VG-10 Steel (VG10): Composition, HRC, Rust and VG-10 vs SG2, VG-MAX, Ginsan

Made by

Takefu Special Steel, Echizen (Fukui)

Type

Stainless, 15% chromium

Mill hardness

HRC 60 or more

Knives as sold

HRC 60–62 on the spec sheets we checked

On the knives checked

Core inside stainless cladding (Tojiro, Shun Sora, Kotetsu, Nigara)

VG-10 in short

VG-10 is a stainless blade steel from Takefu Special Steel, a mill in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture^[1]. On the Tojiro, Shun Sora, Kotetsu and Nigara knives on this page it is the cutting core, between layers of stainless steel.

• Recipe: 1% carbon, 15% chromium, 1% molybdenum, 0.25% vanadium, 1.55% cobalt^[1].
• Hardness: HRC 60 or more at the mill^[1]; HRC 60–62 on the knives we checked^[17][18][19].
• What the mill claims: easy to sharpen, excellent corrosion resistance and sharpness^[1].
• The caveat: a retailer notes it is hard but not as tough as some high-end steels, so more prone to chipping^[20].
• Not VG-10: Shun Classic, which uses Kai's VG-MAX^[9][10].

Composition: Takefu's figures

Takefu publishes the main alloying elements of VG-10, as representative standard values^[1]:

Takefu explains the recipe this way: chromium, molybdenum and cobalt strengthen the matrix for high hardness and an edge that stays sharp for a long time; vanadium refines the structure; and chromium, molybdenum and vanadium form hard carbides that improve wear resistance^[1]. VG-10 also shows secondary hardening when tempered at high temperature, which Takefu says suits blades that get a surface coating at up to about 450 °C^[1].

The Japanese name is V金10号 (V-kin jū-gō); 金 is the character for gold. Takefu also warns that knives falsely advertised as VG10, V金10 or "VG TEN" are sold online and differ significantly in performance and quality from the genuine steel^[1]. See how to spot a fake Japanese knife.

VG-10 hardness (HRC): the mill figure and the knife

Takefu's figure is a minimum after hardening, HRC 60 or more^[1]. The hardness of a finished knife is set by the knife maker's quench and temper, so it varies by maker. These VG-10 knives show the range on published spec sheets:

Tojiro's own store page for the F-808 gives the steel but no HRC figure^[13], so the 60 above is the retailer's. When a listing gives a VG-10 knife a figure far outside this band, ask the seller where it comes from.

Rust resistance, edge retention and sharpening

Rust resistance

VG-10 is a stainless steel with 15% chromium, and Takefu describes its corrosion resistance as excellent^[1]. By comparison, Proterial lists no chromium at all for Shirogami #2 and 0.20–0.50% for Aogami #2^[5][6]. Resistant is not the same as maintenance-free: Chef Knives To Go calls VG-10 fully stainless and low maintenance but still says to hand wash and dry the knife after each use and to avoid the dishwasher^[17], and Tojiro recommends hand washing because a dishwasher can chip the edge and corrode the handle^[15]. Our rust care guide covers spots if they appear.

Edge retention and toughness

Takefu attributes VG-10's lasting edge to its hardness and carbides: chromium, molybdenum and cobalt for a hard matrix, carbides for wear resistance^[1]. The honest trade-off comes from the retailer Knivesandtools: VG-10 is hard but not as tough as some other high-end steels, and so more prone to chipping^[20]. Chef Knives To Go tells Tojiro buyers not to use the knife on bones, frozen foods or hard crusts^[17]. For a harder edge, Takefu's own SG2 starts at HRC 62^[2]. How steel, angle and use add up is in our edge retention guide.

Sharpening

Takefu says VG-10 has good machinability and is easy to sharpen^[1]. Knivesandtools frames it against softer steels: VG-10 can take a very keen edge but is a little harder to sharpen than they are, and a less acute angle for demanding tasks reduces chipping^[20]. Chef Knives To Go's care notes for VG-10 knives recommend quality water stones, plus a ceramic honing rod for the Tojiro^[17][18]. See how to sharpen a Japanese knife and sharpening angles.

