Shirogami / White Paper / Shiroko / White Steel
Named for the paper put on billets of steel at the Hitachi factory. Graded at #s 1, 2 and 3; #1 has the highest carbon content and #3 the lowest. Generally speaking #1 will hold it’s edge longest but be the most brittle, #3 is the toughest (chip resistant) with shortest edge life. #2 is the most commonly used white steel.
White steel is a very fine grained carbon steel made from a very low contaminate iron loved for its ease of sharpening and ability to take a very fine razor sharp edge quickly. White steel is a favorite of sushi chefs for knives in which a very fine finish is essential. Not the easiest steel to forge and temper properly, white steel done well is a testimony to a smith’s skill. White steel is fairly reactive and requires care to avoid rust as it has virtually no rust resistance.