Examples of grades: ASTM 1075, 1095
Knife blades made of carbon steels are considered to be easy to sharpen, achieve high hardness and have excellent toughness. But they have poor wear resistance and corrode easily. Just like other types of knife steels, carbon steels also have carbides, but of a different type.
Carbon steels were entirely dominant for knives until the introduction of stainless steels, and they are still used in applications in which high demands are made on toughness and regrindabilty, such as for large fixed-blade knives for outdoor applications.