Abrasive Media

With all the different media abrasive and grit sizes out there, it can be confusing on which type is needed for the job your doing and which brand could be effective.  It obviously depends on the item being sandblasted and your goal of cleaning the item.

Aluminum oxide media at 180 grit.

Do you want to just clean the surface or do you want to abrade deep into the surface or clean very thick material?  A softer item being blasted will usually just need a soft abrasive media.  These are items such as aluminum or light painted surfaces.  A harder item can be blasted with a harder abrasive and typically larger grit size.  And a harder media will clean the surface quicker.

Grit Size

The abrasive size is categorized into numerical grit sizes. Finer grits have larger numbers, while courser grits have low numbers. So abrasives with 180 grit are finer than those with a 100 grit.

Types

Here is a guide of some of the different types of typically used:

  • Sand
  • Crushed walnut shells
  • Plastic beads
  • Glass bead
  • Corn cob grit
  • Black Magnum
  • Aluminum oxide
  • Garnet
  • Crushed glass
  • Steel grit
  • Silicon Carbide
  • Coal Slag
  • Sodium Bicarbonate (also known as soda blast media)

Check out our Sandblasting Supplies

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Select from ceramic or various carbides. Large C1 sizes & regular C2 sizes


49 thoughts on “Abrasive Media”

  2. Goodday ,My Name is Nwagbo loenard sunday ,i saw your products on blasting abrasive GRIT,i am a deller on samblasting abrasives ,such as coal slag ,garnet and copper slag Grit and i want to konw the price of coal slag grit and the quality of it. THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING. LEO SUNDAY

  3. I WANT TO EXPERIMENT WITH VARIOUS GRITS OF CERAMICS TO FINISH ALUMINUM,WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER IN 5 OR 10 LB AMOUNTS.

  4. hi Neal, I don’t sell abrasive, just information. Sorry, I couldn’t help.

    Thanks for commenting though.

  5. I was wondering what media is good for sandblasting a truck frame, I want to remove rust and some undercoating paint that is on the frame, plus I want to sandblast the truck body, remove old paint & rust, what media is good for both jobs, thanks

  6. Dear Eric,

    I am from Sri Lanka, could you kindly tel me, where(any shop or closes country) i can purchase sand blast media? and what is the best media for sand blasting of plain glass bottles?

    I am a new to this and appreciate your answers.

    Thank you

  7. Question;; I have a dining room table and 8 chairs that I cannot use in my small apartment any longer, but want to turn it into outdoor furniture, thinking white enamel….should I remove the finish before applying the enamel…. what method would I use? my back is too bad to bend over hand sanding, if I need to sand it, can it be sand or soda blasted? if so what do I use and what pressure? basically the look isn’t that important as the preservation of the furniture from the rain and weather…. assuming the enamel would serve to do that…. thanks for your time… Samantha

  8. I would like to polish stones with uneven surfaces such as a slab of grape prehnite. I can’t think of any other way to polish such a surface. Is this possible? What media would I use?
    I have a compressor and a sandblasting cabinet.

  9. I am wanting to pollish some billet aluminum that has been through a fire..It did not melt it.Just got a lot of plastic and things that melted over it.It is a belt drive for a harley.i was wondering what media and what grain woulf be the best for this.if i have to use two types it is ok .I just do not want to over do it.I have a small sandblaster cabinrt i bought at tractor supply.it ws $340.00 for the blaster the largest cabinet they sold.So you know what i am working with.If you could give me an answer it would be highly appreciated.
    Thank you Shelby b Woosley

  10. Shelby, that is a good question and I don’t really have a confident answer to this, but I would think any soft type of abrasive like plastic beads or maybe even soda blasting (sodium bicarbonate).

  11. I bought a central pneumatic Sand Blaster from harbor freight and for some reason the sand is pouring out of the tip but no blast pressure can anyone help? The blaster builds with air pressure but still don’t work

  12. I am using a sandblaster cabinet and gun purchased from Harbor Freight and I am having some issues with my gun (i think?) I am using bead media that is 80 grit to blast pint size glass mason jars. Sometimes the media won’t come out of the gun, just pressurized air. Also, I wanted the jar to have an embossed effect and I feel like the media I am using may be too soft? Maybe you can shed some light on guns and blasting media for small mason jars. Thanks.

    Kelsey

  13. So your ebook says for
    Glass etching & glass carving
    to Use hard abrasives, but you don’t describe grit in relation to this.

