CPM® S45VN PM Stainless Knife Steel
Industries: Cutlery & Knives / Industrial
- High wear and corrosion resistance
- CPM® alloy for hand cutlery and stainless food processing
- Our CPM® cutlery alloys have various combinations of toughness, wear, and corrosion resistance
- Manufactured in the USA
For a data sheet on CPM® S45VN PM Stainless Knife Steel, please click here
Tolerance and Finish
Material is sandblasted to a gray matte finish.
The thickness and width are supplied oversize to finish at the requested dimension.
Cutting Methods
All orders will be sheared to size unless the width is too narrow.
$100 minimum per order please.
All dimensions are in inches.
The length can range from 35-1/2 to 38 inches.
The width for 24" sheets can range from 23 to 25 inches.
CPM® S45VN PM stainless knife steel enhances edge stability, corrosion resistance, and wear performance for premium cutlery.
Hot rolled & processed by the employee owners of Niagara Specialty Metals in Akron NY
- Take a virtual tour of Niagara Specialty Metals. Click here to watch the full plant tour on YouTube.
- Learn more about our Specialty Metals for Cutlery and Knives. Click here to explore the full range of knife steels we supply.
- Learn more about our Specialty Metals for Industrial Applications. Click here to explore the full range of industrial metal grades we supply.
Cut Method by Thickness / Width
| Surface Finish | Descaled |
|---|---|
| Width | 1", 1.5", 2", 3", 6", 24" |
| Thickness: .103/.113 thick will finish at | .093" thick |
| Thickness: .140/.156 thick will finish at | .125” thick |
| Thickness: .172/.188 thick will finish at | .156” thick |
| Thickness: .207/.227 thick will finish at | .187” thick |
| Thickness: .275/.300 thick will finish at | .250” thick |
CPM® S45VN PM Stainless Knife Steel Data Sheet
Typical Composition
| C | Cr | V | Mo | Nb | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.48 | 16.00 | 3.00 | 2.00 | 0.50 | 0.15 |
CPM® S45VN is a martensitic stainless steel designed to offer improved corrosion and wear resistance over CPM® S35VN. Its chemistry has been rebalanced so that it forms more chromium carbides, while at the same time leaving more free chromium in the matrix. The use of Niobium and Nitrogen in place of some of the Vanadium and Carbon produces an excellent combination of edge retention, wear resistance, corrosion resistance and toughness properties making this the ideal choice for an EDC knife steel.
The CPM® process produces very homogeneous, high-quality steel characterized by superior dimensional stability, grindability and toughness compared to steels produced by conventional melting practices.
Typical Applications: Long–wearing specialty cutlery, plastic injection and extrusion feed screws and dies, non–return valve components, pelletizing equipment, and wear components for food and chemical processing.
Note: These are some typical applications. Your specific application should not be undertaken without independent study and evaluation for suitability.
Carbide Type and Volume
| Vanadium | Niobium | Chromium | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPM® S45VN | 3.0% | 0.5% | 11.5% | 15.0% |
| CPM® S35VN | 3.0% | 0.5% | 10.5% | 14.0% |
| CPM® S30V | 4.0% | 10.5% | 14.5% | |
| 440C ESR | 0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | |
| 154-CM | 0% | 17.5% | 17.5% | |
| CPM® S90V | 9.0% | 11.0% | 20.0% |
Tool Steel Comparagraph
Physical Properties
Elastic Modules: 32 X 10^6 psi (221 GPa)
Density: 0.27 lbs./in^3 (7.47 g/cm^3)
Thermal Conductivity
| Temp. | BTU/hr·ft·°F | W/m·°K | cal/cm·s·°C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200°F (93°C) | 10 | 17.31 | 4.13 × 10−2 |
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
| °F | °C | in/in/°F | mm/mm/°C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 – 400 | 20 – 200 | 6.1 × 10−6 | 11.0 × 10−6 |
| 70 – 600 | 20 – 315 | 6.4 × 10−6 | 11.5 × 10−6 |
Mechanical Properties
Toughness (Transverse Charpy C-notch Testing)
| Grade | Impact Energy |
|---|---|
| CPM® S45VN | 11.0 ft.lbs |
| CPM® S35VN | 12.0 ft.lbs |
| CPM® S30V | 10.0 ft.lbs |
| 154-CM | 2.5 ft.lbs |
| 440C ESR | 2.5 ft.lbs |
Although the longitudinal toughness of all four of these grades is about 25–28 ft-lbs., the transverse toughness of the CPM® grades is four or more times that of 440C ESR and 154–CM. The higher transverse toughness results indicate that CPM® S45VN, CPM® S35VN and CPM® S30V are much more resistant to chipping and breaking in applications which may encounter side loading. In knifemaking, the higher transverse toughness makes CPM® especially good for bigger blades.
