What Knives Are Illegal in Canada?

01 Automatic, gravity, and centrifugal knives

Automatic knives — switchblades, out-the-front automatics, any blade that springs open when you press a button or device in or attached to the handle — match the s. 84(1) wording directly. Gravity knives, which drop open when released, match it too. Knives that open by centrifugal force, classically a butterfly (balisong) or any folder that flies open and locks with a brisk flick of the wrist, are the third limb.

CBSA Customs Notice 18-01, following the Tribunal in T. LaPlante, applies that centrifugal limb at the border even where some preliminary or simultaneous handling of a flipper or other non-edged part is needed, so long as a simple brisk outward wrist flick fully ejects and locks the blade. That is a classification test for importation. It is why "it is a flipper, so it must be fine" is not a sentence that survives contact with an officer at the airport.

02 What is generally not a prohibited weapon

A kitchen knife, a bread knife, a steak knife, a manually opened folding knife, a fixed blade in a sheath, a hatchet, a multi-tool — none of these is a prohibited weapon merely by type. They can still be carried unlawfully if the purpose is a weapon, if they are concealed as a weapon, or if a local rule forbids them in a particular place. Type and purpose are different questions.

Thumb-stud and thumb-hole folders that require a deliberate push to open, and that do not fly open and lock from a wrist flick, are the ordinary EDC pattern this shop stocks. We do not sell automatics. We do not sell gravity knives. We do not sell knives as weapons.

03 Grey listings and imported advice

Assisted-opening folders, spring-loaded flippers, and anything marketed as "one-handed flick" sit where mechanism descriptions on a product page and the s. 84(1) / Notice 18-01 tests can disagree. We do not certify a third-party listing. We do not tell you a knife will "get through" CBSA. If you import for yourself, you are the importer, and the classification is theirs.

US blogs will mention three-inch limits, "assisted is legal if there is a switch," and self-defence holsters. Those sentences describe another country. Read the Code and the notice instead, or pay someone licensed to read them for you.

Sources & Further Reading

• ◆ Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c. C-46, s. 84(1) — prohibited weapon (Justice Canada)
• ◆ CBSA Customs Notice 18-01 — centrifugal opening knives
• ◆ Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons as Prohibited or Restricted, SOR/98-462
• ◆ CBSA Memorandum D19-13-2 — Importing and Exporting Firearms, Weapons and Devices

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions from the Counter

Are butterfly knives illegal in Canada?

Butterfly (balisong) knives typically open by centrifugal force and are treated as prohibited weapons under the s. 84(1) centrifugal limb. Do not import one as a souvenir. This is a description of the published test, not a ruling on a specific knife.

Are switchblades illegal in Canada?

Yes. A knife that opens automatically by hand pressure on a button, spring, or other device in or attached to the handle is a prohibited weapon under s. 84(1).

Are kitchen knives or chef knives illegal in Canada?

No. A chef's knife, santoku, or kitchen set is not a prohibited weapon by type. Using or carrying any knife as a weapon is a separate, serious offence regardless of the blade's job at the board.

Can I import a pocket knife into Canada?

You can import a knife that is not a prohibited weapon. CBSA applies the centrifugal test in Customs Notice 18-01 at the border. If the blade flicks fully open and locks with a brisk wrist motion, expect it to be classified as a prohibited weapon and refused. Buying from a Canadian retailer who already holds the catalog avoids making you the importer.

From the Page to the Palm

Reading about steel is one thing. Holding it is the other.

Every claim in this guide is backed by a piece on the shelf — folding knives steel, named and priced plainly in CAD.

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