Some of the materials mentioned here are sensitive to shock. They may be brittle, have internal stresses or lack toughness.
| Agate | 7 | A form of chalcedony. Very suitable for insets and other decorative elements in knifemaking. Frequently used in interframe folders. |
| Alabaster | 2 | Type of gypsum. Rather soft but beautifull and can only be used in situations where it is not under stress and is protected from shock and abrasion. The term is also applied to a variety of microcrystalline limestone. |
| Alexandrite | 8.5 | Variety of chrysoberyl. Green in daylight and red under tungsten. |
| Amazonite | 6 | Variety of feldspar |
| Amber | 2.5 | Fossilized and polymerised tree resin. The best comes from the Baltic. Flamable. Its weird stuff, it feels like hard plastic when you bite it and it weights about the same, but it shaves like sugar under a sharp pocketknife. Broken sufaces have a glassy appearance. Sensitive to rapid temperature change. Used as a raw material since early times. |
| Amethyst | 7 | Silicon dioxide. Lavender to purple coloration. |
| Aquamarine | 7.5 | A variety of Beryl(aluminum beryllium silicate). Blue, blue/green, light blue. Found in Brazil and Zambia. |
| Aventurine | 7 | A type of quartz |
| Azurite | 4 | Copper carbonate. |
| Beryl | 7.5 - 8 | All the varieties of the Beryl group except emerald-green or aquamarine-blue(aluminum beryllium silicate). Colors vary from colorless to gold, pink, yellow green, yellow. Found in Brazil, Malagasy Republic, Namibia, Sri Lanka. Brittle and sensitive to shock. |
| Bloodstone | 7 | Heliotrope or Bloodstone is a dark green chalcedony with blood red spots on it. |
| Bone | Traditional material for slipjoint folder scales | |
| Brass | Alloy of copper. | |
| Bronze | Alloy of copper. Traditional material for blades. Now mostly used as handle material and fittings. | |
| Calcite | 3 | Calcite is probably too soft for knifemaking and is of little value as a gemstone. |
| Cairngorm | 7 | Type of smoky quartz from scotland. |
| Carbon Steel | 6 | Alloy of carbon and iron. The primary raw material for making blades. |
| Carbon Fiber | Light weight and tough. | |
| Carnelian | 6.5 | A red form of chalcedony |
| Celluloid | Traditional material for slipjoint folder scales. | |
| Chalcedony | 6.5 | Microcrystalline variety of quartz |
| Chrysoberyl | 8.5 | (beryllium aluminum oxide). Brown, gold/yellow, yellow. Found in Brazil, Burma, Malagasy Republic, Rhodesia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and U.S. |
| Chrysocolla | 2 - 4 | Hydrous copper silicate. |
| Chrysoprase | 6.5 | Green variety of chalcedony |
| Cinnabar | 3.5 | Sulfide. Redish brown to scarlet. Cinnabar is poisonous. Care should be taken during cutting so that the material is not inhaled. Applications such as the grip, that involve contact with the skin, should be avoided. |
| Concealex | Thermoplastic. Solvent and chemical resistant. | |
| Copper | 3.5 | Element. Redish brown with metallic luster. |
| Coral | 3.5 - 4 | Skeletal remains of sea creature called the coral(calcium carbonate). Red, pink, orange and white. |
| Corian | Crushed stone or other material in an acrylic base. Used in kitchen countertops and also seen in knife scales. Corian® is easy to clean. Corian® resists stains—liquids can't penetrate! Tends to be brittle. | |
| Diamond | 10 | Compressed carbon. The hardest substance known, diamond can only be cut by itself. Used as the cutting medium in gemstone production. |
| Delrin | Synthetic. Acetal. Heat sensitive. Good machineability. Good moldability. Low water absorbtion. | |
| Diamondwood | Compressed and stabilised birchwood laminate. Tough and very suitable as a handle material. See also "Pakkawood". | |
