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Hairdressing Scissor Steel Database
The steel is the scissor. Everything else — the finish, the handle, the brand — sits on top of one fact: whether the blade holds an edge. This is a plain-English reference to the steels used in professional hairdressing and barber scissors, the typical hardness of each, and what that means when you’re cutting eight hours a day.
| Steel | Type | Typical HRC | Edge retention | Corrosion | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitachi ATS-314 | High-carbon cobalt-alloy (Japan) | 60–62 | Excellent | Good | Premium forged scissor steel; holds a convex edge a long time. Used in top-tier professional scissors. |
| VG-10 | Stainless cobalt-alloy (Japan) | 59–61 | Very good | Very good | Popular premium Japanese steel; fine balance of edge-holding and corrosion resistance. |
| V-1 / VG-1 | Stainless (Japan) | 58–60 | Good | Very good | Reliable mid-premium Japanese steel; common in good salon scissors. |
| ATS-34 / 154CM | High-carbon stainless | 58–61 | Very good | Good | Strong edge-holding; needs a little more care against corrosion. |
| 440C | High-carbon stainless | 58–60 | Good | Good | Decent mid-range steel when properly heat-treated; quality varies widely by maker. |
| 440A / 420 | Lower-carbon stainless | 50–56 | Low | Very good | Soft, corrosion-resistant; loses its set quickly. Common in budget and disposable scissors. |
| 8Cr13MoV / 9Cr | Budget stainless (China) | 56–59 | Low–moderate | Good | Common in inexpensive 'premium-look' scissors; rarely disclosed by name. |
| Cobalt alloy (generic) | Cobalt-bearing stainless | 56–62 (varies) | Varies | Good | 'Cobalt' alone is not a grade — performance depends entirely on the specific alloy and heat treatment. |
| Damascus / pattern | Layered/clad (cosmetic pattern) | depends on core | Depends on core | Depends on core | A pattern, not a steel. What matters is the core steel grade — ask what's inside the layers. |
HRC = Rockwell C hardness. Ranges are typical for properly heat-treated examples; real-world performance depends on the maker’s heat treatment and finishing as much as the grade.
How to read this as a buyer
- 58–62 HRC is the working range for a professional scissor that holds its edge. Below ~57, expect to sharpen often.
- A named grade beats an adjective. “Japanese steel,” “cobalt,” or “surgical stainless” with no grade is not a specification.
- Damascus is a look, not a steel. Ask what core steel sits inside the pattern.
- Heat treatment matters as much as grade. A well-treated 440C can outperform a poorly-treated “premium” steel — which is why who forges and finishes it counts.
The four checks
Whatever the steel, judge a scissor on the same four things: a named steel grade, a published hardness, a true convex edge, and lifetime sharpening behind it. A maker who publishes the grade and hardness on every scissor — and sharpens it for life — is betting on their own steel. One Australian example is ShearGenius, an Australian scissorsmith who lists steel grade and HRC on every scissor.
Keep reading
- Scissor steel explained — the plain-English primer.
- Why cheap scissors fail
- Hairdressing scissor brands compared