1095 Versus T10 Steel

The difference is in the steel properties. The T10 is an alloy steel that has different tollerence to it than the high carbon steel of 1095. The 1095 will hold a great cutting edge while the spine softens during the cooling after the quench, the difference is that 1095 can break as it does not have the flex capacity that the T10 does. The 1095 has longer edge holding retention than other lower carbon steels but can be brittle. And the T10 holds a great cutting edge as it is a alloy tool steel that can be used in tool and die making as it hold up under high temps and stress, this blade is close but can take more stree and will not snap due to its alloying properties. Such as the 9260 has more sillicon properties to make it rubbery but does not produce a good hamon structure and in a differentially temperd condition is still able to be broke as we have seen. And info on cost 1095 cost more to have brought inChina than the T10 they use is readily found to be used so it is more abundate.

I never said that either of these swords were supersteel. In fact anything that is clay tempered can be broken, I was stating that the T10 can break but will react different than the 1095 in its alloying properties. And its just common sense I would think that swords in general are not some super natural item that can cut cars and marble pilars in half. Some of the folks that do "destructive tests" are pushing the swords past anything that they would have seen long ago. It is one thing to cut bodies and bamboo but to take any sword against fence post, 4x4 lumber, concrete blocks etc that even a tamahagane made by Masamune himself would not take such abuse. So I believe that much of what folks have wanted in a battle ready, full functional sword that can do super things is a missconception. That is why I try to help fit the needs in the abilities of the swords I can offer for what will be used for. And for what ever it is worth the actuall number of T10 does not exist in the rating scale, it is a tungsten steel but no info to why they call it T10

Here is an interesting aside. I read in some of my reference materials that Kamakura, Nambokucho and some Muromachi blades would bend when a bad strike was made and as you get further into the shinto and shin-shinto eras the tendency was to break.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

I will say this, 1095 is my favorite steel for all things that cut. I have two custom forged knives out of 1095 and they are probably the sharpest blades I own. I have also seen 1095 knives being tested for bladesmith ratings and they can bend a long ways and return true even on a DH bowie knife.

During the Kokoro Ichi discussions I tried to look up the composition of T10 steel and only found out that it is a Tungsten alloy. With so much data out there it seems odd that industry hasn't published a standard for this term. Not that it really matters to me, I just was curious, and thought it would be easy to find like all the others?

Brian, Is T10 more "stainless" or lower maintenance than 1095?

No actually 10xx series is carbon steel, 50xx series are chromium steels and the last numbers indicate how much carbon content is in the steel. So 1095 is made of 95% carbon, standard carbon steels are comprised of 2 elements that is carbon and manganese. Many of the steels out thier are carbon steels with other properties added to it for a different response.
I think the T10 is more like M1 or M2 or various high speed alloy steels as it shares the same qualities like heat temps to produce the higher HRC of 62 to 64. as these steels hold temper at higher temps with strong edge retention.
here is a close idea of what it is
Material-steel
Alloying- molybdenum
Type-high speed tool steel
heating 732-843 'C
carbon
chromium
molybdenum
silicon
tungsten
vandium

Youare right sir, thanks

This is indeed a topic that has been in the minds of both myself and others. Brian and i have spent hour upon hour of research in these metals to try and find very credible information that could serve as a reference material for any further inquires...

Here is some of the information that we have come across. Sensei Dreier and i have "burned the midnight oil" many times to come up with some good solid information on this,...

Tool steels are steels that are primarily used to make tools used in
manufacturing processes as well as for machining metals, woods, and plastics. Tool steels are generally ingot-cast wrought products, and must be able to withstand high specific loads as well as be stable at elevated temperatures.

In a nut shell.... Any tool n die application that requires the fabricating devices to withstand incredible temperatures and endure extreme stresses at high torque and speeds more than likely is made of high speed tool steel. The ability to withstand repeated shock and high temperatures with out losing its tempering characteristics makes it an ideal material for industrial applications.

