About 1084|High-carbon steel (0.84% carbon). A knifemaker's favorite because it hits a sweet spot between hardness, toughness, and simplicity of heat treatment. Hardens to HRC 60-62 with a simple water or oil quench and doesn't need exotic heat treat procedures. More forgiving than
1095. Used for blades, cutting tools, punches, and high-wear components. Machine annealed, then heat treat. Compare to 1095 (slightly harder, more brittle) and
1075 (slightly softer, tougher).