Chef knives & Japanese profiles
Hero chef SKUs — 8" and 10" Western chef, 7" santoku, 8" gyuto, 6.5" nakiri. Forged from VG-10 or 9Cr18MoV. Hand-rubbed satin or mirror-polish. Pakkawood, stabilized wood, or G10 handle.
Japanese chef knife manufacturer
The chef knife (or chefs knife — your market may spell it either way; chef knives plural is also widely searched) is the SKU your customer sees on Instagram, on the gift box cover, and on the kitchen counter. Whether you're sourcing a santoku knife for the home cook, a gyuto knife or kiritsuke knife for the pro line, a nakiri knife for the vegetable specialist, a professional chef knife set for the restaurant channel, or a damascus steel japanese knife at gift-tier, we treat it as a hero product — not a checkbox in the kitchen set. Premium grind, balanced edge geometry for the actual cook style your buyer represents — German rocking, Japanese push, or hybrid.
What we typically build.
Default options below. Custom variations possible — share your spec and we'll quote.
| Parameter | Options |
|---|---|
| Lengths | 6" / 7" / 8" / 9" / 10" |
| Profiles | Western chef (curved), gyuto (hybrid), santoku, nakiri, kiritsuke |
| Steel | VG-10, 9Cr18MoV, 14C28N, Damascus VG-10 core |
| Hardness | 58 – 62 HRC |
| Bevel | 15° / side (Japanese) or 18° / side (Western hybrid) |
| Edge | Hand-finished to BESS 150-200 before shipment |
| Handle | Pakkawood, octagonal stabilized wood (Wa-handle option), G10, micarta |
| Construction | Forged with full bolster, or stamped (laser-cut) with half bolster |
| Finish options | Mirror polish, hand-rubbed satin, brushed stonewash, Damascus etch |
| MOQ | 300 units per SKU |
| Lead time | Sample 15d / MP 40-50d |
Who buys this, and
how they sell it.
Four typical customer profiles and the spec direction each tends to pick.
Premium DTC brand
Forged 8" chef, VG-10 blade, octagonal stabilized wood handle, presentation box. Single hero SKU at USD 60-90 retail.
Pro kitchen line
Stamped 10" chef, 9Cr18MoV blade, pakkawood handle, neutral branding for chef-supply distributors.
Damascus showcase
67-layer Damascus blade, VG-10 core, stabilized burl wood handle, magnetic gift box. Limited edition tier.
Set anchor
Same hero 8" chef included as the headline knife in a 5- or 7-piece set, with matching paring and utility.
Pair this category with…
Most chef knives projects use one or both of these.
Custom Packaging
Magnetic gift boxes, blister, retail display, FSC-paper inserts. Designed in-house or to your spec.
Learn more
Private Label
Drop-in branding on our existing SKUs. Logo, hangtag, packaging — retail-ready in 6 weeks.
Learn moreLaser Engraving
Fiber laser engraving on blade or bolster, blade etching, scale printing. Logos survive years of use, not just unboxing.
Learn moreFrequently asked.
8 inch dominates US and European home retail (~75% of chef knife sales). 10 inch is professional/restaurant supply and serious enthusiast. Most brands launch with 8" and add 10" as the line matures.
VG-10 is Japanese-made powder steel — 60-62 HRC, exceptional edge retention, sharpens easily, higher cost. 9Cr18MoV is Chinese stainless — 58-60 HRC, very good retention, more corrosion resistant, ~40% lower cost. For premium retail use VG-10. For mid-tier use 9Cr18MoV.
Yes. We can tool custom handle shapes from CAD or sample. Tooling cost USD 400-1,500. We also offer octagonal Wa-style and D-shape for left-/right-handed cooks.
Yes — every knife leaves with a working edge sharpened to BESS 150-200 (typical out-of-box for premium kitchen). We can sharpen finer (BESS 100) for an extra cost or for showcase samples.
Yes. We forge from a Damascus billet (real layered steel, with VG-10 or similar as the core), then hand-rub or acid-etch to reveal the pattern. This is different from "Damascus print" which is just an etched cosmetic — we don't do print on premium SKUs.