A fairly good grade of Japanese knife steel, AUS-6 has a fairly low carbon content (0.65%)and thus a weak edge retention but high corrosion resistance. Harder steels like AUS-8 and ATS-34 have higher carbon contents and equivalently lower resistance to oxidation.
Like AUS-8 steel, AUS-6 includes vanadium, which increases wear resistance. A number of knives from CRKT and other manufacturers have blades made from it.