    I mostly etch glassware and fused glass pendants. What will give me the nicest finish? And how will grit size effect the result I get on say wine glasses?

    I have the sandblasting cabinet from Harbor Freight and a med size air tank thing.

    Thanks!

  14. @Michelle- I prefer 150 grit for this. Some people prefer 120 and others prefer something like 180-220.

    A larger grit will produce a more noticeable white finish but a small grit will produce a smoother finish. 150 is sort of in between what most people use so it gives the best in both worlds in my opinion.

  15. Eric I m want to know what would be right vinyl and thickness to use on engraving a river rock and is there some kinda glue like stuff to use to keep the vinyl on why sandblasting the river rock

  16. For Glass Etching on small glasses is best to use as fine an abrasive as possible. And Black Silicon Carbide #180 to #220 will give you a very good finish.

  18. I use aluminum oxide for tumbling wood pieces. What is the best way to remove the aluminum oxide from the wood pores once I am finished. Compressed air is not enough.

  20. @Jeff, I am not very familiar with corian, but after reading about it having acrylic in it, I am concerned how effect sandblasting that deep will be. Either way, you might want to test sandblasting a scrap piece with something like garnet or aluminum oxide.

  21. Does the ID (inside dia) of the nozzle has to be changed depending on what grit size you use?

  23. I’m blasting wine bottles and am looking for a very noticeable, almost white appearance. Currently using 220 aluminum oxide and is very light. Any suggestions, a coarser grit?

  26. I work as a manufacturer of Sodium Bicarbonate (Soda Blast Media). I would like to add a few comments here for your other readers.
    1- Soda Blasting is the most effective way to remove rust and old paint from vehicles/sheet metal. Because this is a soft media, it will not affect chrome, most plastic and rubber or glass. This means you can spend more time cleaning the body panels, and less time in preparation work. This also works well for removing flaking rust off brake drums, frames, calipers, etc. where rubber hoses or brass fittings are in use.
    2- Soda Blasting also works extremely well for etching acrylics and plastics. To create a frosted effect, keep the gun moving. To cut deeper for details, you want to use the smallest nozzle you can get, and work from the center lines out.
    3- 2 Mil. Vinyl, such as that used to make letters and graphics for vehicles will not be affected by using Blast Media. If you just want to create smooth straight lines, electrical tape (standard 7 Mil.) is perfect.
    4- Soda Blasting is a great way to remove just the backing paint from mirrors without affecting the silver and gold linings that make it reflective. In essence, this will allow you to put a light behind the mirror, so the design can be seen when the light is on, but not when the light is off.
    5- The website listed above is brand new as of today 3/1/15, and will eventually show some of the work that we will be doing for our customers at my home based tinker shop. We will also be offering custom cut stencils, etc. based on the same 2 Mil. Vinyl. We also hope to play a part in the Soda Blasting Media distribution, since I work for a company that specializes in this product’s manufacturing.

  28. Dear Sir,

    It’s my pleasure to introduce our company for you,we are professional manufacturer of Blasting Media in China.

    Products with high quality and competitive price:

    White Aluminum Oxide,
    Black Silicon Carbide,
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    Best regards

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  29. Eric,
    I was pleased to find your website and to know there is someone with your knowledge. I am a carburetor rebuilder, specifically, Weber carburetors. They have a distinctive look from the factory, and I am trying to duplicate that when I clean them. I want to remove the staining in the castings, but leave them with a medium matt finish. I am not sure if the material is aluminum or zinc, spit will take some experimentation.

    I have tried glass beads, but it leaves the castings way to light, with a “silver” color. I need a softer gray finish. Any advice would be much appreciated.

    Thank you,
    Jim Inglese

  30. @Jim, you might want to look at soda blasting for this. That is what many people use because it is a soft abrasive. If I understand you correctly, you want to roughen it up and remove some of the bright silver color, then you might have to turn up the air pressure. I am not sure if I would recommend using a harder abrasive, but you could try if you masked off all the inside of the carb well- perhaps use a fine grit around 150-180.

  31. I am dealing with 4130 1.5 mm thick steel that has been heat treated. I am trying to remove the blackening from the heat treating but not leave an extremely rough surface. I am more after leaving an almost satin look to the surface that then can easily be parkerized. I currently have what was labeled as black 70 grit aluminum oxide running at roughly 90psi, this seems to be leaving a realitively rough surface. Any suggestions? Should I go with a lighter grit or just try to turn down the pressure, or possibly use a larger nozzle?

