Premium steel for hardened tools with durable cutting edges such as knife blades, surgical cutting tools, disc knives for the meat industry, skate blades, etc.

Steel 690 is manufactured in Austria by Bohler by hot rolling. It can be perfectly machined and ground even after hardening. If the steel is properly heat treated, ideally at precise temperatures in a vacuum quenching furnace, and tempered, it achieves very good mechanical properties on the facet. Hardness around 60-61 HRC after proper hardening meets most of the expected requirements for normal to moderate blade stresses. However, if the steel is drawn at a small angle virtually into the cut, it becomes very susceptible to pitting. If you cut with such a blade, you will most certainly destroy it.

Steel resists corrosion very well due to its high chromium content. Therefore, it is very often used for kitchen and hunting knives. Specifically for hunting knives, the treatment of the used blade takes place at a greater distance and therefore hunters appreciate this property.

The N690 is very easy and easy to polish and can achieve up to a mirror shine. This steel is easy to recognize by the clusters of carbides that are visible after polishing, forming characteristic grids that can be seen with the naked eye.