What Are The Best Industrial-Grade Abrasives For Sanding Wood?

The principle behind the sanding of wood may seem straightforward enough – the objective being to achieve a smoother surface on the wood through the “machining” of the material with a multitude of very sharp edges.

Beyond this, however, there are many decisions that must be made to make the optimal results possible, including in relation to the exact industrial-grade abrasives that one uses.

The basics of selecting appropriate abrasive

Although there are probably hundreds of different types of abrasive, the process of selecting the most appropriate product for a given project is not quite as complicated as this may indicate.

Ultimately, there are just a few broad factors that you will generally need to account for when picking from the various abrasives on the market. These are:

• The specific grit material – the three primary types to be aware of being aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, and ceramic
• The grit size
• The backing material and bonding agent
• Whether it is open-coat or closed-coat

Choosing the most suitable abrasive material

As aforementioned, there are three primary materials that are generally used as abrasives. These vary in the following ways:

• Aluminium oxide, a granular material with particularly sharp edges. It is a highly effective choice of sandpaper for the rapid removal of wood, and is also noted for its longevity
• Silicon carbide, which is a very hard material that will wear out rapidly when used on wood, especially as wood fibres are too soft to enable the mineral to fracture and develop new cutting edges. It is, however, frequently used within woodworking for the sanding (smoothing) of finishes between coats
• Ceramic, which is an extremely hard, durable, and expensive abrasive that can be used for the swift removal of wood, such as with abrasive planers and belt sanders

Deciding on the right grit

The grit size that you choose for a particular job will depend on exactly what you are attempting to achieve with the wood. The size of the abrasive particles will determine how quickly material is removed, as well as how smooth the resultant surface is.

Lower grit numbers – in other words, below 80 – are coarser, and are ideal for achieving high wood removal. You might use a abrasive with a grit grade of 60, for instance, for the first stage of sanding, when the heaviest sanding or stripping is required, or when you wish to rough up the wood surface.

As one moves up through the grit grades, a number of between 80 and 120 can be considered medium; these grit numbers are suitable for when you wish to smooth the surface of the wood and eliminate small marks and imperfections.

That leaves the higher grades, with those between 120 and 150 being considered ‘fine’, those between 220 and 240 ‘very fine’, and those between 280 and 320 ‘extra fine’. If your chosen sandpaper has a grit grade of 360 up to as high as 4000, this would make it ‘super fine’; you might choose this grade for the removal of surface scratches or blemishes on the final coat of finish.

The importance of buying quality abrasives

As a general rule, the more expensive the sandpaper that you purchase is, the better the quality it will likely offer, and the longer it will last compared to cheaper alternatives.

Here at Adkwik, we are pleased to make available a complete range of abrasive sanding products, suitable for even the most demanding industrial applications – including the best in durable sanding belts, abrasive sheets, abrasive rolls, and much more. We can even offer sanding belts that are custom-made with a broad range of finishing and sanding applications in mind.

Would you like to have an in-depth discussion with us about how we could serve your most specific requirements in relation to sanding wood?

If so, please do not hesitate to call us today on 01223 412373.