14C28N heat treat: austenitize, quench & temper chart
14C28N is a stainless knife steel. Here is the full heat-treat schedule — austenitizing temperature, quench, cryo and a tempering-temperature chart mapping each temper to final HRC — with every number cited to the source, not guessed.
The 14C28N heat-treat schedule
Austenitize: 1925–1975°F (1925°F recommended), hold 15 min once to temperature. A controlled oven or kiln beats forge colour for hitting this window repeatably.
Quench: Plate quench. Never use Water, Brine, Parks 50, Duratherm 48, Parks AAA, Canola oil. Same schedule as AEB-L — per Larrin Thomas, '14C28N is essentially AEB-L (or perhaps more accurately Sandvik 13C26), but with improved corrosion resistance.'
Cryo (recommended): LN₂ 30–60 min for 62+ HRC. Same retained-austenite profile as AEB-L. Straight from the quench into cryo, then temper.
Temper: 2 passes of 1 h at 350°F for the recommended edge (~62–63 HRC). Use AEB-L schedule as the baseline. 14C28N gains slight edge-retention improvement per CATRA testing.
14C28N tempering-temperature chart
Two-hour temper (×2), HRC after cryo where used. Pick the tempering temperature for the hardness your knife needs:
| Tempering temperature | Resulting hardness |
|---|---|
| 300°F (149°C) | 63–64 HRC |
| 350°F (177°C) | 62–63 HRC |
| 400°F (204°C) | 60–61 HRC |
Target hardness for 14C28N by knife type
| Use | Recommended HRC |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | 61–63 HRC |
| EDC | 60–61 HRC |
| Hunter | 60–61 HRC |
| Hard-use chopper | 60–61 HRC |
Most common mistake
Schedule is essentially AEB-L — same temp / soak / cryo / temper. Improved corrosion resistance comes from composition, not heat treat.
FAQ
What temperature do you austenitize 14C28N?
1925–1975°F, with 1925°F recommended, held 15 min once the steel is fully up to temperature.
What is the best quench for 14C28N?
Plate quench. Never Water, Brine, Parks 50, Duratherm 48, Parks AAA, Canola oil. Same schedule as AEB-L — per Larrin Thomas, '14C28N is essentially AEB-L (or perhaps more accurately Sandvik 13C26), but with improved corrosion resistance.'
What HRC does 14C28N reach?
60–64 HRC across the usable tempering range; about 61–63 HRC for a kitchen knife. Temper at 350°F for ~62–63 HRC.
How do you temper 14C28N?
2 passes of 1 h at 350°F for the recommended edge. See the chart above to pick a different tempering temperature for a harder or tougher blade.
Can you forge 14C28N?
14C28N is best heat-treated in a controlled oven or kiln rather than forged by colour — its austenitizing window and quench are too tight to hit reliably by eye.
What you need to heat-treat 14C28N
Repeatable hardness comes from controlling temperature and quench speed — eyeballing colour is how blades end up soft or cracked.
- A heat-treat oven or kiln holds the 1925°F austenitizing temperature — the single biggest factor in repeatable hardness.
- Air-hardening steel plate-quenches between aluminium quench plates — no oil bath needed.
- Verify the result with a Rockwell hardness tester or hardness files — don't trust the schedule blind.
- Wrap in stainless tool-wrap foil to stop decarb and scale at high austenitizing temperatures.
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Sources
Heat-treat schedules are the cited published values for 14C28N; every furnace, quench and blade geometry varies, so verify against your own hardness testing. Getting steel to non-magnetic is not the same as reaching austenitizing temperature — use a controlled oven or kiln for repeatable results.