Types of Machete Blades

Machete Blade Composition: Machetes are differentiated primarily by the type of material with which the blade is made. The most common blade materials are stainless steel and carbon steel . High carbon stainless steel combines the advantages of both stainless and carbon steel.

Carbon steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, is the traditional material used for making machete blades. Carbon is added to iron to give the iron strength and increase the hardness of the alloy, but increasing the carbon content also makes the steel more brittle. Carbon steel has been around for over 4,000 yrs.

Carbon steel, generally speaking, has the advantage of being harder than stainless steel, and will stay sharp for a longer time period. Once re-sharpening is necessary, however, carbon steel is more difficult to re-sharpen due to its strength.

The main drawback to carbon steel is that it rusts readily, and maintenance is really about keeping you're blade away from moisture.

Stainless steel, which is really carbon steel with the addition of nickel and chromium, is generally more expensive than carbon steel. The nickel and chromium additives oxidize to create a protective coating over the carbon steel, inhibiting rust.

The rust resistant properties of stainless steel reduce the amount of maintenance required to keep the blade in good shape.

Stainless steel tends to be softer than carbon steel, and loses its sharpness more rapidly. That said, it can be re-sharpened more easily than high carbon steel.

Stainless is perfect for display and decorative machetes, but is less useful for functional tools needed for daily use.

In recent years, high carbon stainless steel has been developed which combines the best attributes of carbon and stainless steels. High carbon stainless steel maintains its edge like carbon steel, with the rust resistant properties of stainless steel.

Damascus Steel blades are combinations of several different laminates of steel ground to expose the grain or texture of the different layers.

Tang: The tang is the part of the machete blade that extends into the grip and connects the blade and the handle together.

For a chopping and slicing implement swung with a great deal of force, it is important to make sure the blade has a full tang that extends to the end of the handle and is riveted in place.