A case-hardening method of processing martensitic stainless steel to provide a steel article with a carburized case which includes at least 8 wt.% chromium in solid solution, the method comprising: carburizing a martensitic stainless steel work piece to produce the carburized case by utilizing in combination, (i) a prescribed composition range of the martensitic stainless steel work piece 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, (ii) a preselected carbon concentration in the carburized case of less than or equal to 1.75 wt.%, and (iii) a preselected grain size of the martensitic stainless steel work piece of ASTM grain size #5 or smaller, such that the carburized case forms carbides of compositions selected from a group consisting of M 6 C, M 2 C, M 23 C 6 and combinations thereof, wherein M is a metal or metals and C is carbon; heating the martensitic stainless steel work piece to between 1850°F and 1975°F (1010°C and 1080°C) to solution the metal carbides; and immediately quenching the martensitic stainless steel work piece at a cooling rate of 80°F/second or faster (45°C/second or faster) to avoid precipitation of any carbides during cool down to the martensite start temperature. carburizing a martensitic stainless steel work piece to produce the carburized case by utilizing in combination, (i) a prescribed composition range of the martensitic stainless steel work piece 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, (ii) a preselected carbon concentration in the carburized case of less than or equal to 1.75 wt.%, and (iii) a preselected grain size of the martensitic stainless steel work piece of ASTM grain size #5 or smaller, (i) a prescribed composition range of the martensitic stainless steel work piece 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, (ii) a preselected carbon concentration in the carburized case of less than or equal to 1.75 wt.%, and (iii) a preselected grain size of the martensitic stainless steel work piece of ASTM grain size #5 or smaller, such that the carburized case forms carbides of compositions selected from a group consisting of M 6 C, M 2 C, M 23 C 6 and combinations thereof, wherein M is a metal or metals and C is carbon; heating the martensitic stainless steel work piece to between 1850°F and 1975°F (1010°C and 1080°C) to solution the metal carbides; and immediately quenching the martensitic stainless steel work piece at a cooling rate of 80°F/second or faster (45°C/second or faster) to avoid precipitation of any carbides during cool down to the martensite start temperature.