Glossary of Knife Handle Materials

The following the most common terms and materials used in the manufacturing of knife handles:

Aluminum: a material valued for its corrosion resistance and light weight. Aluminum knife handles will be impervious to erosion and rust, and are surprisingly solid for their weight.

Bone: one of the oldest and most popular materials used to manufacture knife handles. Bone's natural qualities make it very conducive to coloring and decorating. Bone knife handles are usually given a surface texture, and these are known as pickbone or jigged bone.

Carbon Fiber: one of the strongest and most expensive synthetic knife handle materials, carbon fiber is a tightly woven composite of thin carbon strands joined with epoxy resin. Carbon fiber knife handles are very light reflective, giving them what is often referred to as a futuristic look.

Exotics: many different exotic materials are used to make knife handles, though most often these are used for collectible knives. Fossilized ivory mammoth tusks that are over 12,000 years old is one material example. Most exotic knife handle materials are found in nature, such as mother of pearl or abalone. Other exotics include oosic (the penile bone of a walrus), and fossilized ivory from mastodons and walruses.

G-10: like carbon fiber, G-10 is a woven composite combined with epoxy resin, except it's made from fiberglass. G-10 is very strong, rugged, lightweight, and temperature-resistant.

Micarta: is made from linen or paper fabric soaked in resin. It's very difficult to make and thus very expensive, but it's also extremely beautiful and completely smooth. Micarta knife handles are often given a matte or glossy finish. They're also prone to scratching.

Stag: an adult male deer, and this word is also used for deer antlers. Stag is commonly used as a knife handle material for hunting knives and pocket knives. It is usually flame-treated to make it non-porous and give it a decorative burnt look.

Titanium: though not a traditional knife handle material, titanium is valued by some for its light weight and corrosion resistance. Titanium knife handles are very strong, and are often colorized through an electrochemical process known as anodization.

Wood: the premier knife handle material for classic and collectable knives, particularly when the wood used is rare and exotic. Wooden knife handles are often cherished for their craftsmanship and beauty. In cases where wooden knife handles are more functional than decorative, they are waterproofed through a process of sanding and sealing.

Zytel: a proprietary knife handle material developed by DuPont, Zytel is an unbreakable thermoplastic material used in molded knife handles. Unlike some synthetics, Zytel is inexpensive and thus frequently used in utility knives.