In the thesis, the characterization of the material of the hand-forged machete was carried out. The characterization included analysis of the chemical composition, qualitative and quantitative analysis of the microstructure, and measurement of microhardness. The theoretical part of the thesis described the history of forging and some of the most famous weapons made by forging, as well as the distribution of forging procesess. In the experimental part of the thesis, the parameters of the hand-forging process of the machete, which was determined to be made of steel grade 55Cr3, are described in detail. In the cross-section of the machete, the microstructure consists of bainite and martensite. In the area of the blade, a small amount of little carbides was observed at the crystal grain boundaries. The ratio between the volume fraction of martensite and bainite is not the same in all parts of the machete's cross-section. The differences in the microstructure and degree of deformation were reflected in the microhardness values. The highest microhardness values were measured in the machete's blade (460 – 524 HV0.2). Slightly lower microhardness values were measured in the blunt part of the machete and the smallest microhardness values were measured in the middle of the machete.