13C26 Sandvik

13C26 is stainless steel, razor blade. Fine grain structure, reliable steel for various blades. Similar to AEB-L. Popular material for good quality stainless steel blades. Easy to polish and resharpen, it has superior qualities compared to the 12C27.

Heat treatment:

Cure data
Cure temperature 1060°C (1940°F), tape thickness 1.0 mm (0.039 inch), hold time 3 minutes, quench in petroleum.
Tempering data
Tempering time 30 minutes.

Brittleness occurs with tempering above 450°C (840°F).

Advice on hardening Sandvik:

• Too high a hardening temperature gives a coarse structure, high austenite content (30%), few carbides. Consequence: low hardness and poor wear resistance.
• Too slow a cooling rate after austenitizing produces carbide precipitation at the grain boundaries. Consequence: brittleness and reduced resistance to corrosion.
• Optimized hardening conditions give optimal austenite content (15%), many carbides evenly distributed. Consequence: optimal combination of hardness, wear resistance, ductility and corrosion resistance.

How the curing parameters influence the properties of the product

• A too high hardening temperature gives a low hardness and a bad wear resistance due to the excessive content of
  retained austenite.
• A low curing temperature gives a low hardness and a reduced resistance to corrosion.
• Too long a residence time at the optimum hardening temperature increases the amount of retained austenite and
  lowers the hardness.
• Too short a holding time at the optimum curing temperature has the same effect as a low austenitizing
  temperature.
• The maximum hardness will be obtained with a residual austenite content of about 15%.
• Deep freezing, i.e. cooling below ambient temperature, increases the hardness by about 1–2 HRC.
• By freezing, the maximum possible hardness will be reached by increasing the hardening temperature.
• A high cooling rate is required after hardening to avoid embrittlement and reduced corrosion resistance. 600°C
  (1112°F) should be reached within 1–2 minutes and room temperature within 30 minutes.
• Re-hardening is generally not recommended as it does not give the product optimal properties

Physical properties:

The physical properties of a steel are related to a number of factors, including the alloying elements, heat treatment and manufacturing route, but the data presented below can generally be used for rough calculations.