Steel RWL34 in cutlery: uses and limits

RWL34 steel is a martensitic stainless steel produced by powder metallurgy and primarily intended for cutlery. Knifemakers choose it for a precise balance: a fine internal structure, high hardness after heat treatment, adequate corrosion resistance for everyday use, and a polishability that is visible to the naked eye. It is blade steel before it is a selling point.

This page explains where this nuance comes from, what its manufacturing process concretely changes on a blade, what uses it is suitable for, and how to maintain it. It also frankly exposes its limits: RWL34 is not the most wear-resistant stainless steel on the market, it can show marks if neglected, and its final performance depends on the heat treatment and the geometry of the blade much more than its name on a product sheet.

What is RWL34 steel?

RWL34 is a martensitic stainless steel: a stainless steel that can be hardened and reaches high hardness levels, unlike the stainless steels used for pots and sinks. It is produced by the Swedish steelmaker Damasteel, located in Söderfors, and manufactured using powder metallurgy.

Its name tells its lineage. The initials RWL stand for Robert Waldorf Loveless, an American knife maker who helped popularize the Japanese ATS34 steel in high-end cutlery in the 1970s and 1980s. The number 34 directly refers to that original grade. Pelle Billgren, founder of Damasteel, took its composition and produced it using a more recent process: powder metallurgy. Same chemical recipe, cleaner and more homogeneous material.

The RWL34 therefore belongs to a well-identified family of stainless steels for cutlery, alongside the ATS34 and 154CM, from which it is distinguished by its manufacturing. To place this grade among the others steels used in cutlery, the process matters as much as the composition.

What powder metallurgy changes

In a conventional process, liquid steel is poured into a ingot and then cools slowly. During this cooling, the alloying elements have time to migrate and form clusters: carbides, these hard particles that contribute to wear resistance, gather into coarse and unevenly distributed clumps.

Powder metallurgy bypasses this problem. Liquid steel is sprayed by a jet of pressurized gas — this is atomization — into tiny droplets that solidify in a fraction of a second. Each drop becomes a powder grain too small for the elements to have time to separate. This powder is then compacted at high temperature and high pressure, a process called hot isostatic pressing or HIP, until a dense and homogeneous block is obtained.

The result is fine carbides evenly distributed throughout the material. A wall built with calibrated rubble rather than stones gathered at random: the structure is more predictable. On a blade, this translates into three concrete things: the edge can be worked finer without crumbling along the clusters, polishing progresses without tearing, and two blades made from the same bar behave in the same way.

Composition of RWL34 and role of the elements

The composition below is indicative. It reflects the nominal values published by the manufacturer and must be verified in its technical datasheet before any quantitative use.

None of these elements do the work on their own. It is their combination, followed by heat treatment, that determines the final behavior. The low vanadium content, in particular, sets RWL34 apart from modern stainless steels heavily loaded with ultra-hard carbides: less resistance to abrasive wear, but noticeably more affordable sharpening. An assumed compromise, not a design flaw.

Hardness, edge retention, and toughness: three different concepts

These three terms are often used as synonyms. They are not, and the confusion leads people to buy knives for the wrong reasons.

The hardness measures the resistance of steel to deformation. In cutlery, it is expressed on the Rockwell C scale: a diamond penetrator is pressed into the material under a given load, and the depth of the indentation gives the HRC value. For RWL34, the manufacturer's technical documents indicate hardnesses generally ranging from 58 to 62 HRC depending on the applied heat treatment cycle, with some cycles involving deep cooling allowing it to go beyond. These values are indicative: they describe what the shade allows, not what a given knife has received. And an HRC number, flattering as it may be, has never prepared a meal.

The wire holding refers to the ability of the edge to remain effective in use. It depends on hardness, but also on the wear resistance of the carbides, the stability of the edge against micro-deformations, the geometry, and what is being cut. The RWL34 offers solid edge retention for general use, without competing with vanadium carbide-rich grades on highly abrasive tasks.

The toughness is the ability to withstand a shock without breaking or chipping. It generally decreases as hardness increases. A table knife made of RWL34 that encounters the edge of a porcelain plate, a bone, or a fall on tile tests its toughness, not its hardness. If the edge is very fine, the steel very hard, and the use harsh, chipping is not a mystery: it is an addition. The consistency between hardness, geometry, and intended use matters more than each parameter taken individually.

Is the RWL34 easy to sharpen?

