How To Spot Fake Vs. Real Damascus Steel Knives

What Is Damascus Steel? 

Damascus steel knives are widely considered to be some of the best chef knives on the market. These knives were created and first used by eastern civilizations and they were reliable, durable, and unforgivingly sharp. Damascus steel is known to be extremely hard which allows for a keen edge on the blade, but at the same time, it is quite easy to sharpen which is not normally characteristic of hard knives. What makes Damascus steel distinct from other steel is the fact that it’s made by combining two different types of steel together. This forging process makes an extremely sharp blade and it creates a wide range of different patterns on the steel.

A Damascus steel knife is not only functional, it's also a piece of art that is permanently attached to a blade that is suitable for all kinds of cooking tasks. Thanks to the sharpness, you can use Damascus steel to easily cut through tough meats, slice fruits, chop vegetables, and perform virtually any kitchen task like a pro. Needless to say, there are many fake Damascus steel knives out there too, since originals can be rather expensive due to the difficult forging process. It's not uncommon to find fake Damascus steel knives on online marketplaces. It’s a good idea to learn how to tell the difference between fake Damascus steel and a real knife, and we are here to help!

How Can You Tell If Damascus Steel Is Real?

There are several different ways to tell if you have fake Damascus steel or the real thing:

Damascus Pattern: The first thing you want to check is the Damascus design of the blade. If the Damascus pattern designs don’t look natural and are extremely detailed or very elaborate, then the knife might not be legitimate. Real Damascus patterns are unique and beautiful but always occur due to the natural folding of Damascus steel. Real Damascus steel chef knives have steel fold patterns that are uniform with the traditional designs such as feather, twist, wavy, ladder, watery, or raindrops, and several others. Generally, real Damascus steel will always have a clearly visible etching that is very easily discernible and uniform throughout the blade. If the etching seems fake or it’s barely noticeable, then you are most likely dealing with a fake knife.

Knife Consistency: The consistency of the blade is the next important factor to check. Real Damascus steel will have uniform patterns and folds across the tang, bolster, blade spine, cutting edge, and also on the blade itself. You also want to check the knife’s butt, if you can find folds there, this typically confirms that you don’t have a fake Damascus knife, and instead own a real one. With that in mind, the spine, tang, and bolster can sometimes be polished, so in this case, you will not see the folds. This is where things get tricky because a lack of any pattern doesn’t necessarily mean you have fake Damascus steel on your hands. 

Overall Knife Quality:  The knife quality can often be a tell-tell sign if you have a fake or real Damascus steel knife. Blacksmiths who work with Damascus steel generally take great care to forge knives with the highest quality standards. The blade should come out somewhat flexible, yet strong. If you suspect that the blade is low quality it could be a sign that the Damascus steel is faked.

Polishing: Another way to see if you have real or fake Damascus steel is to polish a part of the blade until the pattern is no longer visible. After that, you need to soak the blade in an acid solution. If you have a fake Damascus knife, then the pattern will not emerge. Instead, randomly marked surfaces will remain visible. However, if you have the real deal, the pattern will emerge again after you remove the blade from the acid solution and this will confirm that you have a real Damascus steel knife on your hands. 

Steel Testing: The final sure-fire way to check for Damascus's legitimacy is to test the steel quality itself. Unfortunately, this is a difficult, expensive, and hard-to-access process for most people. The important thing to note here is that fake knives might mimic the style and visuals, but the composition is very different. Fake Damascus steel knives are typically made from low-quality steel to greatly reduce the manufacturing cost. The pattern is then added on later via acid etching to make the fake Damascus steel knife look like a real one. This also allows the maker of the fake knife to create designs that are not normally seen with real Damascus patterns. 

Is Damascus Steel Better Than Regular Steel?

Modern steel today can be on par with real Damascus forged steel in terms of sharpness and durability. With that being said, Damascus steel will retain its sharpness for a prolonged period of time and accepts sharpening easier than traditional modern steel. You also get a bit more flexibility with it when compared to regular steel. The main reason why Damascus steel still stands out is the art aspect of the blade. Many chefs around the world use Damascus knives not only as professional cooking tools but also as display art for their craft. Many famous chefs are increasingly being spotted rocking a true Damascus knife or cleaver when performing their culinary duties.