What´s the steel cost?

S

Slowstarter

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Mar 21, 2006
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Anyone knows what the price per ounce is for some famous steels (I mean the raw material)? What does 154CM, S30V, D2 and M4 cost if you buy it per ounce from some steel factory? Would be fun to know.

Cheers!
 
Hi,

Depends on how much of what you are going to buy. Volume means a lot in the cost of material. Most knife makers buy relatively small amounts of special steels. So their cost per pound tends to run higher than others. And I suspect few companies are willing to divulge the price they pay.

dalee
 
Looking at steel prices (not bulk), 5" of folder sized S30V would be about $10. If you want to make a big thick fixed blade it'll be closer to $100.
That same large fixed blade in 1095 would be $12.

Remember that machining costs affect the end price more than anything else.
 
^^ what he said. Most CPM steels are about $35-$40 per pound. Molybdenum and Vanadium are the more expensive alloys.

The 10xx steels are way, way cheaper. Most modern industrial equipment are not designed to heat treat them, however. 440C and Sandvik steels are somewhere in between in cost.
 
Joshua J. said:
Looking at steel prices (not bulk), 5" of folder sized S30V would be about $10. If you want to make a big thick fixed blade it'll be closer to $100.
That same large fixed blade in 1095 would be $12.

Remember that machining costs affect the end price more than anything else.
Click to expand...

Machine time costs more than the raw material. However, for most companies (aside from 1-man operations) it is the overhead costs that are the largest part of the cost of producing a knife.

Utilities, property taxes, business taxes, salaries, design costs, distribution costs, advertising, maintenance costs, the cost of the facilities aside from the machining equipment (gotta pay the mortgage), insurance....
 
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