Off Topic carbon content in steels, misconception?

[Jake Dawson]

before i actually start: im no chemist or pretending to be one.

so i notice that there's a strong correlation between carbon content and blade hardness.
i think there's a certain misconception about blade hardness and carbon content, because- there are other elements/metals that might contribute to edge retention and carbon happens to be one of them.

im not sure how carbon differs from tungsten in terms of what properties it holds, however i would also assume that carbon powder isn't that expensive (considering that carbon is one of the most common elements). so when people say HC = good its a brow raiser for me.
and yes some steels are more expensive to produce than others, some steels contain more carbon than others however: does that really make them "good"?

 

[Karl H]

knifesteelnerds.com has many articles that clearly explain the metallurgy of steel. I recommend that you start with https://knifesteelnerds.com/2018/04/10/what-makes-quenched-steel-so-hard/. If you like it, I recommend supporting Larrin.

The short version is that carbon increases hardness by: forming martensite, solid solution strengthening, and forming inter-metallic carbides with other carbide forming elements (Fe, Cr, W, V, Nb, Mo, etc).