quality diamond or ceramic stone will restore an edge without excessive effort. For most users, a Spyderco Sharpmaker or Lansky system handles S30V without difficulty. The sharpenability is one of the reasons S30V was designed the way it was — the development team specifically prioritized achieving results with common heat treating and sharpening equipment.

    What brands use CPM-S30V steel?

    CPM-S30V is used by Benchmade, Spyderco, Zero Tolerance, CRKT, Cold Steel, Buck Knives, and many custom makers. It was one of the first premium stainless steels to achieve widespread adoption in production knife lines — Benchmade in particular used it across much of their lineup for years and still uses it in several models today.

    Is CPM-S30V the same as S30V?

    Yes. “S30V” and “CPM-S30V” refer to the same steel — CPM is Crucible Particle Metallurgy, the powder metallurgy process used to produce it. Some manufacturers and retailers drop the CPM prefix for convenience, but the steel is identical. At Knifeworks we use the full CPM-S30V designation to be precise about what you're getting.

    CPM-S30V vs. comparable blade steels

    SteelEdge retentionToughnessCorrosion resistanceSharpenability
    CPM-S30V ★HighModerateAbove avgModerate
    CPM-S35VNHighMod–HighAbove avgModerate
    154CMModerateModerateAverageEasy
    M390Very highModerateExcellentDifficult
    CPM MagnaCutVery highHighExcellentModerate
    D2HighModerateBelow avgDifficult
    Authorized dealer
    Every CPM-S30V knife carries full manufacturer warranty
    Same-day shipping
    Ships from Columbia, Louisiana — 888-225-9775
    Expert selection
    Every S30V knife we carry has been vetted by our team
    Call us before you buy
    888-225-9775 — we carry these knives daily