# Gyuto blade length questions



## Heli (Oct 31, 2020)

Hi,

This is my first post. I’m so glad I found this site, so much knowledge!

I’d like to make a Gyuto, but I need to be educated first, please. Hopefully my questions will help others like me as well.

I had some attempts like below, but after reading just a few posts here, I realize how little I know, humbling.






I’m thinking to keep the questions separated as practical as possible, instead of trying to put everything in one post.


So here we go.

a. Are there traditional standards, when it comes to blade length? I see lengths like 150mm, 180mm, 195mm, 210mm, 240mm, 270mm, 300mm.

b. Does this mean one should ensure these standards are followed, or sizes in between are acceptable.

c. What are the most popular lengths that people prefer?


Thanks in advance.


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## VICTOR J CREAZZI (Oct 31, 2020)

I'm relatively new to kitchen knives, but my take as a person who makes knives and razors is that a user would only care that the knife length fits their purpose and the actual measured dimension is irrelevant. 

On the makers side, I would expect that most shoot for a specific dimension both from workmanship perspective, and marketing ease reasons.


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## btbyrd (Oct 31, 2020)

Western chef knives are measured in inches, whereas gyutos are typically measured in millimeters. Japanese gyuto measurements typically come in 30mm increments starting at 180mm. Regions/makers can differ in what this measurement actually measures. For most, it's a measurement of edge length, but some measure how long the blade is from the ferrule/bolster. There are no hard rules about size. In-between sizes are perfectly acceptable. As for the most popular length, it depends on your audience. Most western professional cooks seem to regard 240mm as being in the sweet spot where there's enough length to process large items and do bulk prep but still short enough not to be unwieldy. 210s are often recommended for more casual home users or for those working in kitchens where space limited. Individual preferences vary.


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## LostHighway (Oct 31, 2020)

I believe that 240mm (heel to tip) remains the most popular gyuto size here at KKF but there was a poll not too long ago and 225mm came up as almost equally popular IIRC. Sanjo Sakai makers often measure ferrule to tip so their 240s often actually measure 225 - 230 heel to tip and their 210s more like 202 - 207mm.
Personally, I tend to prefer either the ~180mm size or ~225mm, 240s feel a bit too large to me for everyday home use.


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## parbaked (Oct 31, 2020)

LostHighway said:


> Sanjo maker often measure ferrule to tip so their 240s often actually measure 225 - 230 heel to tip and their 210s more like 202 - 207mm.


Nope, it's Sakai knives that are measured from ferrule and are therefore "short" for their size.
Sanjo knives are measured from the edge or heel and are often a little longer than advertised...


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## LostHighway (Oct 31, 2020)

parbaked said:


> Nope, iIt's Sakai knives that are measured from ferrule and are therefore "short" for their size.
> Sanjo knives are measured from the edge or heel and are often a little longer than advertised...


Thanks for the correction, still working on my first cup of tea.


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## Heli (Oct 31, 2020)

Guys, Awsome! 
Thanks a lot for the prompt replies, really appreciated.


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## M1k3 (Oct 31, 2020)

Generally speaking, a lot of home cooks use 180-210-225MMish length, pro cooks 225-240MM+. Some use cases overlap though and everyone doesn't have the same needs.


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## Nemo (Oct 31, 2020)

Home cook here.

I like 270 but canmhappily use 240.

210 is a bit short for me.


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## Kippington (Oct 31, 2020)

Heli said:


> a. Are there traditional standards, when it comes to blade length? I see lengths like 150mm, 180mm, 195mm, 210mm, 240mm, 270mm, 300mm.
> 
> b. Does this mean one should ensure these standards are followed, or sizes in between are acceptable.
> 
> c. What are the most popular lengths that people prefer?



a. We mostly lump knives into those lengths because things in those groups tend to feel like they're the same length. You can call a 234.56 mm gyuto a 240 mm, no problem.

b. Sizes between are more than acceptable, They are the norm.

c. Here's that poll someone mentioned above:





The 'Best' Gyuto Edge Length—225mm of course!


[Pardon the rather provocative thread title. Inspired to post this after much frustration from a bunch of recent threads, soliciting an abundance of questions, without offering a single opinion of his own. So, thought I’d do a rather opinionated post.] What’s your fave length? Curious on what...




www.kitchenknifeforums.com


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