Edge Retention (CATRA Testing Relative to 440C ESR)
| Grade | % |
|---|---|
| CPM® S45VN | 143* |
| CPM® S35VN | 140* |
| CPM® S30V | 145 |
| 154-CM | 120 |
| 440C ESR | 100 |
The CATRA (Cutlery & Allied Trades Research Association) test machine performs a standard cutting operation and measures the number of silica impregnated cards which are cut. It is considered a measure of relative wear resistance, reported in this table as compared to a 440C ESR standard.
*Estimate based upon market feedback
Thermal Treatments
Forging: 2100°F (1150°C) Do not forge below 1750°F (950°C).
Annealing: Heat to 1650°F (900°C), hold 2 hours, slow cool no faster than 25°F (15°C) per hour to 1100°F (595°C), then furnace cool or cool in still air to room temperature.
Annealed Hardness: About BHN 255.
Stress Relieving
Annealed Parts: Heat to 1100–1300°F (595–705°C), hold 2 hours, then furnace cool or cool in still air.
Hardened Parts: Heat to 25–50°F (15–30°C) below original tempering temperature, hold 2 hours, then furnace cool or cool in still air.
Straightening: Best done warm 400–800°F (200–425°C).
Hardening
Preheat: Heat to 1550–1600°F (845–870°C) Equalize.
Austenitize: 1900–2000°F (1035–1095°C), hold time at temperature 15–30 minutes.
Quench: Air or positive pressure quench (2 bar minimum) to below 125°F (50°C), or salt or interrupted oil quench to about 1000°F (540°C), then air cool to below 125°F (50°C).
Temper: Double temper at 400–750°F (200–400°C). Hold for 2 hours minimum each time. (See Table) A freezing treatment may be used between the first and second tempers. Freezing treatments help to attain maximum hardenability and must always be followed by at least one temper.
NOTE: For optimum stress relieving, CPM® S45VN may be tempered at 1000–1025°F (540–550°C). Tempering in this range may result in a slight decrease in corrosion resistance.
Size Change: +0.05 to +0.10% when fully martensitic. The presence of retained austenite may reduce the net growth. When tempering at 400–750°F (200–400°C), freezing treatments may be necessary to minimize retained austenite.
Recommended Heat Treatment
Austenitize 1950°F (1065°C). Quench to below 125°F (50°C). Double temper at 600°F (315°C) 2 hours minimum each temper. Cool to hand warm between tempers. A freezing treatment may be added between tempers.
Aim Hardness: 59–61 HRC.
Note: Properties shown throughout this data sheet are typical values. Normal variations in chemistry, size and heat treat conditions may cause deviations from these values.
| Heat Treat Response - Hardness (HRC) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austenitizing Temperature | ||||||
| 1900°F (1035°C) | 1950°F (1065°C) | 2000°F (1095°C) | ||||
| Tempering Temperature | Oil | Oil & Freeze Liquid N2 | Oil | Oil & Freeze Liquid N2 | Oil | Oil & Freeze Liquid N2 |
| As Quenched | 62.6 | 63.0 | 63.5 | 63.8 | 63.3 | 64.6 |
| 400°F (200°C) | 60.2 | 60.3 | 61.1 | 60.9 | 60.6 | 61.1 |
| 600°F (315°C) | 59.3 | 59.3 | 59.5 | 59.7 | 58.5 | 60.0 |
| 750°F (400°C) | 59.7 | 59.3 | 59.6 | 59.5 | 58.7 | 60.0 |
| 1000°F (540°C) | 59.2 | 59.2 | 60.0 | 59.9 | 61.5 | 62.0 |
| Results may vary with hardening method and section size. Salt or oil quenching will give maximum response. Vacuum or atmosphere cooling may result in up to 1–2 HRC points lower. | ||||||
| Minimum Time at Austenitizing Temperature | 30 min. | 30 min. | 15 min. | |||
| Minimum Number of Tempers | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
Machinability and Grindability
In the annealed condition, CPM® S45VN is much easier to machine than CPM® S90V and easier to machine than CPM® S30V. Similar grinding equipment and practices used for high speed steels are recommended. “SG” type alumina wheels or CBN wheels have generally given the best performance with CPM® steels.
This data sheet is for informational purposes only. Alloy characteristics are subject to change due to chemical composition and/or processing. We do not certify the material’s suitability for specific applications.
