Yorkshire and the Humber
Stainless steel was invented in 1913 by Harry Brearley of Sheffield, working for Firth Brown Steels (now called Sheffield Forgemasters). SAE 304 stainless steel is the most common stainless steel today, invented by Dr William Herbert Hatfield FRS in 1924 at Firth-Vickers known as Staybrite 18/8, a chromium-nickel steel. Many Swiss watches were mostly made out of Staybrite.
List of blade materials
Stainless steel is a popular class of material for knife blades because it resists corrosion and is easy to maintain. However, it is not impervious to corrosion or rust. In order for a steel to be considered stainless it must have a chromium content of at least 10.5%.These two steels are practically identical in composition. They were introduced into custom knives by Bob Loveless circa 1972.
The latter two are considered premium cutlery steels for both folding knives and fixed blades.American stainless steel manufactured by Allegheny Technologies, North American Stainless and Crucible Industries. Because the 300 series is non-hardenable (non-Martensitic), they are primarily used in entry level dive knives and used as the outer layers in a San Mai blade.