An accessible stainless used on budget and coated value shears.
7Cr (you’ll also see it written 7Cr13 or 7Cr17) is a chromium stainless with roughly 0.7% carbon. It’s an accessible grade that shows up on budget shears and, more often, on coated value models where a titanium or black finish does some of the work of protecting and hardening the surface.
7Cr won’t hold an edge like 440C, let alone VG-10. What it offers is good corrosion resistance and a low price, which makes it sensible for a coated finish line, a colour-room backup, or a home-use pair. Treat it as a step below the 440C entry point rather than a rival to it.
Mostly on unbranded home-use pairs and budget marketplace listings rather than on the professional brands we catalogue. Mina, which once used a 7Cr alloy on a couple of coated lines, now runs hot-forged 440C across its whole range — coated models included. If a shear you’re considering is specified as 7Cr, compare it against a true 440C entry pair before you buy; the price gap is usually smaller than the edge-life gap.