What is 1060 carbon steel and why is it used in broadswords?
Updated Feb 2026
1060 carbon steel is a high-carbon steel grade with approximately 0.60% carbon content - a composition that places it in the high-carbon range appropriate to serious sword collecting while offering a balance of hardness and toughness well suited to the wide-blade profiles of the broadsword format. The 0.60% carbon content gives 1060 steel the ability to achieve significant hardness through proper heat treatment while maintaining enough toughness to resist brittle failure in the wide blade cross-sections typical of broadsword designs. Broadsword blades have more material volume per unit length than narrower sword profiles, and the toughness characteristics of 1060 steel make it well suited to this increased cross-section. Full-tang construction in 1060 steel gives the broadsword handle assembly the structural integrity appropriate to the sword's visual mass and collecting quality. For comparison, 1060 carbon steel is a slightly lower carbon grade than T10 steel but significantly higher in carbon content than stainless or mild steel alternatives, confirming it as a genuine high-carbon collectible material.