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Uddeholm Sleipner is a conventional tool steel aimed at balancing wear resistance and resistance to chipping. In a knife, its appeal is a working edge without relying on an exceptionally wear-resistant alloy. It still needs rust care, and the maker’s heat treatment and blade geometry matter more than a tooling brochure can tell you.
What Is Uddeholm Sleipner?
Uddeholm describes Sleipner as a cold-work tool steel and confirms that it is sold as ASSAB 88 in the East and Southeast Asian markets served by ASSAB. Those names can therefore refer to the same producer grade. It is not a powder-metallurgy steel, and its chromium content does not make it a stainless option.
What Matters for Cutting Performance?
Uddeholm designed Sleipner to combine abrasive wear resistance with resistance to edge chipping in cold-work tooling. That balance is useful context for a working knife, although the producer’s tooling comparisons are not a controlled test of finished knives.
It is worth considering when you want a wear-resistant edge and accept non-stainless care. Match the grind to the job: controlled slicing and rougher cutting place different demands on the edge.
Care and Sharpening
Keep the edge dry after wet cutting and remove food residue before storing the knife. A light protective oil is useful during storage; use a food-safe product where appropriate. If the edge needs repair, start with an abrasive coarse enough to remove the damage rather than spending a long time on a polishing stone.
Choosing an Uddeholm Sleipner Knife
Check the complete steel designation when a listing says ASSAB 88, and judge the knife’s grind and intended use alongside the material. Sleipner is worth a closer look when you accept non-stainless care and the knife offers a useful working geometry. It is less compelling if low-maintenance wet carry is your main priority. Our knife steel guide explains the broader tradeoffs.
Composition
Our composition guide explains what alloy values can and cannot tell you.
Uddeholm Sleipner: Uddeholm average grade composition; not an assay of a retail knife. Uddeholm India: Sleipner grade page and technical brochure.
| Element | Uddeholm Sleipner |
|---|---|
| Carbon (C) | 0.9% |
| Chromium (Cr) | 7.8% |
| Molybdenum (Mo) | 2.5% |
| Vanadium (V) | 0.5% |
| Silicon (Si) | 0.9% |
| Manganese (Mn) | 0.5% |
Compare Two Knife Steels
Sources and Update Notes
This steel is not included in the numerical ratings used by our comparison tool.
