Unless otherwise noted, all gravers come pre-shaped with a ground cutting face. Gravers must be sharpened before use. Sharpening can be done manually with a stone or automated with a motorized hone.

High Speed Steel (HSS) gravers strike a balance between cost and durability. They maintain their hardness (temper) better than standard carbon steel and cost less than carbide.

Knife Gravers have straight sides that taper to a very sharp point. They produce deep, narrow cuts making them great for fine-line engraving and for removing excess metal from around stone settings.