Is my carbon steel pan damaged?

Scratches or Cosmetic Marks

No, these are normal. The blue color is produced by a vegetable oil that is baked onto the metal during the manufacturing process, known as "annealing". This protects the pan from oxidation and helps to start the seasoning process. This dark blue vegetable oil can often show marks from the manufacturing and shipping process. These are purely cosmetic and will actually help with the seasoning process by allowing fats and oils to set in.

Carbon steel will take on a multitude of colors and appearances as you continue to use and season your pan. This is completely normal and over time, the color and appearance will even out as a dark, slick patina. You can read more about what to expect from your carbon steel here.

Stretch Marks or Scuffs

Our blue carbon steel does not have a coating. The raw material metal is coated in a vegetable oil that is baked on at a high temperature to anneal the metal. This causes the oil to carbonize and take on a blue color. The benefits of annealing are to make the metal more durable and to protect the metal from oxidation. This baked on oil will show stretching and some small scratches from the manufacturing process when the shape of the pan is punched into the sheet of metal. These marks are normal and will fill in as you season your pan. You can read more about what to expect from your carbon steel here.

Exposing Bare Metal / Silver Color

After cooking acidic food or after an in-depth cleaning, you will notice that you expose the metallic, bare metal underneath the anneal vegetable oil. Again, this is normal and is a great place to start re-seasoning your carbon steel pan. If you were to use an abrasive cleaner such as a scouring pad, you would be able to totally remove the blue color from your pan. If you do expose the silver carbon steel, be sure to season your pan and dry before storing the pan again. You can read more about what to expect from your carbon steel here.

Example of normal markings on a carbon steel pan: