VG-10 vs 440C: What the Two Steel Labels Tell You
Should you choose VG-10 or 440C scissor steel?
Both are common professional scissor steels. Takefu lists VG10 at HRC 60 or above; Carpenter lists heat-treated 440C at about HRC 60. How long a pair stays sharp comes down to the maker's heat treatment, the grind and your workload, so compare the actual pairs you are choosing between.
440C is a high-carbon stainless (0.95 to 1.20% carbon in Carpenter’s CarTech 440C datasheet). VG10 is Takefu’s cobalt-bearing stainless. Both labels cover pairs from many makers, so compare each maker’s own specs for the pair.
Updated Sep 2026
| Attribute | VG-10 (V Gold 10) Takefu, Fukui Prefecture, Japan | 440C Stainless Steel Multiple producers; verify supplied material origin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material hardness | ≥60 HRC; Takefu Special Steel; published quench hardness. Mill source | ≈60 HRC; Carpenter Technology; heat-treated CarTech 440C under the producer datasheet conditions. Mill source | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finished-scissor examples | 59 HRC; Jaguar KAMIYU; maker-stated finished-scissor hardness. Model source | No model figure cited. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published composition | Takefu VG-10. Representative producer table figures; stated maxima remain limits. Unreported elements are not zero and these figures are not a lot analysis. Composition source
Elements absent from this table are unreported in this source, not zero. These material figures do not identify the chemistry of an individual finished scissor. Indicative PREN: unavailable. No calculation: N lacks a published point value or two-sided range. Missing values and one-sided limits are not zero. Calculation and limits. | Carpenter CarTech 440C (UNS S44004). Producer type analysis, edition 1 June 1987, still hosted by Carpenter. Preserve printed ranges and maxima; the document disclaimer describes typical or average data, not a shipment guarantee. Composition source
Elements absent from this table are unreported in this source, not zero. These material figures do not identify the chemistry of an individual finished scissor. Indicative PREN: unavailable. No calculation: Mo, N lacks a published point value or two-sided range. Missing values and one-sided limits are not zero. Calculation and limits. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steel family | Stainless blade steel | Martensitic stainless | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product links | Full entry | Full entry |
How to choose
Start with the pairs, not the labels. Check each maker’s published hardness and edge type, try both in your hand, and keep notes on how long each stays sharp in your column. Buy the pair that fits your hand and your budget.