ZA-18 is a powdered stainless steel developed jointly by Osaka Clad Co., Ltd and Aichi Steel Corp to compete with VG10. It contains higher levels of carbon, chromium, molybdenum, and cobalt than VG10, providing better hardness, edge retention and corrosion resistance. The steel uses a 3-layer (sanmai) clad construction with AUS-2 as the outer steel, offering superior resistance to bending and breaking.