How VG-10 sits in a blade: core of a clad knife

On the Tojiro, Shun Sora, Kotetsu and Nigara knives on this page, VG-10 is the cutting core and stainless steel forms the outer layers. Takefu, which also makes laminated blade stock, calls three-layer (3-ply) material the most popular for kitchen knives, and says multi-layer cladding creates a Damascus pattern^[3]. Tojiro clads its VG10 core in 13-chrome stainless^[13]; Shun's Sora uses a san mai edge around a VG10 cutting core with a 420J stainless upper blade^[11]; and the Kotetsu and Nigara gyuto above wrap VG-10 in stainless Damascus^[18][19].

So the Damascus pattern on a "VG-10 Damascus" knife belongs to the cladding; the VG-10 is the thin line of steel at the edge that does the cutting. See Damascus vs mono-steel.

Knives that use VG-10 (checked on the maker's page)

Each line below is confirmed on the knife maker's own page. We left out knives we could only find on retailer pages.

The Tojiro and Shun lines go head to head in our Shun vs Tojiro comparison.

VG-10 vs SG2, VG-MAX, Ginsan, AUS-10, Shirogami and Aogami

Each cell below comes from the mill, the knife maker or a retailer's spec sheet; where none of them states something, the cell says so. "Knives as sold" gives published examples, not a full range.

VG-10 vs SG2 (R2)

SG2 is the harder of the two Takefu steels. Takefu makes Super Gold 2 by powder metallurgy, which it says gives a uniform, fine structure without segregation; it does not disclose the composition and lists a minimum of HRC 62^[2], against HRC 60 for VG-10. Retailers sell it as "SG2 (R2)"^[22]. SG2 knives leave the workshop harder (62 to 65 on the examples above), and the Takamura retailer warns to keep that edge away from bones and frozen food^[22].

VG-10 vs VG-MAX

VG-MAX is Shun's own evolution of VG-10, and Shun publishes no numbers for it. Shun says VG-MAX has more carbon for strength, more chromium for wear and corrosion resistance and more tungsten for a fine grain, and that it uses VG-MAX in the Classic and Premier lines^[8]. A Swedish retailer lists the Shun Classic 20 cm chef's knife at HRC 61 ±1^[23].

VG-10 vs Ginsan (Silver 3)

Ginsan is Proterial's stainless with a short recipe: 0.95–1.10% carbon and 13.00–14.50% chromium, with no molybdenum, vanadium or cobalt listed, and a minimum of HRC 59^[4]. Proterial describes it as a stainless steel with hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel^[4]. VG-10 carries more chromium plus molybdenum, vanadium and cobalt.

VG-10 vs AUS-10

AUS-10 is Aichi Steel's 13%-chromium-class blade steel, with more carbon plus vanadium and molybdenum than basic 13% chromium steel; Aichi's page gives no figures^[7]. Shun uses AUS10A in its Kanso line and calls it a high-carbon stainless offering strength, corrosion resistance, hardness and wear resistance^[8][12].

VG-10 vs Shirogami and Aogami

This is the stainless-versus-carbon choice. Shirogami #2 has no chromium listed and Aogami #2 only 0.20–0.50%, with tungsten added for wear resistance^[5][6]. Their knives are sold a little harder than VG-10 on the examples above, and retailers tell you to wipe and dry the edge after every use^[28][29]. See Aogami vs Shirogami and carbon vs stainless.

Who VG-10 suits, and who should look elsewhere

• Suits: a cook who wants stainless steel rather than the daily care of carbon steel, and who will sharpen at home on stones. Takefu stresses corrosion resistance and easy sharpening^[1].
• Look at SG2 instead if you want a harder stainless edge and accept more care around bones and frozen food^[2][22].
• Look at Shirogami or Aogami if you want carbon steel and will dry the edge after every use^[28][30].
• Be careful with bones, frozen food and hard crusts; VG-10 is more prone to chipping than tougher steels^[17][20].

The wider family of Japanese knife steels, from Shirogami to ZDP-189, is in our steel types guide.