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A knife with a blade made from zirconium oxide, also referred to as ceramic zirconia, a very durable and hard substance that is only slightly softer than the hardness of diamonds. With a blade harder than steel, knives made from industrial ceramic do not easily dull and will maintain an exceptionally sharp edge before being required to be sharpened. Industrial ceramic, which is made by heating the base materials to exceptionally high temperatures, results in a substance that has a high degree of purity, removing most of the impurities that make ceramic materials brittle.

Ceramic knives are excellent for slicing through a variety of foods, making thin slices an easy task. However, use on harder materials, such as bones and hard textured foods may result in chipped or broken blades, due to the hard and rigid blade materials that are not as flexible as more common metals. Also, if the blade hits or is dropped accidently on a hard tile floor, it may chip part but will not shatter it. Factory repair of the blade is an option if the blade becomes damaged. Ceramic knives will not need to be sharpened as often as metal knives, but they will require a qualified person to do the sharpening who understands working with ceramic materials.