Yes, at the scale of stainless steels from powder metallurgy. RWL34 contains little vanadium, so it has few of those ultra-hard carbides that resist conventional stones. Its carbides are mostly chrome carbides, which common abrasives — water stones, synthetic stones, diamond abrasives without compulsion — wear down without much effort. A user who knows how to maintain a decent kitchen knife will be able to maintain a RWL34 blade.

Two honest clarifications. First, 'easy to sharpen' does not mean 'that never dulls': no steel signs that contract. Next, it is necessary to distinguish between two operations. Pick up the thread — a few passes on a fine stone or on leather — takes minutes when you don't wait for the blade to be completely dull. Redoing a bevel — removing material to restore the geometry of a worn or damaged blade — is workshop work, long on any steel hardened to 60 HRC. Regularly maintaining the edge prevents getting to that point; the page sharpening, honing, and maintaining a knife's edge details the gestures and reasonable equipment.

Can RWL34 rust?

Yes, under certain conditions. Stainless steel does not mean invulnerable: a wet, salted blade then forgotten in a sheath rarely ends up thanking its owner.

The protection mechanism is called passivation. The chromium in the steel forms on the surface an invisible, continuous, and self-repairing oxide layer, which isolates the metal from its environment. Molybdenum strengthens this protection against localized corrosion, known as pitting corrosion: small attack points that appear where the passive layer is broken and cannot reform.

This layer has known enemies: salt, sweat, food acids left in prolonged contact, stagnant water, and damp storage — a wet leather case being the classic example. None of these situations are dramatic if followed by a simple action: rinse, wipe, dry. The RWL34 forgives one-night oversights. It does not forgive a winter's neglect.

Why heat treatment matters as much as the grade

A bar of RWL34 coming out of the steelmaker is delivered in the annealed state: soft, machinable, unusable as a blade. It is the heat treatment which transforms this potential into real properties, and two blades cut from the same bar can behave very differently depending on the cycle received.

The principle, in three steps. Theaustenitization heats the steel to a high temperature — around 1050 to 1080 °C according to the manufacturer's recommendations — to dissolve part of the carbides and enrich the matrix with carbon. The quenching cools the blade rapidly: the structure freezes into martensite, the desired hard phase. The temperings, moderate heats then relax the material and adjust the final compromise between hardness, toughness, and corrosion resistance.

Two subtleties deserve to be known. After quenching, part of the structure may remain untransformed: this is retained austenite, softer, which limits the final hardness. A deep cooling — a passage at very low temperature between quenching and tempering — completes the martensitic transformation and increases hardness; the manufacturer's technical documents present it as optional but beneficial, particularly with high austenitizations. Furthermore, the choice of tempering temperatures also affects corrosion resistance: a cycle is never neutral, it makes a decision.

A distinction is therefore necessary when reading any product sheet: the ranges published by a steelmaker are generic recommendations; the cycle actually applied to a specific blade is the responsibility of the knife manufacturer. On certain FL Toussaint series, a specialized operation such as heat treatment or preparatory grinding may be entrusted to a professional partner; fitting, assembly, finishing, sharpening, and inspection remain carried out in the workshop. The unique pieces, on the other hand, are entirely made in the workshop.

For which knives is RWL34 relevant?

A steel is not chosen in absolute terms: it is chosen for a knife, a geometry, and an intended lifespan. Here is where the RWL34 is justified, and under what conditions.

Folding knives. It is a natural setting for this shade: a pocket knife lives in a pocket, sweats with its owner, comes out for the snack sausage, and goes back into warmth without always being wiped. The corrosion resistance of RWL34 and its ability to take a fine edge are directly useful here. Condition: accept that a folding knife remains a cutting tool, not a lever or a screwdriver.

Table knives. Repeated contact with food acids, frequent washing, handling by diners who have not read the technical sheet: well-treated martensitic stainless steel has its place there. Condition: hand washing, as porcelain and dishwashers remain the two main predators of table knives.

Kitchen knives. RWL34 can equip a kitchen blade, provided that the geometry follows: a thin area behind the edge, an appropriate angle, consistent heat treatment. It is the geometry that allows for thin slices in a ripe tomato; the steel itself ensures that the edge will withstand this work over time. The choice is reasoned with the guide which steel to choose for a knife.

Artist pieces and advanced finishes. The fineness and cleanliness of the material allow for high-end finishes, up to mirror polish, without carbide clusters marking the surface. For a unique piece meant to be looked at as much as used, this is a real technical advantage, not a flowery embellishment.

Reasonable daily use. Cut, slice, carve: yes. Batoning wood, twisting, levering, opening tin cans: no. This is not a weakness specific to the RWL34, it is the physics of a thin and hard blade. An expensive steel neither corrects a bad geometry nor an improvised screwdriver skill.

