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CPM CruWear knife steel

CPM CruWear is a powder-metallurgy (PM) tool & high-speed knife steel, typically hardened to HRC 60-64.

TypeTool & high-speed · powder metallurgy
HardnessHRC 60-64
Edge retentionhighhigher than 19 of 48, tied with 17
Corrosion resistancemediumhigher than 15 of 48, tied with 6
Toughnessvery-highhigher than 40 of 48, tied with 8
Ease of sharpeninghard to sharpenamong the hardest to sharpen of 49
Price tierPremium
Best forHard-use / survivalEDC / foldersOutdoor / bushcraft

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Knives in CPM CruWear

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Last verified 2026-06-11 · properties are documented consensus tiers; real performance depends on heat treat & geometry (methodology)

Compared with

CPM CruWear vs CPM-3V

Similar tool & high-speed steels

SteelTypeHRCEdgeCorrosionToughnessTierBuy
O1Tool & high-speed57-62mediumlowhighBudgetKnives →
A2Tool & high-speed60-62highlowvery highMidKnives →
D2Tool & high-speed58-62highmediummediumMidKnives →
CPM-3V PMTool & high-speed58-62highmediumvery highPremiumKnives →
CPM-4V PMTool & high-speed60-64highlowvery highPremiumKnives →
Vanadis 4 Extra PMTool & high-speed60-63highlowvery highPremiumKnives →

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