Cutlery: A Story of Metallurgy
Undoubtedly, our profession has evolved alongside the metallurgical sector. Increasingly high-performance steels best meet consumer needs.
Indeed, due to the use of dishwashers, carbon steel, widely used until the 1960s, has given way to stainless steel. Its particularity is to contain iron (85%), chromium (14%), and carbon: the chromium provides the shine, and the carbon gives the steel its rigidity.
We use Z40 Cr13 with a carbon content of 0.46%, which provides sufficient hardness for everyday use and good corrosion resistance. Of course, what remains crucial in terms of sharpness is the grinding operation, called “l’émouture” in our cutlery jargon. This operation involves obtaining a precise thickness on the edge from a blade cut from a flat metal strip. Another critical operation is polishing. Without it, any stainless steel would corrode.