The limits of the RWL34

An honest steel datasheet must state what the grade does not do. This one does not shy away from it.

• Recessed wear resistance facing stainless steels very high in vanadium carbides, like M390 or Elmax. On long and abrasive tasks — cardboard, ropes, materials with inclusions — the edge wears out faster.
• Corrosion still possible under severe conditions or in case of prolonged neglect. Stainless describes resistance, not immunity.
• Cost of the material superior to conventional cutlery stainless steels, which logically reflects in the price of the pieces.
• Dependence on heat treatment. If poorly treated, RWL34 is no better than an ordinary well-treated steel. The name on the blade does not certify the cycle it has undergone.
• Very fine edge sensitive to rough use. The fineness that makes cutting enjoyable also exposes the edge to chipping in case of twisting or impact.
• The name is not enough. Choosing a knife solely because its spec mentions RWL34 is like choosing a dish based on the name of the flour supplier. The alloy informs, it does not judge: geometry, treatment, assembly, and finishing do the rest.

RWL34, M390, Elmax, or N690: how to place them?

A comparison is used to understand a positioning, not to designate a champion. The table below summarizes the general trends of each grade, with comparable heat treatment and geometry — two variables that, in reality, strongly affect the result.

Compared to a service stainless steel like 14C28N, RWL34 achieves higher hardness and edge retention, at the cost of a more expensive material. Against M390 or Elmax, it falls behind in wear resistance but makes up for it in sharpening and finishing. None of these grades is "the best": each strikes a different balance, and the geometry, target hardness, finish, and actual use weigh at least as much as the numbers in the table.

The RWL34 in the FL Toussaint workshop

At the workbench, this nuance is recognized by sanding: the material is consistent, without unpredictable hard spots, and the surface closes cleanly along the grain. It is this behavior that allows high-end finishes — up to a mirror polish — and the work of a fine edge with consistency. For a unique piece where every surface will be closely examined, this regularity is not a comfort: it is a condition for the result.

FL Toussaint, the workshop of François-Louis Toussaint located in Courpière, in the Thiers basin, uses RWL34 on certain pieces where edge fineness and finish quality take precedence over extreme wear resistance. This is notably the case for {{PIECE_RWL34_CONFIRMEE}} (see the piece). The Workshop achievements document these material choices piece by piece, and the FL Toussaint knives in RWL34 currently available are grouped on a dedicated page.

How to maintain an RWL34 blade?

Maintenance consists of a few short gestures, to be done often rather than vigorously:

• clean the blade after use, especially after contact with salt or acidic foods;
• wipe, then actually dry — a damp cloth dries nothing;
• avoid stagnant water and the dishwasher;
• never store a wet blade for a long time in a sheath, leather in particular;
• Regularly touch up the edge before it becomes completely dull;
• for long-term storage, apply a layer of oil compatible with food contact if the knife is used at the table or in the kitchen.

These actions apply to all the blades in the workshop; the guide maintaining a handcrafted knife details them, from the edge to the handle.

Key points to remember

• RWL34 is a martensitic stainless steel from powder metallurgy, the direct heir of ATS34, produced in Sweden.
• Its fine structure allows for a fine and consistent edge, advanced finishes, and consistent performance from one blade to another.
• It sharpens more easily than most vanadium-rich powdered stainless steels — and wears down more slowly than it dulls on very abrasive tasks.
• It can rust under severe conditions: rinsing, wiping, and drying remain the three important steps.
• The heat treatment and geometry determine the final result at least as much as the steel grade itself.
• It is suitable for folding knives, table knives, kitchen knives depending on geometry, and high-finish pieces — not for heavy-duty use.
• A steel name indicates a potential; only the finished knife is judged.

See the FL Toussaint parts and creations in RWL34.

Technical sources

• Damasteel AB — RWL34 Datasheet, Stainless knife steel — https://damasteel.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/rwl34-datasheet-stainless-steel.pdf — accessed July 24, 2026.
• Damasteel AB — RWL34™ (official product page: origin of the name, ATS34 lineage, Söderfors) — https://damasteel.se/steel-and-patterns/all-patterns/rwl34/ — accessed July 24, 2026.
• Larrin Thomas, Knife Steel Nerds — Damasteel Heat Treatment and Properties (heat treatment, deep cooling, measured hardness) — https://knifesteelnerds.com/2023/08/31/damasteel-heat-treatment-and-properties/ — accessed July 24, 2026.