If you need to polish metal, it is best to use a much finer sandpaper grit. It is recommended to use a 320 or higher grit count to sand metal. Also, the finer sandpaper will wear out faster, leading to a waste of material. In fact, 220 grit count is the most course grit you should ever use for these purposes. While it is possible to remove the scratches left by a lower grit sandpaper with a much higher grit, it will require more effort than using a mid-grit sandpaper first. Each increase in grit removes scratches from the previous, creating an increasingly smooth surface.Įven though it is tempting to “skip” a grit to save time and sandpaper, it’s not a good idea. Generally, it is prudent to use several grit sizes during sanding projects, starting with lower-number grits and moving up the scale to higher grits. Grits in the range of 180 to 320 are mainly for finishing purposes, removing raised wood grains and scuffing between finishing coats. For sanding bare wood, 180-grit will generally result in a surface that looks and feels perfectly smooth and is ready for a finishing touch. They can also be used for both hand and power sanding. It is intended for smoothingwork pieces, removing scratches, and for final preparations for finishing. Grits between 100 to 180 are generally used for preparing bare surfaces for finishes. These grits are well-suited for working with power sanders. The water acts as a lubricant and anti binder agent. Wet the paper and keep the surface or paper wet with a bit of water. Grits between 36 to 100 are good for removing materials (paint, varnish, rust, flaws on wood, and shaping wood). Answer (1 of 4): Black emery wet/dry sand paper in 240, 360, 400 and finally 600 grit.

Let’s break down the range of grits and what types of projects best suit them: When the grit number increases, the abrasive particles become smaller and remove less material, leading to a more polished appearance. The counter-intuitive, grit number indicates the size of the abrasive particles: the particles increase in size as the grit number decreases these larger particles remove more material but unfortunately create deep, noticeable scratches. Majority of the market has adopted the FEPA designation (PAC COM also). FEPA grit designation is preceded with the capital-letter “P”, and the abrasive particle sizes are indicated as slightly bigger in grit size than the same CAMI designation. To begin, there are 2 common standards in sandpaper grit indications: Coated Abrasive Manufacturers Institute (CAMI) and Federation of European Producers of Abrasives (FEPA). Hopefully, the following article with the included graphic will help illuminate the subject. The effort required to polish the finish of referenced products is equivalent to a finish left behind by the above grit numbers.Grits of a sandpaper can be a confusing topic. It is important to choosing the right sandpaper grit for each. (Because “depth of sanding scratches” differ from product to product, the above guide is not necessarily equivalent to speed of material removal in volume. What sandpaper grit should I use is one of the most popular questions on every auto forum. Time required to completely cover and sand within a given area is equivalent to the speed of above grit number in traditional abrasive paper.

Sandpaper grit chart