Butcher Knives

Butcher knives are used in all areas of meat preparation, from slicing deli meats to deboning large roasts. Professional butcher knives encompass a range of styles, including all-purpose designs and knives tailored to specific meat-cutting tasks. When choosing from our selection of butcher knives for sale, it's important to know your specific needs.

• Boning knives cleanly remove bones from large pieces of meat, preventing food waste and saving money. Blade lengths range from a little more than 3 inches to 6 inches.
• Breaking knives are great cutting long, thin cuts of meat and have curved blades ranging from 8 to 10 inches.
• Cimeter knives are similar to breaking knives but are lighter and longer, with blades ranging from 10 to 14 inches in length. While breaking knives are used in the initial stages of meat preparation, cimeter knives are used to finalize cuts of meats for consumption.
• Skinning knives are used to separate animal skin and hides from the meat and have curved blades ranging from 5 to 6 inches long. Skinning knives are most common in butcher shops or restaurants that prepare their own meat.

Blades can come in a variety of materials, with carbon steel being the most common. Stainless steel and ceramic blades are available as well, though these are softer than carbon steel and won't maintain their edge as long. Handles are available in a wide array of materials as well, from beautiful woods to synthetic plastics to metals like stainless steel. When selecting commercial butcher knives for high-volume locations, it's best to avoid wooden handles, which are harder to maintain and can harbor bacteria far more easily than other materials. Butcher knives should always be cleaned by hand regardless of handle material, as commercial dishwashers can quickly dull the blades.