Steel · Proterial (Hitachi)
ZDP-189 in kitchen knives
ZDP-189 is a stainless powder steel from Proterial (Hitachi). In our survey it is the stated core of 46 damascus kitchen knives from 12 brands. A chef knife with ZDP-189 at its core costs a median of $690 in the United States.
Survey of 14 November 2026Source : methodology
Listings
46
12 brands
Stated hardness
64-67HRC
typical range
Median · Chef
$690
United States
Low
$245
Cutlery and More
Nominal composition
| Element | % |
|---|---|
| C | 3.0 |
| Cr | 20.0 |
| Mo | 1.4 |
| W | 0.6 |
| V | 0.1 |
Percent by weight, from the steelmaker's published datasheet. Ranges differ slightly between sources and batches. Iron makes up the balance.
What it costs, United States
By knife type
The comparison column is the median for all listings of that knife type, whatever the steel.
| Type | n | Median ZDP-189 | All steels | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damascus chef knife | 12 | $690 ▲ +234 % | $206 | $370 |
| Damascus kiritsuke | 4 | $750 ▲ +189 % | $259 | $680 |
| Damascus santoku | 4 | $435 ▲ +118 % | $200 | $325 |
| Damascus knife set | 3 | $684 ▲ +158 % | $265 | $550 |
| Damascus utility knife | 3 | $1,900 ▲ +1088 % | $160 | $280 |
Brands using it
| Brand | n | Median | Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutlery and More | 11 | $445 | US |
| eChefKnife | 10 | $710 | US |
| Klingen-Boutique | 5 | €449 | DE |
| Xinzuo | 5 | $400 | US |
| Couteau Japonais | 3 | €566 | FR |
| Oryoki | 3 | €535 | DE |
| Seisuke Knife | 3 | $1,900 | US |
| Couteaux du Chef | 2 | €710 | FR |
| Scharfes Japan | 1 | €439 | DE |
| Strata | 1 | $500 | US |
| Sugi Cutlery | 1 | $675 | US |
| Uptown Cutlery | 1 | $750 | US |