A method of processing steel, the method comprising: providing a martensitic stainless steel work piece with a composition that consists of 8-18 wt.% chromium, up to 16 wt.% cobalt, up to 5 wt.% vanadium, up to 8 wt. % molybdenum, up to 8 wt.% nickel, up to 4 wt.% manganese, up to 2 wt.% silicon, up to 6 wt.% tungsten, up to 2 wt.% titanium, up to 4 wt.% niobium, and a balance of iron and incidental impurities, wherein the composition includes an amount X wt% of chromium and an amount Z wt% of molybdenum, wherein X and Z are variables, in a ratio X/Z that is between 1 and 18 and wherein the composition of the martensitic stainless steel work piece includes A 1 wt.% nickel and A 2 wt. % cobalt wherein A 1 and A 2 are variables such that a ratio A 1 /A 2 is between 0.3 and 6.2; thermo-mechanically processing the martensitic stainless steel work piece to produce and maintaining a grain size of ASTM#5 or smaller prior to carburization; carburizing the martensitic stainless steel work piece to form a carburized case that includes less than or equal to 1.75 wt% carbon and to predominantly form carbides of composition M 6 C, M 2 C, M 23 C 6 or combinations thereof, where M is a metal or metals and C is carbon, wherein the carburization temperature and aim carbon content are chosen via a multi-component phase diagram or isopleth. heating the martensitic stainless steel work piece to a temperature above its austenization temperature to substantially solution the metal carbides; and immediately quenching the martensitic stainless steel work piece at a cooling rate sufficient to avoid substantial precipitation of any carbides such that the carburized case includes at least 8 wt% chromium in solid solution, wherein this quenching rate can be determined experimentally through metallurgical evaluation of the grain structure at different cooling rates. providing a martensitic stainless steel work piece with a composition that consists of 8-18 wt.% chromium, up to 16 wt.% cobalt, up to 5 wt.% vanadium, up to 8 wt. % molybdenum, up to 8 wt.% nickel, up to 4 wt.% manganese, up to 2 wt.% silicon, up to 6 wt.% tungsten, up to 2 wt.% titanium, up to 4 wt.% niobium, and a balance of iron and incidental impurities, wherein the composition includes an amount X wt% of chromium and an amount Z wt% of molybdenum, wherein X and Z are variables, in a ratio X/Z that is between 1 and 18 and wherein the composition of the martensitic stainless steel work piece includes A 1 wt.% nickel and A 2 wt. % cobalt wherein A 1 and A 2 are variables such that a ratio A 1 /A 2 is between 0.3 and 6.2; thermo-mechanically processing the martensitic stainless steel work piece to produce and maintaining a grain size of ASTM#5 or smaller prior to carburization; carburizing the martensitic stainless steel work piece to form a carburized case that includes less than or equal to 1.75 wt% carbon and to predominantly form carbides of composition M 6 C, M 2 C, M 23 C 6 or combinations thereof, where M is a metal or metals and C is carbon, wherein the carburization temperature and aim carbon content are chosen via a multi-component phase diagram or isopleth. heating the martensitic stainless steel work piece to a temperature above its austenization temperature to substantially solution the metal carbides; and immediately quenching the martensitic stainless steel work piece at a cooling rate sufficient to avoid substantial precipitation of any carbides such that the carburized case includes at least 8 wt% chromium in solid solution, wherein this quenching rate can be determined experimentally through metallurgical evaluation of the grain structure at different cooling rates.