VG-1 Steel
VG-1 is a stainless blade steel in Takefu Special Steel’s V Gold family. The producer publishes representative composition and quench hardness and lists barber and beauty scissors among its applications. A finished scissor still needs its own maker specification for hardness, construction, care and service.
Read a steel claim as a four-layer record
A grade can be useful evidence, but a finished shear adds maker execution, geometry, condition, and service history. Apply to VG-1 Steel
- 01 Identify the grade Use a producer or traceable maker designation.
- 02 Name the source layer Separate mill data, maker data, seller copy, and measurement.
- 03 Record execution Heat treatment, geometry, assembly, and finished-blade values stay model-specific.
- 04 Keep the history Condition, use, care, impacts, and service affect the working edge.
Do not inferOne element, HRC value, country adjective, price tier, or steel name cannot rank sharpness, toughness, corrosion resistance, or service life.
VG-1 Steel
Quick look
- Producer: Takefu Special Steel, Fukui, Japan
- Representative table figures: Carbon 1.00, chromium 14.00, molybdenum 0.30
- Published hardness: At least 61 HRC; Takefu’s published quench hardness
- Documented use: Takefu lists barber/beauty scissors among VG-1 applications
- Important boundary: Grade data does not predict a finished shear’s edge life, feel, balance, or technique
Why it matters
Takefu’s grade page publishes representative chemistry and a quench-hardness figure. These describe the mill material; they are not a certificate for an individual blade or finished shear.
The official grade page also lists barber/beauty scissors among intended applications. That supports VG-1 as a relevant blade steel; it does not certify every product advertised with the name.
Takefu calls the chemistry representative data. Its table does not give minimum and maximum limits or a complete assay. The figures above reproduce its table without adding an unstated unit basis.
What the grade establishes
| Established by the mill | Not established by the grade name |
|---|---|
| Representative C, Cr, and Mo values | Finished shear hardness without a product test or maker statement |
| Quench hardness of at least 61 HRC | Weeks, months, or number of cuts between sharpening |
| Stainless blade-steel family and listed applications | Impact behavior, chip-versus-roll outcome, or drop resilience |
| VG-1 identity from Takefu | Edge grind, blade line, handle, weight, balance, or technique suitability |
Verifying a VG-1 shear
- Confirm the exact maker and model, not only a retailer category page.
- Look for explicit VG-1 attribution and avoid confusing it with Takefu V1, which is a different grade.
- Record the maker’s finished hardness as a model claim; note whether a test method, tolerance and tested part are supplied.
- Record edge grind, blade line, cross-section, handle, dimensions, and warranty separately.
- Confirm who can service the exact geometry without removing the intended edge or blade relationship.
Maintenance
Use the shear maker’s cleaning, lubrication, tension, storage, and sharpening instructions. Service by observed condition and cutting behavior; VG-1 does not create a universal eight-to-twelve-week or three-to-four-month maintenance interval.
Comparing VG-1 with another steel
Compare mill data first, then the complete finished products. Alloy name alone cannot rank sharpness, toughness, corrosion performance, comfort, or value because heat treatment and shear geometry are part of the result.
See Also
Primary grade source checked on 30 September 2026.
Published material composition
Takefu VG-1. Representative producer table figures; stated maxima remain limits. Unreported elements are not zero and these figures are not a lot analysis. Composition source
| Element | Mass % | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| C | 1% | representative |
| Cr | 14% | representative |
| Mo | 0.3% | representative |
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.
Material names and relationships
- Different materials: V1 Carbon Steel. Takefu publishes V1 as a carbon blade steel and VG-1 as a stainless blade steel, with separate chemistry tables. The extra letter identifies a different grade. Relationship source 1; Relationship source 2.
Sources
1 source- 🇯🇵 武生特殊鋼材 (Takefu Special Steel Co., Ltd.) (reference)
Frequently Asked Questions
3 answers you can open one at a timeWhat hardness does Takefu publish for VG-1?
Takefu lists quench hardness of at least 61 HRC. This is a mill material figure. Record any finished-scissor hardness separately against the exact maker and model.
Does VG-1 determine sharpening intervals?
The producer page does not establish a service interval for finished hair scissors. Follow the exact model’s service guidance and assess its condition and cutting behavior.
How can I verify a scissor advertised as VG-1?
Ask for the maker, model and exact material designation, together with a source linking that product to the material. Keep blade construction, finished hardness, care and service records with that model.
Comments & questions
Questions or feedback on this topic? Add a comment below.