SLD vs SKD SLD / SKD
Short answer
Essentially the same family: SLD is Proterial's (Hitachi's) brand of the JIS SKD11 tool steel. Differences between two knives come from heat treatment and grind, not from the name on the blade.
| SLD | SKD | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness (typical HRC) | 62–63 | 62–64 |
| Type | semi | semi |
| Easy to sharpen | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Edge retention | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Rust resistance | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Chip resistance | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mark on the blade | SLD | SKD |
| Whetstone | 1000 → 3000 | 1000 → 3000 |
Scores are relative, 1–5, for kitchen-knife use — our summary of maker data and common experience, not lab tests. Heat treatment and grind can move a knife a full point either way.
SLD SLD
Hitachi's SKD11-type cold-work steel. Tadafusa's stainless-clad home line and Kenshin's hammered line use it.
Who uses it: Tadafusa, Tsurugi Kenshin
Sanjo examples with prices:
SKD SKD
Cold-work tool steel with ~12% chromium. Yoshikane's signature: stains slowly, sharpens like a carbon steel.
Who uses it: Yoshikane Hamono
Sanjo examples with prices:
No Sanjo price rows yet.
Care
Stains slowly rather than rusting fast, but still wipe dry after use.