Today some laminated knives are being made which are ground from a bar of laminated steel, this makes a blade which shows a laminated pattern but defeats the purpose for which the steel is produced. For example, a piece of Damascus steel with 200 layers per 1/4" thickness is forged to 1/16" taper cutting edge. These layers will be compressed to 200 layers per 1 / 16", which is equivalent to 800 layers per 1/4". This gives a finer laminated structure at the blade edge and the blade edge is also more fracture resistant. The spine of the blade also has greater flexibility.

A properly forged knife blade is forged as close as possible to the finished shape to procure the most durable qualities. Forging produces better steel grain align­ment with the cutting edge. The bladesmith can also hammer harden or pack the blade edge to improve the blade's cutting ability. This final forging is done with light blows of the hammer at low temperatures to create the finest grain structure. After forging, the knife is ground and prepared for heat treating.