8Cr13MoV and 440C are both decent steels for their price. But as with almost all budget steels, it’s pretty hard to find out which one is better than the other. Since they’re budget steels, they don’t always receive the same attention as the higher-end steels. So, let’s check out the differences between 8Cr13MoV and 440C.

Here’s the short version:

8Cr13MoV and 440C are both decent budget steels, but 440C wins out over 8Cr13MoV. 440C’s got more toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. Budget steels like 8Cr13MoV and 440C are generally hard to distinguish from each other in day-to-day performance, but 440C wins out over 8Cr13MoV.

If you’re interested in becoming more of a steel junkie (or a steel master… whatever you’d like to be known as), then let’s go a bit further…

The Main Differences Between 8Cr13MoV and 440C

8Cr13MoV is roughly equivalent to 440B, which is a step down from 440C. So, 440C is going to be better than 8Cr13MoV.

The main differences between the two are toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. 440C has more carbon, which leads to more toughness and edge retention, and more chromium, which means more corrosion resistance.

So, between the two, 440C edges out on paper (get it… edges out? Ha… I’ll show myself out). 

In real life, though, things can differ based upon the edge geometry, the heat treat, how the steel is maintained, and more. So, while results can vary, 440C is generally going to be better.

8Cr13MoV

8Cr13MoV is a stainless, (usually) Chinese steel (the stainless part means it’s resistant to rust).

The seemingly cryptic name of 8Cr13MoV actually refers to its composition. The 8 refers to the percentage of carbon (0.8%), the Cr13 refers to the percentage of chromium (about 13%), the Mo refers to molybdenum, and the V refers to vanadium. 

8Cr13MoV is also in a series of steel, in which you may also see steels like 8Cr14MoV. They all follow the same naming pattern: The 8 means 0.8% carbon and the Cr14 means that it has a slightly higher composition of chromium and is thus more corrosion resistant. The Mo still means molybdenum and the V still means vanadium.

The full composition of 8Cr13MoV is about:

• 0.8% carbon
• 13% chromium
• 0.3% molybdenum
• 0.25% vanadium
• 1% silicon
• 1% manganese

All those components each do different things: The carbon increases strength (it’s important to note that at high levels, carbon leads to brittleness, which means easy chipping and breaking), the chromium increases corrosion resistance, the molybdenum increases hardenability (which basically means that it’s easier to harden, and thus manufacture), and vanadium improves wear resistance and strength. Manganese increases strength and hardness. Silicon does too, but to a lesser extent.

440C

440C is part of the 400 series of steel. It has the most carbon of the steels in the 400 series.

440C originally became popular from the iconic Buck 110 knife (the steel has since then been updated). After its use in the 110, it started to get used in a lot of other knives. Today, it’s still one of the top budget steels.

In terms of composition, it’s got about:

• 1% carbon
• 17% chromium
• 0.7% molybdenum
• 0.5% silicon
• 0.8% manganese

What all that equates to is that 440C is going to have more corrosion resistance, toughness, and edge retention than 8Cr13MoV.

Basically…

440C wins out over 8Cr13MoV. It’s got better edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance. They’re both great budget steels, though, so either one will work out just fine–especially for their price ranges.

If you’re interested in learning more about knife steels and seeing more knife steel comparisons, we’ve got a bunch. You can check them out here.