W-Nr 1.2340 Knife Steel
Composition Analysis Graph, Equivalents And Overview

1.2340(W-Nr) - Hot working, plastic mold steel. Good shock and acceptable wear resistance in hot environments, which has very little to do with knives. Very low working hardness(for a knife) 46HRC max, although at least one source cites 48-52HRC range. Even 52HRC is butter soft for any half decent knife. Still, some makers do use it in knives. I'm puzzled as to why though.

Manufacturing Technology - Ingot

Country - Germany(DE)

NOTE - Approximate composition based on manufacturer's or standard reference information and other alloys in the same reference group is shown.