Powder stainless steel · Takefu Special SteelSG2 スーパーゴールド2
Also called: Super Gold 2 · SPG2 · R2 · SG-2
SG2 is a stainless powder stainless steel made by powder metallurgy from Takefu Special Steel: 1.25–1.45% carbon, 14.0–16.0% chromium (retailer figures), and a maker hardening hardness of ≥62 HRC. In Knife Steel Nerds’ CATRA edge-retention test it cut 522 mm of card at 61.2 HRC.
Composition
| C | Si | Mn | Cr | Mo | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.25–1.45 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 14.0–16.0 | 2.3–3.3 | 1.8–2.2 |
Mass %. Retailer values — the steelmaker does not publish this composition. Hardness: ≥62.
What the data says
SG2 (Super Gold 2, SPG2) is Takefu Special Steel’s powder-metallurgy stainless. Takefu explains that it is made from atomised powder that is compacted, sintered, forged and rolled, and gives its hardness as 62 HRC or over — but it does not publish the composition.
The composition we show (about 1.25–1.45% carbon, 14–16% chromium, 2.3–3.3% molybdenum and 1.8–2.2% vanadium) comes from retailers, not from Takefu, and is marked as such.
Shops often sell the same steel as “R2”. We could not confirm from a primary source that R2 and SG2 are identical, so we list the names together but say so.
In Knife Steel Nerds’ CATRA test, SG2 at 61.2 HRC cut 522 mm of card, ahead of VG-10 (479 mm) and Aogami Super (338 mm) but behind ZDP-189 (718 mm).
SG2 compared with similar steels
| Steel | Type | C % | Cr % | Maker HRC | CATRA mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG2 (Super Gold 2) | Powder stainless · PM | 1.25–1.45 † | 14.0–16.0 † | ≥62 | 522 @ 61.2 |
| VG-10 | Stainless | 1.00 | 15.00 | ≥60 | 479 @ 61.6 |
| ZDP-189 | Powder stainless · PM | 3.00 | 20.00 | ≥65 | 718 @ 65.1 |
| Aogami Super | Carbon | 1.40–1.50 | 0.30–0.50 | ≥60 | 338 @ 65.1 |
Detailed comparisons: Aogami Super vs SG2 · VG-10 vs SG2
See all 15 steels in the Japanese knife steel chart, or compare up to three at once in the steel explorer.
Care
SG2 is a stainless steel, so occasional wetness will not rust it the way it rusts a carbon steel, but washing by hand and drying it keeps the edge and handle in good condition.
Buying a SG2 knife from a shop in Japan? Japanese kitchen knives currently pay about 31% US import duty — use the import duty calculator to compare with a US retailer.
Frequently asked questions
- Is SG2 stainless?
- Yes. SG2 contains 14.0–16.0% chromium (retailer figure), above the roughly 10.5% that defines a stainless steel.
- How hard is SG2?
- Takefu Special Steel publishes a hardening hardness of ≥62 HRC. The hardness of a finished knife depends on the knifemaker’s heat treatment.
- Who makes SG2?
- SG2 is made by Takefu Special Steel. It is a powder-metallurgy steel.
- SG2 vs VG-10: what is the difference?
- SG2: C 1.25–1.45%, Cr 14.0–16.0%, maker hardness ≥62 HRC. VG-10: C 1.00%, Cr 15.00%, maker hardness ≥60 HRC. In Knife Steel Nerds’ CATRA test they cut 522 mm and 479 mm of card.
Sources
- Takefu: Super Gold 2
- Knives and Stones: SG2 / R2 (composition) (secondary)
- Knife Steel Nerds: edge retention of 48 steels (secondary)
Checked 2026-10-21. Found a better source or an error? Tell us.