Which sandpaper grade

NO worries Click to learn about our PRO Membership. This site requires JavaScript to function properly. Please enable JavaScript in your web browser. Sandpaper Grades and Their Uses. Fine sanding with SurfPrep tools. Compare products. Clear list. WE preferred work very well, have decent finishing and recommend. No major problems. Read more product reviews.

The density of the grit is important, too. You need to choose the grit size of sandpaper depending on the particular job you are trying to accomplish. For heavy sanding and stripping, you need coarse sandpaper measuring to grit; for smoothing surfaces and removing small imperfections, choose to grit sandpaper.

For finishing surfaces smoothly, use a super fine sandpaper with to grit. Each time you advance to a higher grit sandpaper, you remove the scratches from the previous layer. There are four main types of sandpaper grits: aluminum oxide, garnet, silicon carbide and ceramic.

Aluminum oxide lasts longer than the other kinds of grits since it contains a self-renewing property; because it's the most delicate, it crumbles easily, forming new soft edges.

Garnet wears out the fastest but produces the smoothest surface. Silicon carbide is ideal for sanding harder materials such as metals and plastic.

Finally, ceramic, the most expensive and roughest grit, is used for shaping wood. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Sandpaper is sized in grits, the most common grits ranging from 40 — grit. The lower numbers paradoxically signify the larger, coarser grits, and the larger numbers indicate a finer, less abrasive sandpaper.

Sandpaper is measured by the number of holes per square inch. For example, a piece of grit sandpaper uses abrasive particles that were sieved through a screen with holes per square inch. To easily identify the grit of the sandpaper, the number is almost always clearly printed on the back of each piece. When evaluating the task at hand. An old wooden table, covered in dents, divets and debris, would likely need a grit sandpaper to get through the rough surface.

If the surface is a large area of wood, metal or other materials, a lower grit will allow you complete the job with a much greater level of ease. Due to the high coarseness, it will cut through the fibers on the material with less resistance. For smaller, more delicate applications, a larger grit size will be necessary. A finer paper will naturally only remove a tiny amount of material, smoothing the surface down without removing a finish or sanding away fine details.