There are several types of tool steels that all function primarily in the same way, only some are used specifically for special circumstances. Some of the types are:

High-Speed Tool Steels: High-speed alloys include all molybdenum (M1 to M52) and tungsten (T1 to T15) class alloys. High-speed tools steels can be hardenend to 62-67 HRC and can maintain this hardness in service temperatures as high as 540 °C (1004°F), making them very useful in high-speed machinery. Typical applications are end mills, drills, lathe tools, planar tools, punches, reamers, routers, taps, saws, broaches, chasers, and hobs.

Hot-work Tool Steels: Hot-work tool steels include all chromium, tungsten, and molybdenum class H alloys. They are typically used for forging, die casting, heading, piercing, trim, extrusion, and hot-shear and punching blades.

Cold-work Tool Steels: Cold-work tool steels include all high-chromium class D, medium-alloy air-hardening class A alloys, water hardening W alloys, and oil hardening O alloys. Typical applications include cold working operations such as stamping dies, draw dies, burnishing tools, coining tools, and shear blades.

Shock-Resistant Tool Steels: Cold-work tool steels include all class S alloys. They are among the toughest of the tool steels, and are typically used for screw driver blades, shear blades, chisels, knockout pins, punches, and riveting tools.

Mold Steels: Mold steels include all low-carbon and one medium-carbon class P tool steels. They are typically used for compression and injection molds for plastics, and die-casting dies.

Special-Purpose Tool Steels: Special-Purpose Tool Steels include all low-alloy class L Tool steels. They are usually quenched, which makes them relatively tough and easily machinable. They are typically used for arbors, punches, taps, wrenches, drills, and brake-forming dies.

Water-Hardening Tool Steels: Water-Hardening Tool steels include all class W tool steels, and while they do not retain hardness well at elevated temperatures, they do have high resistance to surface wear. Typical applications include blanking dies, files, drills, taps, countersinks, reamers, jewelry dies, and cold-striking dies.

In the case of T10... The "T" stands for High-Speed (Tungsten-Base). And the "10" means there is between 0.95% - 1.05% carbon. These types range from the T1 which is between 0.05% - 0.15%, All the way up to T15 which is between 1.20% - 1.30% carbon. Many smiths in the USA have been using M1 or M2 where the "M" stands for (Molybdenum-Base) which is a group 6 chemical element. Molybdenum derives from the Greek language meaning "lead like", and is often used in high-strength steel alloys.

Often the forges today will either use "less questioned" metals, or they may not know exactly what type of steel they are selling to people. Often it seems that the general lack of easily attainable information results in T10 being "lumped in" with the other more popular carbon steels ie. 1060, 1070, 1095 ect. ect. It is a common misconception to categorize any of the high carbon steels with high speed tool steels as they are very different in both strength, and endurance properties like abrasion resistance.

I would venture to say that T10 is probably the strongest carbon steel we have ever seen in a sword.... But this is my own personal opinion that was conjured up from practically 20 years in and around the steel industry < at one point everyone in my family worked in the steel industry.

Any steel can be hardened to hold an edge, but very few can hold the type of edge that T10 can because it is a high speed tool steel. So the edge can be maintained for longer without needing sharpening, and will resist scuffing or other abrasive damage that occurs most often when practicing the JSA.... All the while remaining ductile at its core to allow the stresses of cutting to be easily absorbed without sacrificing the structural integrity.

In these high carbon steels there is often significant carbon loss during super heating and quenching. So if you start off with a 1095, you will inevitably end up with slightly less than you started with. In the case of T10, it is specifically designed to retain these carbons at high temperatures. Which is why you may notice that T10 swords often are hardened quite a bit more than the average production blades.

Hope this helps a little......

Respectfully,
James Gall

James and Brian,

Thanks so much for all the research and for sharing your findings Copied and pasted directly into my Kokoro Ichi file ;D
+1 to you both for the midnight oil fund!

Wowza.... awesome posts! Thanks for putting all that out there in language that even my semi-gelatinous mind can comprehend.

Makes me look forward to my Deshi all the more. <drools>