Best kind of steel and where to get it

[Liam S-O]

I'm interested in building a sword but haven't fully decided what kind of steel to use. I have heard good things about 1075 and was wondering who could back this up. I also have no idea what suppliers to look at or what a good price would be as I am a complete newbie to the sword building field.
If anyone has this information, especially a list or links to good steel suppliers, I would be very grateful.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

What sort of experience do you have so far, what do you need it to do, what method do you plan on using, are you planning on heat treating yourself, what equipment do you have, etc? If you've not so much as made a knife before, a sword is probably not a good place to start. It's certainly not a good place to start if you are doing your own heat treat. Need a lot more information. Also, fill out your profile. There may be a local maker who could assist you at least a little.

 

[manassas dragon]

I am just a skosh more experienced than you. I built a sort of katana using s-7 steel ,which was recommended by brad at peter's heat treating.
got the steel from aldo at njsteelbaron.sent to peter's heat treating. the steel was s-7 1/4" thick by 2 1/2" wide by 36" long. turned out ok and I am happy with the result
good luck.l