Simmons’ Food Processing Blades: An Overview

The food processing industry is one of the largest in the world. It can be broken into hundreds of sub-industries, some of which are massive in their own right. Simmons’ decades of experience in the industry have provided us with the knowledge to determine which food processing blades work best for each application, and now we’d like to pay it forward by sharing that knowledge with you.  

Bandsaw Blades for Meat Cutting

These blades feature a heat-treated tooth profile for further extended blade life, along with precise set tolerances that provide even cuts through all types of meat while maximizing yield.

Butcher Blades

Considered Simmons’ most versatile, all-purpose blade, the SimCut Butcher blade is ideal for cutting fresh or frozen meats like beef and pork. All SimCut Butcher blades are produced from a specialized steel and feature a heat-treated tooth profile. These features, coupled with precise hardening and a strict length tolerance, provide the blade strength and durability needed to withstand high-volume, heavy-duty meat processing operations.

SimCut^® Butcher blades are compatible with Biro, Butcher Boy, Grasselli, and Hobart machines (among others). They’re also available in both carbon and stainless steel.

When cutting frozen or bone-in beef or pork, we recommend a 3 TPI butcher blade. For fresh or chilled meat applications, a 4 TPI butcher blade will provide smoother cuts and an improved surface finish.

Despite being one of our more aggressive saw blades, SimCut Butcher blades shouldn’t be used for carcass splitting operations. Instead, we recommend using something similar to our DuraSplit Carcass blades.

DuraSplit Carcass Blades

Not only is this increased durability essential when it comes to intense, high-volume carcass-splitting operations, but it also helps maintain an aggressive cutting tooth profile for a longer period. All of this helps to reduce machine downtime and maximize your productivity.

DuraSplit Carcass blades are only available in 3/4″ x .022 with 3 TPI. They’re also compatible with Jarvis machines and carcass splitting equipment from similar OEMs.

Bandsaw Blades for Boneless Meats

Eliminating product waste while still delivering maximum yield, these blades are ideal for slicing through boneless meats, poultry, and fresh fish/seafood.

B-3 Blades

Simmons initially introduced the B-3 blade as an alternative to the SimCut Butcher blade.

The B-3 blade’s convex profile and hardened cutting edge easily slice through boneless meat and poultry without creating excess waste. Users typically report excellent product penetration and an increase in material yield.

Simmons’ B-3 blades are available in both carbon and stainless steel, and they’re compatible with Grote and Marel slicers (among others).

Scallop Blades

Originally sold as bread slicing cutlery, the Scallop blade is the first blade that Simmons ever produced in 1946. Today, Scallop blades are one of the most versatile edge types on the market. They still have their place in bread slicing applications (which you can learn more about here), but they’ve also proven incredibly effective at slicing boneless meat like chicken, beef, filets, or deli meats (ex: salami, pepperoni, etc.) and cheese.  

Simmons’ Scallop blades are available in both carbon and stainless steel and are compatible with Grasselli, Grote, and Marel slicers (among others).

In addition to the industrial baking and meat processing operations, Simmons has also seen success with customers using Scallop blades in both large and small-scale lettuce, spinach, and spring mix harvesting operations. Click here to learn more about Simmons’ produce slicing/dicing and harvesting capabilities.

Meat Slicing and Processing Blades

Whether you’re processing fresh meats, deli meats, or cheese, our blades are manufactured to deliver clean cuts, extended blade life, and reliable compatibility with leading OEM equipment.

Skinner/Derinder Blades

Manufactured using stainless steel with a razor-sharp cutting edge, these blades are ideal for skinning beef, fish, pork, and poultry. They’re individually packaged to prevent edge damage in transit/storage, and they’re compatible with all common OEMs.

Skinner/Derinder blades are typically available in various lengths of either 20mm x 1mm or 22mm x .7mm.

Depending on your needs, skinner/derinder blades can be manufactured with left chamfer, right chamfer, or square/no chamfer.

Band Blades for OEM Food Slicers

Are you cutting deli meats or cheese with a Grote slicer? Simmons offers replacement blades with various edge types for food slicers from OEMs like Alimec, Grote, and many others. All Simmons’ food slicing band blades feature a heat-treated, multi-bevel cutting edge to ensure consistent, clean slices through processed meats, such as bacon and pepperoni.

The standard size for Simmons’ band blades for OEM food slicers is 1/2″ x .020, and standard edge types include:

• Knife Edge
• V-Tooth
• Scallop

Reciprocating Blades for OEM Food Slicers

Simmons has spent years experimenting with and perfecting our reciprocating Butcher, Narrow Knife, Scallop, and Mini B-3 blades for applications ranging from bone-in meat cutting to large-scale bread slicing operations. Of course, when it comes to reciprocating blades, not every machine is built the same. That’s why Simmons offers custom hole and rivet configurations, ensuring that our blades can run on a wide variety of machinery.

Simmons’ replacement blades for reciprocating machines are available in both carbon and stainless steel, and they are compatible with Grasselli and Oliver & Berkel slicers (among others).

Circular & Specialty Knives for Food Processing

Simmons’ circular and specialty knives are engineered to deliver precise, repeatable cuts across every segment of protein processing—from slaughtering and evisceration to deboning, further processing, and end-of-line packaging.

Circular Knives for Beef, Pork, Poultry, & Seafood

Manufactured from the highest quality stainless steels, our light- and heavy-duty circular slicers are designed for optimum wear resistance, chip resistance, and long-lasting sharpness. That durability translates to reduced downtime, consistent yields, and cleaner cuts across beef, pork, poultry, and seafood applications.

Customers can choose from a wide range of edge styles, including:

• Knife
• Beveled
• Notched
• Scalloped
• Custom edge configurations tailored to specific OEM equipment

All circular knives can be enhanced with wear coatings, corrosion-resistant surface treatments, or non-stick coatings to support even the most demanding environments. Additionally, each knife is professionally wrapped for safe handling, organized storage, and corrosion prevention.

Specialty Knives for Beef, Pork, Poultry, & Seafood

Circular knives are suitable for use in a wide range of meat processing applications, but there are many applications which call for more specialized knives. Simmons manufactures an extensive range of specialty knives engineered for the unique challenges of beef, pork, poultry, and seafood processing. Our line of specialty knives includes:

• Cutoff Knives
• Crab Leg Cutters
• Bowl Cutters and Chopper Blades
• Deboner Knives
• Filet Knives
• Leg Cutters
• Macerators
• Portioner Knives
• Scraper Blades
• Shrimp Cutters
• Slicing & Dicing
• Size Reduction Knives
• Ultrasonic Cutters
• Vent Cutters
• Wing Cutters

Each specialty knife is manufactured using premium stainless steels—including 300-series, 400-series, and 17-4 PH where corrosion resistance is critical—and can be further enhanced through passivation, electropolishing, or wear-resistant coatings.

Across all protein categories, Simmons can manufacture knives based on OEM model numbers, blueprints, or customer samples. Every knife is professionally wrapped for safe handling and corrosion protection.

Continuously Improving Food Processing Solutions

Simmons’ investment in the food processing industry has proved to be worthwhile more than once, which is why we’ve continued to work hard to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers in the bread, meat, and produce industries.

Throughout the last two decades, we’ve expanded our product offering for those in food processing spaces to range from our typical bandsaw blades to circular and specialty knives and even packaging knives for end-of-line operations. We’ve also increased our customization capabilities, which has allowed us to tailor cutting solutions to our customers’ needs and offer new features like specialized edge types and multiple bevels for material that requires unique cutting or slicing action.

Having trouble finding the right cutting solution for your food processing application? Contact us today so we can point you in the right direction!