| Emerald | 7.5 - 8 | A variety of Beryl(aluminum beryllium silicate) Green. Found in Brazil and Colombia. Emerald is brittle and sensitive to pressure and heat. Work carefully. |
| Fluorite | 4.5 | Calcium fluoride |
| Garnet | 7 - 7.5 | Red crystaline and sometimes mistaken for ruby. Actually three different yet similar materials. Almandine(iron aluminum silicate) Pyrope(magnesium aluminum silicate) Spessartite(manganese aluminum silicate) These three are red, with spessartite being less red than the other two. Other forms have other colors. |
| Gold | 2.5 - 3 | Element. Yellow, soft malleable, metallic luster. Used in knifemaking since the discovery of metalurgy. |
| G10 | Synthetic. Glass cloth filled epoxy. Tough and lightweight, G10 makes an excellent handle material. Resistant to solvents and harsh chemicals. | |
| G11 | Synthetic. Glass cloth filled epoxy. Tough and lightweight, G11 makes an excellent handle material. Very resistant to solvents and harsh chemicals. | |
| Hematite | 6.5 | Iron oxide. |
| Horn | Makes a good handle material but is subject cracking when temperature and humidity fluctuate. Subject to insect attack. | |
| Iron | 4 - 5 | The most common constituent of blade material since 3000 BP. |
| Ivory | 2.5 - 2.75 | Calcium phosphate. Tooth of elephant or other large animal. Avoid overheating. Hippo is the hardest to work. |
| Jadeite | 6.5 - 7 | Sodium Aluminum Silicate. Jadeite has great tenacity. Once a favored blade material and makes excellent stone blades. In India entire handles of this stuff were made as late as the 19th century. The hole for the tang was drilled using hardwood dowels coated in abrasive powder. Imminently suited as a pommel stone. |
| Jasper | 6.5 | Variety of chalcedony which can be almost any mixture of colors depending on impurities |
| Kydex | Usefull as a sheath material. | |
| Kraton | Thermoplastic elastomer. Impervious to shock. Subject to wear and abrasion under regular use. Sticky quality makes for excellent grip. Heat sensitive. | |
| Labradorite | 6 - 6.7 | Sodium calcium aluminum silicate. |
| Lapis Lazuli | 5 - 5.5 | Sulphur containing sodium aluminum silicate. Beautifull blue stone. Sometimes contains calcite depending on location, which reduces value. Can contain fine pyrite evenly distributed without any detraction in value or beauty. Pressure sensitive and hates high temperatures. |
| Lucite | Synthetic. Acrylic. | |
| Malachite | 4 | Copper carbonate. |
| Micarta | Synthetic. Acid and chemical resistant. Usually textile or paper in a plastic base. Fairly tough and well suited as handle material. | |
| Moonstone | 6 - 6.5 | Potassium aluminum silicate. Sensitive to pressure. |
| Nephrite | 5 - 6 | Classified as Jade along with Jadeite but even tougher. Entire handles were made in India from nephrite. It is very suitable as a pommel stone. |
| Nickle | 4 - 5 | Not suitable as handle material though commonly used in knifemaking. Nickle is poisonous and promotes an allergic reaction in 10% of the population. |
| Nickle-Iron | 4 - 5 | Rarely found on earth but occasionally found in Basalt. Meteorites are frequently found to be made of this material and contain about 5% nickle. Metiorite contains little or no carbon and is not suitable for edges except when it is laminated to a high carbon core. Popular among some cultures as a blade material. |
| Obsidian | Volcanic Glass. | |
| Onyx | 6.5 | The stuff that cameos are made from. Layered material that allows multiple colors within the same carved piece. |
| Opal | 5.5 - 6.5 | Sensitive to dry conditions. |
