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- Sep 26, 2008
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I was going through the new Buck catalog and see that some of the offshore knives are still shown there as having 420HC blades. That lead me to a search of the archives and found an interesting thread from before Buck showed in the catalog which models were imported. A question came up regarding the 420HC steel in the imports and here's the reply below. I know that this subject still comes up now and again.
"On the question of blade steel in the wood handled 303, whether it is 420HC stainless or not or similar or? The long answer is this; when we purchase steel in the US, we purchase 420HC stainless steel ,which is really 420 stainless steel with a specified minimum carbon content. There is no official AISI number/designation of 420HC,(unlike 440A, 440C...) although the 420HC number is used freuently even when talking with steel people. Having said all of that, steel not produced in the US does not (often) carry the standard AISI or SAE designations. Thus, non US steel can have the same chemistry as 420HC but the designation from the area/company producing it may be entirely different. A common example of this that most knife people know of is ATS-34 and 154CM; essentially the same materials but one is produced in Japan and the other in the US. So for the 303 in question, the blade steel is the same chemistry as the 420HC steel we use domestically, but is produced by a mill outside of the US (usually) and thus does not officially carry the designation of 420HC. We require certs of conformance for all of our products/materials whether produced domestically or offshore. In addition to the steel chemistry, we require conformance to our heat treat spec and process.
Hope that helps answer the question on the steel we use in our products, domestic or otherwise. Our goal has always been and will continue to be provide a quality product to our customer.
Bill Keys
Director of Engineering, Buck Knives"
"On the question of blade steel in the wood handled 303, whether it is 420HC stainless or not or similar or? The long answer is this; when we purchase steel in the US, we purchase 420HC stainless steel ,which is really 420 stainless steel with a specified minimum carbon content. There is no official AISI number/designation of 420HC,(unlike 440A, 440C...) although the 420HC number is used freuently even when talking with steel people. Having said all of that, steel not produced in the US does not (often) carry the standard AISI or SAE designations. Thus, non US steel can have the same chemistry as 420HC but the designation from the area/company producing it may be entirely different. A common example of this that most knife people know of is ATS-34 and 154CM; essentially the same materials but one is produced in Japan and the other in the US. So for the 303 in question, the blade steel is the same chemistry as the 420HC steel we use domestically, but is produced by a mill outside of the US (usually) and thus does not officially carry the designation of 420HC. We require certs of conformance for all of our products/materials whether produced domestically or offshore. In addition to the steel chemistry, we require conformance to our heat treat spec and process.
Hope that helps answer the question on the steel we use in our products, domestic or otherwise. Our goal has always been and will continue to be provide a quality product to our customer.
Bill Keys
Director of Engineering, Buck Knives"
