Lohmann Cromax PM Knife Steel
Composition Analysis Graph, Equivalents And Overview

Cromax PM(Lohmann) - Cromax PM is a relatively new steel to appear in knives. So far it seems to be Lohmann proprietary alloy, at least no standard equivalents are specified in the official specifications. Cromax PM appeared circa 2021, and so far seems to be used exclusively in Shirogorov knives, I've only seen folders using Cromax PM steel. There is no information whether or not Cromax PM was specifically designed or made for Shirogorov's exclusive use. Initially, the expectations were quite high. The rumors were that Cromax PM was beefed up Elmax steel which is considered a high performance, premium choice for high end knives. I suppose, partially because well known, high-end knife maker, such as Shirogorov was using it. However, once the composition was published, it became clear that the rumors were not correct. Compared to Elmax steel, Cromax PM has considerably less Carbon 1.25% vs. 1.70%, and yes while Cromax PM is a high carbon steel, 0.45% difference is quite significant considering Carbon atoms low molar weight. Cromax PM features 1.1% more Molybdenum, 2.1% vs. 1% in Elmax steel, however more than 2% less Vanadium, 0.8% vs. 3% in Elmax. Trace element content isn't published, so we can only hope Lohmann keeps impurities low, they do have a good reputation for high purity alloys, but in the end it all depends on the allowed specs. To wrap up comparisons, Cromax PM is actually quite close to Erasteel ASPAPZ10 steel, save for this missing Nitrogen in later. Clearly, Cromax PM is highly stain resistant and should have considerable wear resistance as well with decent toughness. Working hardness is also quite high, 62-63HRC, which would be optimal for the folding knives and high performance cutters in general, and at lower hardness it can be used in larger, tough use knives as well, although the question would be is it worth it, considering the plethora of high toughness alloys being available for that purpose. I have not seen Cromax PM performance evaluations and reports, probably because Shirogorov knives are really expensive for testing. I'll update this section once I get my hands on any solid performance reports.

Manufacturing Technology - PM

Country - Germany(DE)

Known Aliases:
Lohmann - Cromax(PM), Lohmann - Cromax-PM