| Pakkawood | Compressed and stabilised birch laminate. See also "diamondwood". Well suited as handle material. | |
| Paracord | Synthetic(nylon).Excellent as a cord wrap especially when soaked in epoxy. Affords the best grip. | |
| Pearl | 2.5 - 4.5 | Sensitive to dry conditions. Comprised of mostly calcium carbonate interlayered with a small amount of an organic substance called conciolin. Contains 4% water. Sensitive to perspiration and acids. Frequently used in knifemaking for its pearly coloring. Pearl is toxic and should be worked wet to avoid inhalation. |
| Peridot | 6.5 - 7 | Magnesium iron silicate. Also called "olivine" and "chrysolite". Sensitive to stress. |
| Perspex | Synthetic. Acrylic. | |
| Platinum | 4 - 4.5 | Element. Silvery color. |
| Plexiglas | Acrylic. | |
| Pyrite | 6 - 6.5 | Iron Sulfide. |
| Quartz | 7 | White crystalline and widely available in its many guises. |
| Rayskin | Rawhide from the belly on a ray. Used under cord wrap for positioning. Well suited as handle material. | |
| Rhodochrosite | 4 | Carbonate. Pink to red color. |
| Rhodonite | 5.5 - 6.5 | Mineral with pink to rosy color. |
| Ruby | 9 | Corundum(aluminum oxide). Red. Found in Burma, Kenya, Sri Lanka,Tanzania and Thailand. Brittle. |
| Sapphire | 9 | Corundum(aluminum oxide). Can be black, blue, colorless, green, orange, pink or purple. Found in Australia, Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Brittle. |
| Sard | 6.5 | Red brown variety of chalcedony. |
| Serpentine | 2 - 3 | Magnesium silicate. |
| Shark Skin | Called Shagreen in the west, sharkskin has been in use as a scabard covering for generations. | |
| Silver | 2.5 - 3 | Lusterous white soft metal. |
| Sodalite | 5 - 6 | Chloric sodium aluminum silicate |
| Spinel | 8 | (magnesium aluminum oxide). Black, blue, dark green, orange, pink, red, violet, yellow. Found in Afghanistan, Anatolia, Brazil, Burma and Sri Lanka, Thailand and the U.S. |
| Teflon | Synthetic(polytetrafluoroethylene). Slippery plastic used in folder pivots. Lowest coefficient of friction of any solid. Resistant to chemicals and UV. Stable to 500 degree F. | |
| Tigereye | 7 | |
| Titanium | The strength to weight ratio of this metal is second to none. | |
| Topaz | 8 | Topaz(aluminum silicate containing fluorine). Colorless, light blue, pale green, pink/red, and yellow. Brittle and sensitive to shock. |
| Tourmaline | 7 | Silicate. Mozambique. Used as a pommel stone by the Scot in his scian dubh. |
| Turquoise | 5 - 6 | Copper, containing aluminum phosphate. Sky blue often with inclusions of black(jasper). Sensitive to heat, perspiration. Contains moisture so sensitive to drying. Quite porous and therefore can be stabilised. |
| Zircon | 7 - 7.5 | Zirconium silicate. Brilliant and brittle. |
| Zoisite | 6 - 6.5 | Silicate. |
| Zytel | Synthetic. A DuPont material, which, as used in knifemaking is a glass fiber in a nylon base. Very suitable as handle material. Very tough and light weight. Usually black. Sensitive to heat. Should be molded to shape. Unpleasant to work with. | |
| 316L | Austenitic stainless steel. So it is not hardenable though it will work harden. It is not suitable for making knife blades but it is quite suitable for bolsters and other fittings. Cool rapidly in water from 1950-2050°F to anneal. Can be hardened by cold working only. Stress relieve at 400-750°F. Preheat at 1650°F Forge at 2100-2300°F. Finish at 1700°F. Can be formed into most shapes. It will work harden, and should be annealed frequently. 316L is easy to tig weld. Use type 316 or 316Cb electrode. Very stain resistant and does not pit readily. It is well able to stand up to the acids in sweat. |
This chart is preliminary and subject to change.
