440C (UNS designation S44004) is a

martensitic Martensite is a very hard form of steel crystalline structure. It is named after German metallurgist Adolf Martens. By analogy the term can also refer to any crystal structure that is formed by diffusionless transformation. Properties Marte ...

400 series stainless steel, and has the highest carbon content of the 400 stainless steel series. It can be heat treated to reach hardness of 58 to 60 HRC. It can be used to make rolling contact stainless bearings, e.g.

ball bearings A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

and

roller bearings In mechanical engineering, a rolling-element bearing, also known as a rolling bearing, is a bearing which carries a load by placing rolling elements (such as balls or rollers) between two concentric, grooved rings called races. The relative m ...

. It is also used to make

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidence ...

blades. 440C has the highest strength, hardness, and wear resistance of all the commonplace 440-series stainless alloys, with high carbon content and moderate corrosion resistance.

Composition

Mechanical properties

References

{{SAE International Steel alloys