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What Is SLD Semi-Stainless Steel?
SLD is a cold-work tool steel produced by Proterial, formerly Hitachi Metals. The manufacturer identifies SLD with JIS SKD11 and AISI D2 and lists a typical composition of 1.5% carbon, 12.0% chromium, 0.9% molybdenum and 0.3% vanadium.
In kitchen knives, SLD is commonly described as semi-stainless. It offers more stain resistance than simple carbon steels, but it is not maintenance-free: hand-wash the blade, dry it promptly and avoid leaving acidic food or moisture on the steel.
Proterial describes SLD as a wear-resistant general-purpose cold-work tool steel with good hardenability and low quench distortion. In a finished knife, edge retention, toughness and sharpening feel also depend on the maker’s heat treatment, blade grind and edge geometry.
Shop our SLD gyuto, bunka, santoku, nakiri, petty and specialty kitchen knives below.