1050 to 1055 High Carbon Steel

A tough and impact-resistant steel used for dependable blades.

1050 and 1055 high carbon steels are often a choice for a bladed weapon when impact resistance and general durability at an affordable price point is the paramount quality desired. Its carbon content is not so high as to have the detrimental brittleness associated with higher carbon steels and like many carbon steels it also has some additional manganese content which increases hardenability. 

With quality tempering 1050 – 1055 steel achieves a relatively uniform hardened form that it is quite resistant to shock and impact damage. Thus it is often used for tools which need toughness, such as hatchets and axes and this overall toughness can make for a resilient and dependable sword blade.