Shirogami #1 San Mai Stainless Clad Knife Steel Billet

Shirogami #1 San Mai Stainless Clad Knife Steel Billet

Premium Japanese knife making steel billet with a Shirogami #1 / White Paper Steel #1 carbon steel core and stainless outer cladding.

Traditional Japanese carbon steel with extreme sharpness potential and stainless outer cladding, ideal for advanced makers producing high-performance kitchen knives, gyuto, santoku, nakiri and other Japanese-style blades.

About Shirogami #1 / White Paper Steel #1

Shirogami #1, also known as White Paper Steel #1, is one of the purest and most refined traditional Japanese knife steels produced. Developed for elite Japanese bladesmiths and sharpeners, it is prized for its extremely fine grain structure, exceptional edge formation, and clean cutting feel.

San Mai Stainless Clad Construction

This San Mai billet combines a White #1 core with stainless outer cladding, creating a balance of extreme cutting performance and improved corrosion resistance. The hardened core delivers razor-level sharpness and excellent edge stability, while the stainless jacket simplifies finishing and daily maintenance.

White #1 is capable of remarkable hardness and edge refinement, but demands skill during heat treatment. Tight temperature control and careful quenching are critical. In experienced hands, however, the result is a blade with extraordinary sharpness, fast feedback on the stones, and the crisp cutting sensation associated with premium Japanese kitchen knives.

Designed for advanced knife makers seeking traditional Japanese performance in a modern laminated construction.

Suggested Heat Treatment

This heat treatment information is a suggested starting point only. Final results will depend on equipment, blade geometry, temperature control, quench medium and tempering process.

Hold at 770–800°C
Hold time: approx. 10 minutes
Quench in oil or water*
Temper at 180–200°C for 2 hours x 2
Expected hardness: approx. 62 HRC

White #1 contains approximately 1.25–1.35% carbon, with small amounts of manganese around 0.20–0.30% and silicon around 0.10–0.20%, but very little else. This is an ultra-high carbon steel that can achieve high hardness in expert hands.

Please note the higher risk of cracking, especially when chasing higher hardness around 62–65 HRC. Careful heat treatment, testing and experience are recommended with this specialty steel.

White #1 vs Blue #1 Knife Steel

There is much to study on traditional Japanese steels, but a simple distinction between White #1 and Blue #1 is that White #1 is generally chosen for maximum sharpness, fine edge formation and ease of sharpening, while Blue #1 generally offers better edge retention and requires more effort to sharpen.

Heat treatment information on this steel is not always available in as clear-cut instructions as more common knife steels, so the suggested heat treatment above should be treated as a starting point to experiment from.

Common Uses

Suitable for kitchen knives, gyuto, santoku, nakiri, petty knives and other high-performance Japanese-style blades.

Supplied as a raw knife steel billet. Finished knife images are for example only.