There are no hard and fast rules about what steels may be used in making pattern welded steel. The intended use of the end product, as well as what aesthetic the artist is going for will help you choose the most appropriate steels for a given project. See the steel selection section for more discussion on this.
As most pattern welding is used in knife making, we will be discussing mostly high carbon steels. However, in the interest of being complete, some lower carbon steel that have been used by many makers over the years will also be included.
This section contains information on some of the steels more commonly used in pattern welding.