T10 steel Katanas are classified among the finest and most durable modern Samurai Swords, this type of steel is referred to as tool steel. The T10 Katana blades is going through the traditional processes of forging, heat treatment, water quenching, and clay tempering.

Yet they have particular properties that the other swords do not have. Considering that other steel is going through all the traditional process there are still some differences that can be seen between various Katana swords, each one inherit it’s properties from the steel material they are made of.

T10 Steel or equally called High Speed Steel because it is considered as a material that excels the Steel, and therefore one of the reason it is commonly used now days to make samurai swords. The T10 Steel Katanas are more appreciated than swords made of others Steel types, and it is one of the top choices among sword collectors.

Keep reading and find out what are the characteristics of the T10 Steel Katana, and what make it so special for making a durable Katana that is also an amazing piece of art

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T10 Steel properties

T10 steel, also known by Tool Steel or High Speed Steel is the Chinese designation for an alloy made of Carbon steel and Tungsten (W1 in the United States of America).

The alloy contains a high tenor of Carbon compared to others Carbon Steels (about %1) and a little fraction of silicon (%0.35). The Tungsten component makes this type of steel very resistant to scratches and extremely tough. The maximum of resistance and toughness is obtained when properly clay tempered.

T10 Steel Katana Characteristics

T10 steel, also known by Tool Steel or High Speed Steel is the Chinese designation for an alloy made of Carbon steel and Tungsten (W1 in the United States of America).

The alloy contains a high tenor of Carbon compared to others Carbon Steels (about %1) and a little fraction of silicon (%0.35). The Tungsten component makes this type of steel very resistant to scratches and extremely tough. The maximum of resistance and toughness is obtained when properly clay tempered.

T10 Steel Katanas share the characteristics of Carbon steel Katanas and Spring Steel Katanas. Yet, the tungsten element gives them the hardness and the extreme resistance to abrasion, which makes the Katana sword very resistant and durable. When properly clay tempered, the High Speed Steel Katana are very tough.

The Clay tempering process and the differential solidity acquired after that process allows the Swords made of T10 steel to rank at the top of the list of durability.

It appears that the T10 show great performance and capabilities and swords made of the T10 are often harder to forge since they require accuracy while making and a delicate operation to conduct in order to obtain the Samurai Katana.

T10 Steel Katanas keep their edge as sharp as their first time for long period. Therefore they do not require extensive care and rigorous maintenance, they just need to be cleaned, oiled and properly kept. The proper maintenance of these swords increases the durability and will make sure the sword will serve you for very long time.

T10 Steel is a Tungsten alloy that contains a high concentration of carbon and a little concentration of Silicon.

To forge the High Speed Steel, It is necessary to preheat the alloy until it reaches 1100 F (593 C°), then increase the temperature to 1500 F ( 815 C°).

The heating process is to operate slowly not to lose any amount of carbon. It is important to keep that the material at this temperature for about 30minutes then quench in water.

Forging process is only possible and efficient at temperature starting from 815 C°. At inferior temperatures, the result would be deceiving and the material will be very resistant to the process and it will be very hard to manipulate. Tempering process can be operated at 343 C°.

The result of the appropriate treatment during forging process is obviously a very resistant and very hard Katana.

The differential tempering, which consists in clay coating of the blade before polishing, with non-uniform distribution of clay layer thickness between edge and spine, allows the edge to be hard and the spine to be soft increasing the durability of the T10 Steel Katana.

T10 Steel Katana v.s. others swords

T10 Steel Katanas share several properties of 1095 carbon steel Katanas, but it is hardened by the Tungsten alloying element. Compared to the 9260 Spring Steel katana which produces more suitable weapons when it is mono tempered,

The T10 Steel Katanas are better when Differentially hardened (Clay tempered). T10 Steel material allows the Katana to be very hard and increase its durability. Compared to Carbon Steel 1060 Katana, T10 Steel Katana have much harder edge and will retain its sharpness for a longer period of time, while it will also have softer spine which will allow it to bend and not break -This will be obtained by the clay tempering process.

The T10 inherits the hardness from the high concentration of carbon and also acquires the properties of the Tungsten alloy which are durability, hardness and resistance to shock and abrasion.

The Swords made of this material are therefore more proficient and require high proficiency level to obtain the best results with the minimum risk of loss of material properties. Spring Steel Katana rank in the first place regarding the tensile power and the resistance to bending efforts, but the T10 durability and hardness is better. also the T10 is more resistances to scratches as the result of this alloy nature and type.

 
 

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How to chose parts of the T10 Steel Katana

T10 Katana has a very tough blade which is very resistant to shock; If it is intended to be used in training or test cutting, it is recommended that you will get a clay tempered blade. The handle should be well assembled and made of resistant material not to be broken by the repetitive hits.

The guard should be made of quality materials and should be resistant to deformation. The T10 Steel Katana blade is one of the finest choice you can select for your sword, and it should have other parts which are worthy of it’s quality. the blade can be further enhanced by choosing the Hadori polish to increase the visibility of the hamon.

The overall cost of making and mounting a T10 Steel Katana is relatively higher than other swords because of the strict rules and traditional methods that are needed to apply when forging the blade. the rest of the cost may apply while choosing the other parts to add to the sword.

The durability and the hardness of the material are very important factors that may increase the price of the final product. If you are looking for a T10 Steel Katana, traditionally handmade and assembled according to your request, visit our custom Katana page, or choose any other custom Samurai sword from the selection available here.