ATS-314 Steel

ATS-314 Steel

Quick look

  • Hardness window: 64–64 HRC after vacuum hardening.
  • Toughness: High wear resistance with tempered resilience; punishes over-tight pivots.
  • Corrosion profile: Premium stainless response that shrugs off perms and lighteners if wiped down daily.
  • Weight/feel: Medium-light forged blank; balanced through the shank instead of tip-heavy.

Why it matters

ATS-314 is Hitachi/Proterial’s flagship cobalt-enriched stainless. Fine carbides and a tight martensitic grain let convex hamaguri edges feel almost glassy. Stylists get a blade that tolerates high-speed slide work without dragging, provided tension stays right. Compared with 440C, ATS-314 carries more molybdenum, so the edge keeps its bite deeper into long color correction days.

Shear pairing & edge compatibility

  • Convex 5.5–6.0 in cutters: Ideal for dry detailing and precision bob work where a polished close is non-negotiable.
  • High-tooth texturizers: Cobalt matrix keeps blender teeth crisp, preventing grab when carving weight lines.

Technique map

  • Slide and point cutting on dense sections that punish softer steels.
  • Dry refinement, face-framing, and fringe detailing where zero push lets you work faster.
  • Interior channeling/texturizing on lived-in shapes that demand quiet, controlled closures.

Real-world stress tests

  • Edge retention: Plan on roughly 1,200–1,600 salon cuts (~6–8 weeks at 25 cuts/day) before a pro tune-up; Japan Scissors notes that cobalt-rich steels like ATS-314 require far fewer sharpenings than mid-tier alloys.
  • Impact/drop resilience: The cobalt content favours rigidity; dropped points tend to micro-chip before they bend. A neutral pivot and padded holster are mandatory in busy suites.
  • Weight & in-hand feel: Forged blanks land around 7.8 g/cm³ density. In hand that reads as neutral—enough substance to steady long strokes without fatiguing thumb tendons.

Maintenance notes

Daily wipe-down and a tiny pivot oil keep the edge chemistry stable after chemical services. Reset tension weekly; ATS-314 hates creeping drag. Schedule sharpening with an ATS-capable tech twice per year and specify a mirror convex re-polish so the alloy’s low-friction glide returns to spec.

Industry snapshot

  • Mizutani Sword Series: uses ATS-314 billets to achieve the iconic silky close long-form educators rave about.

Trade-offs

  • Premium billet price and forging time keep shears firmly in the high-ticket bracket.
  • Brittle if misaligned—DIY sharpening or twisting the blades together can crater the edge.
  • Requires convex-capable service benches; generic grinders will burn the micro-carbide structure.

Sources

Related: Edge Types • Steel Types • Scissor Maintenance

Related Steel types