Scimitar Knife: What It Is and What Butchers Use It For

The Cooking Guild - Sep 16, 2026

A scimitar knife, also spelled cimeter, is a long butcher blade with a deep upward curve and a raised tip. It is used to break down primal cuts, trim fat caps and silverskin, and portion roasts and briskets in single sweeping strokes rather than sawing.

It is the blade you see hanging behind a butcher counter and almost never in a home knife block, which is a shame, because anyone who buys meat in large pieces is doing with three knives what a scimitar does with one. Here is what it is, what it does better than a chef knife, and how to pick one that fits your board.

What is a scimitar knife?

A scimitar is a long, stiff blade with a pronounced curve along the edge that rises to a point well above the line of the spine. Blade lengths run from about 8 to 14 inches, with 10 inches being the common working size.

The shape is not decoration. The curve means the edge meets the meat at a shallow angle for most of the stroke, so the blade slices rather than wedges. The upswept tip keeps your knuckles clear of the carcass and gives you a fine point for starting a cut or following a seam between muscles. The length lets you finish a long cut in one pull, which matters more than it sounds: every time you stop and re-enter, you leave a ridge on the face of the meat.

The name comes from the curved Middle Eastern sword, which is also where the second spelling comes from.

Silver Dynasty 10-inch scimitar knife with a mirror-polished 67-layer Damascus blade and olive burl handle

Cimeter or scimitar — is there a difference?

No. They are the same knife. "Scimitar" is the sword spelling and the one most cooks search for; "cimeter" is the spelling that stuck in the butchery trade, and you will see both on supplier catalogues, sometimes on the same page. Some shops also call the shape a breaking knife, though a true breaking knife is usually a little shorter and less curved.

What a scimitar knife is used for

Breaking down primals

A packer brisket, a whole pork shoulder, a beef subprimal, a side of lamb. The length and the curve let you separate muscle groups along their seams with long controlled strokes instead of the short hacking motion a chef knife forces on you.

Trimming fat caps and silverskin

This is where the shape earns its keep. Lay the curve flat against the fat cap and the blade rides the contour of the meat, taking fat off in sheets rather than gouging into the muscle. Silverskin comes off the same way, tip first, with the edge angled slightly up.

Portioning steaks, roasts and ribs

Once a primal is broken down, the same knife portions it. A 10-inch blade crosses most roasts in one pass, which gives you flat, even faces and consistent thickness across a tray.

Slicing cooked meat

A scimitar will carve a brisket or a prime rib perfectly well, though a straight slicer gives you a slightly flatter face on cooked meat. If you mostly slice rather than break down, read our guide to the best brisket knife before you decide which shape to buy first.

Poultry and fish

Whole birds portion cleanly with the tip, and the long edge takes large fish into steaks without the sawing that tears the flakes apart.

Scimitar vs butcher knife vs breaking knife vs slicer

These four get used interchangeably and they are not the same tool.

Scimitar / cimeter. Longest and most curved, upswept tip. Breaking, trimming, portioning. The specialist.
Butcher knife. Shorter, around 8 to 10 inches, with a gentler curve and a stiffer feel. More general purpose, easier on a crowded board.
Breaking knife. Between the two — curved, stiff, usually 8 to 10 inches, aimed squarely at seam work.
Slicer. Long and straight or nearly straight, often with a rounded tip. Built for cooked meat, not for breaking anything down.

If you only buy one, buy the one that matches the job you do most. Our butcher knife guide compares the shapes in more detail, and the butcher knife set guide covers what a full kit looks like.

How to choose a scimitar knife

Length. Ten inches is the safe default for a home kitchen. Twelve and up is a commercial length that needs a board to match. Under nine inches and you lose the single-stroke advantage that makes the shape worth owning.
Stiffness. A scimitar should not flex. Flex is for fillet knives; here it costs you control on a fat cap.
Curve depth. A deeper curve trims better and portions worse; a shallower curve is the reverse. Most cooks want something in between.
Steel and hardness. You want an edge that survives a long trimming session without a touch-up. A hardness around 60 HRC is the range where that holds without becoming chippy. Our guide to the Rockwell scale explains what the number is doing.
Tang and handle. Full tang, pinned through. A scimitar takes lateral load when you lever a seam open, and a partial tang is exactly where that load finds a weakness — see full tang vs partial tang.
Grip security. Your hands will be greasy. A shaped handle that locates the same way every time matters more than how it looks.

The scimitars in our range

Both of our scimitars are 10 inches, full tang, and built on the same blade: 67 layers of Damascus steel around a cobalt-enriched 10Cr15CoMoV core hardened to 60±2 HRC.

Damascus Dynasty 10" Scimitar — black forged finish, full tang black walnut handle. The finish releases each slice instead of dragging it, which is what you want when a fat cap is trying to stick to the blade.
Silver Dynasty 10" Scimitar — the same blade with a mirror-polished Damascus face and a full tang olive wood burl handle, every grain pattern different.

If a scimitar is more knife than you need, the Damascus Dynasty 9.5" Butcher Knife and the Silver Dynasty 9.5" Butcher Knife carry the same steel in a shorter, more general shape. For cooked meat, the Dynasty Series 12" Slicer or the Torii 10" Sakimaru are the straight-bladed answers. The whole shelf sits in Butcher & Slicing Knives.

Damascus Dynasty 9.5-inch butcher knife, a shorter alternative to a scimitar knife, in 67-layer black forged Damascus

Using a scimitar without hurting yourself or the knife

Pull, do not push. Start the cut near the heel and draw the blade toward you through the stroke. The curve does the work.
Keep the tip up on trimming passes. A few degrees of angle is the difference between taking fat off and taking meat with it.
Never use it on bone. A scimitar is a slicing geometry. Bone is a cleaver job, and hitting it with a thin curved edge will chip the blade.
Do not lever or twist. Open a seam with your free hand, not with the blade.
Use a big wooden board. A 10-inch blade on a small board is how accidents happen. End grain or edge grain, never glass or stone.

Keeping the edge

Wipe the blade between cuts — fat and blood left sitting will pull at the edge and dull the finish. Hand wash and dry immediately; a dishwasher will ruin a wooden handle. Hone lightly and often rather than grinding rarely, and store it so nothing knocks against the edge. Every blade leaves us hand sharpened and oiled, and on a proper board that edge will run through several long trimming sessions before it wants attention.

Questions people ask

What is a scimitar knife used for?
Breaking down large cuts of meat, trimming fat caps and silverskin, portioning roasts and steaks, and slicing cooked meat. Its long curved edge cuts in single strokes instead of sawing.

Is a scimitar knife worth it for a home cook?
If you buy whole briskets, pork shoulders or sides of meat, yes — it replaces a chef knife, a boning knife and a slicer for that job. If you buy pre-portioned cuts, a butcher knife or a slicer is the better first purchase.

Can a scimitar knife cut through bone?
No. The curved slicing geometry will chip. Use a thick-spined cleaver for bone and keep the scimitar to muscle, fat and connective tissue.

What size scimitar should I buy?
Ten inches for home use. Twelve inches and above is a commercial working length and needs a board big enough to swing it safely.

Shop the range: Butcher & Slicing Knives and Damascus Knives — every blade hand sharpened and oiled before it ships, backed by a 99-day home trial and a free lifetime guarantee. Use it on your own board for three months; if it is not the sharpest blade you have ever used, your money back.

Keep reading: Butcher Knife Guide · Best Brisket Knife · Butcher Knife Set Guide