P.W., it is 8 1/2" in the blade, which is a full 1/4" thick. It came with fancy filework along the spine, but this is not authentic to an early Sheffield Bowie. So I ground in a long false edge, which is historically correct, to replace it. It borrows design elements from several mid-19th Century Bowies I have seen. I made it so the balance point is about an inch ahead of the guard...makes it light and quick in the hand!