All Council axe heads are drop forged from high quality tool steel. They are hand sharpened with a tapered bit for cutting and splitting. The heat treat process of the cutting edge produces fine grain structure and RC 45-55 (Rockwell hardness values) for safety, edge holding and toughness. The head of the axe is either painted or lacquered to deter rust. Our Hickory handles are dried to below 10% moisture content to minimize shrinkage and help prevent loosening. The construction of the fiberglass handle is a pultruded structural fiberglass core with an injection molded jacket acting as an exterior body. The jacket is tough, durable engineered polymer. Extremely strong, non-conductive and non-corrosive.