Damascus Steel: Strength, Rust Resistance, and Care

By Bobby B. | February 2022 | Blog

Damascus steel is a type of steel that has been used for knife making for centuries. It gets its name from the city of Damascus, which is located in Syria. Damascus steel is known for its strength and durability. In this article, we will discuss how strong Damascus steel is and whether or not it rusts. We will also provide tips on how to care for your knives made from Damascus steel so that they do not rust.

Before we get into all that though, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what Damascus steel is and how it is made. This is important to show how we got to where we are today where you see cool, Damascus steel Japanese knives in kitchens all over the world.

History and Types of Damascus Steel Patterns

While many people associate the name Damascus steel with a specific type of steel, it is more of an umbrella term used to describe any sword or knife that has been made using metalworking techniques that create layered patterns and are native to the Middle East. Today there are several different types of Damascus steels.

Wootz Steel

This was one of the first Damascus steel types and it originated many years ago in India around 300 BCE. It had high levels of carbon content and was known for its strength and durability. It also had a unique pattern on its surface caused by how it was produced; this gave Wootz steel blades their distinct appearance (see below). Thus, these knives were highly prized by warriors back then because they could both withstand a great deal of damage and also looked amazing.

Mosaic Damascus

Pattern-Welded Steel

The Strength of Damascus Steel

The strength of Damascus steel is a result of its unique manufacturing process and is a product of the steel materials used together to forge the blade. Damascus steel is made by folding and welding multiple types of steel together in layers to make a single steel billet. It can then be hand-forged, run through a heat treat process, and turned into quality Damascus blades. So, to answer the question “how strong is Damascus steel?”, you must first know what types of steel are being layered together to make it. However, if done correctly and with high-end steel, a stainless Damascus steel knife should be strong, sharp, and hold its edge for an extended period.

The hardness rating on Damascus steel is just a product of the steel used to produce it. If high carbon steel (typically the hardest) is used in making the Damascus blades, then the final product will also be hard. The opposite is also true. Steel with low carbon content will produce a blade that is softer and more flexible. As an example, a Damascus steel blade made with VG-10 and VG-1 layered together would produce a hardness rating around 59-62 on the Rockwell scale, which is in the same range as each steel individually produces.

Damascus vs Carbon Steel

Many of the strength benefits of Damascus steel come from its carbon content. Carbon steel has properties that make knife blades hard and durable, which allows them to hold an edge and be razor-sharp. While this might lead you to believe carbon steel is better, that’s not always true.

The same characteristics that make carbon steel very hard also make it very brittle, and therefore blades become prone to chipping. When done well, modern knife brands produce Damascus steel blades that incorporate both high carbon steel and stainless steel. The stainless steel provides increased ductility and flexibility and helps prevent damage to the blades. It also helps produce a knife with better corrosion resistance.

Determining which is better between Damascus and carbon steel depends on your use case. If you’re looking for the hardest, sharpest blade, then carbon steel will be the best material to produce exactly that. However, if you’re also concerned with the longevity of the knife, easier maintenance, and beautiful patterns, you might consider Damascus steel to be the superior material.

Damascus vs Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a very popular material used by top kitchen knife brands because of its corrosion and wear resistance. However, a Damascus steel knife often has the added benefit of higher carbon content as well, which will give it added strength. The combination of both carbon steel and stainless steel gives a Damascus blade the best quality of each metal.

Along with the beauty that comes with an amazing pattern in the metal, this is part of the appeal of a Damascus steel knife in a nutshell. A quality, high-end Damascus knife will give the blade’s edge both the hard/sharp properties but also be longer-lasting and more resistant to chipping.

Damascus Steel and Rust

While Damascus steel is known for its strength, it is also susceptible to rust due to its high carbon content. If your knife is not properly cared for, it will eventually corrode and rust. However, there are several things you can do to prevent this from happening. The two factors that will cause steel to start rusting are moisture and time.

Always make sure to clean your knife after each use with a mild detergent and warm water. NEVER leave the knife sitting in water to “soak” so food is easier to remove later. It’s best to hand-wash (don’t put them in the dishwasher please!) each blade almost immediately after using it. Next, don’t leave the Damascus blade wet. You should always dry the knife off with a soft cloth immediately. You can also give it a light coat of vegetable oil from time to time. This will help protect the blade from any moisture that may occur in your kitchen or while storing your knives away. For most that have Japanese-style knives, this is probably already something you’re doing.

If you follow these tips, you should have no problem maintaining your beautiful Damascus steel blade!

Damascus Knives are Good and Worth Buying

Of course, Damascus knives are good. If made well, they’re both strong and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It’s very common to find a Damascus steel knife in Japanese culture, often used for cutting sushi or sashimi. I wouldn’t worry too much about the possibility of corrosion unless you have a hard time taking care of your knives. If you’re the type of person that just throws everything in the dishwasher after dinner, they’re probably not worth it for you.

That said, if you appreciate an amazing-looking knife and all the craftsmanship that goes into it, you’ll likely think Damascus steel knives are absolutely worth it. Just make sure to take care of it and store it in a dry place!

Damascus Steel FAQs

What is the hardness rating on Damascus knives?

Damascus knives are not made of a steel called “Damascus”. Making Damascus steel is a process by which the knife maker folds two different steels together (high carbon steel and stainless steel). It can then be hand-forged, go to heat treat, and be finished off with a handle. If done properly, you should have a high-quality, pattern-welded, razor-sharp Damascus knife that can hold an edge.

What's the best steel for Damascus?

The best steel for Damascus knives is a combination of steels that each, individually, makes good knives. Some of the most common kitchen knife steels used in good Damascus knives include those from the AUS (AUS-8, AUS-10) and VG (VG-1, VG-10) families. You can’t go wrong with any of these. It’s also common to utilize an alternating combination of high and low carbon steels to produce a knife with the best characteristics of both.

Why is Damascus steel so expensive?

The price of a Damascus knife often reflects both the materials, and the amount of time and labor that goes into making it. Damascus kitchen knives are often a labor of love. Not only must the two types of steel be pattern welded together, but the folding process also takes a great deal of skill and experience to produce a good quality blade that will hold an edge as it should. The result, however, is a knife that is both strong and beautiful. A high-quality Damascus should be expensive, and you should question if it’s real if it’s not.

Is Damascus steel magnetic?

Damascus steel knives are typically made with both carbon steel and stainless steel, so they will be magnetic. If the Damascus blade contains magnetic carbon steel, a magnet will stick to a blade made with a combination of the two different materials. If you’re curious if this means it will also stick well to one of these modern magnetic knife holders, the answer is also yes.

Can Damascus steel be faked?

A knife made with fake Damascus steel is a possibility. Good fakes are available for sale all over the web and it can be hard to tell if your Damascus knife is real or fake. In our opinion, it’s best to stick with the name brands. A company like Shun or Tojiro is not going to put their reputation on the line with fake Damascus steel.

How many layers should Damascus steel have?

Damascus steel should have however many layers of carbon steel and stainless steel that it takes to produce the look and quality you desire. There’s no right or wrong answer to this question, but a Damascus kitchen knife will often have about 67 layers. As long as its appearance is what you want and it’s a good quality knife with a sharp edge, who cares how many layers there are.