The Stainless Steel
The blades, made from the high-quality French T12 steel which is exclusively produced for Forge de Laguiole®, are forged to 1000°C in our manufactory in Laguiole, France.
Steel used for cutlery is mostly corrosion-resistant martensite steel. This steel is very tough and made of a high percentage of chromium, carbon and other elements that have interesting properties (molybdenum, vanadium). Knife blades should sharpen well, be easy to for the maker to shape and should have a good cutting resistance. These properties cannot be obtained simultaneously, it is necessary to find a compromise based on the use of the knife. For the hard structure called martensite, the blade must undergo suitable heat treatment (annealing, quenching, tempering).
The choice of steel is a compromise between:
- The ease of sharpening the blade
- The cutting edge of the blade and its behavior in time
- Its ability to resist corrosion
- Its ability to be polished and its resistance to scratches
At Forge de Laguiole , we add two criteria namely:
- Its origin (we require a French origin.)
- Its ability to be forged