    Thank you for your time and for putting in the time to make such an informative website.
    Glen

  32. I want to do glass craving. Deep cut. Can you give me best media and grit to use. I’m using 1/4 glass

  33. Do you know if it is possible to sandblast with a fine media instead of finish sanding? I have fiberglass parts with a gelcoat finish that I want to paint with a 2-part polyurethane paint. I was planning on sanding with 150-240-320 before paint but it is taking forever and the parts have a lot of detail. I do not want to strip off the gelcoat, just prep it for paint.
    Any thoughts appreciated.

  34. abrasive grits–sinabuddy mineral
    Dear Sir,

    This is Ken from Sinabuddy Mineral Co., Ltd. in China.

    As I know, you have interest in purchasing abrasive grains from Chinese mainland.
    We supply below materials to your market for several years.
    Brown/White/Pink Aluminum Oxide,
    Black Green/Silicon Carbide,
    Fused Zirconia Alumina,
    Single Crystal Aluminum oxide, etc.

    Pls contact me for any questions.

    Best regards,
    Ken

  35. HI what a great site! thanks for all the info but I’ve been looking through all the posts and I can’t seem to find what I’m looking for. I’m a hammer and chisel stone carver and I want to add lettering to my art forms with a sandblaster. I bought a cabinet from harbor freight and an air compressor but I can’t find the specifics on what kind of medium and grit I should use for basalt or marble. or the tip. thanks thanks for any help!

    Jim

  36. I am having my wife’s wheels powder coated and I am prepping the wheels. what should I use to get them ready to powder coat . I’m new to sand blasting I bought a small sand blasting machine.

    Thanks Richard

  37. I’m looking for a high quality sandblaster, 1 cu ft in size with the ability to use silicone carbide. I looked up a 35W marco sandblaster and it requests for a “white silica sand” media ONLY. No where else do I see this requirement for a 35W Macro. could this be an error? I really like the macro and would love advice, Thanks

  38. @Jason, good question- though I am not overly familiar with the Marco blasters, it does sound like a mistake. If it could deal with sand, it should be able to work with carbides. I would reach out to customer service on this.

  39. Dear Manager,

    I’m glad to hear that you are on the market for:
    Steel Grit & Shot; Glass Beads
    White Aluminum Oxide, Brown Aluminum Oxide, Alumina Zirconia

    Sinabuddy specialize in this field with good quality and competitive price.
    E-mail me or call me directly, we can talk details.

    Best Regards,
    Wendy

  40. Hi, Eric.

    I would like to ask what are the sizes for the these different media that can be use for blasting. I was told that glass media is typically for work done in cars. Is that right?

    Was looking into using Garnet sands, however, I’m having difficulty in finding a supplier in my location. I found a supplier for a Silica sand. Would that work? What is the mesh size for it?

    For the Steel grit, what size will be best to use?

    Thanks a lot,

    Cheneth

  42. Hey Eric I paid your monthly 23 dollars but cant find anywhere to log in it just keeps trying to sell me your deal again this is the second time I have emailed you. If I cant log in anywhere there is not much since in paying for a monthly subscription. thanks Terry

  43. @Terry, I sent you an email about it but haven’t heard back from you. Please check your spam folder.

    I will reset your password are troubleshoot this. I appologize for that issue and will let you know what I find out by email.

    Thanks
    Eric

  44. @Terry,
    Can you please reply if you are receiving my emails?

    I am troubleshooting now and was about to reset your password to see if it logs in, but the system is showing that someone is logged in under the username you created.

    Please let me know if you still can’t view the content. Thank you for your patience.

  45. Dear Manager,

    We are pleased to announce that our company Alchemy Mineral can now provide you, from our warehouse in Dayton, Kentucky, a wide array of high-quality products to meet your needs: Garnet, White Aluminum Oxide, Silicon Carbide, Black Aluminum Oxide.

    The Purpose of Alchemy Mineral is to deliver the highest quality, service and reliability in industrial minerals.

    Our popular Garnet is pure (97%), hard (7.9 Mohs), and extremely clean. See the photo below. We can send you small-quantity samples for testing as needed.

    We will gladly send you a quote if you would kindly reply with the products, sizes and quantities that you typically use.

    Please reply by email or call me to let us know how we could best serve you!

    Thank you, and best regards.
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  46. Hello,

    I am about to do some industrial priming of plastic parts (polyethylene and polypropylene). In the past, I have used electric sanding as a method for providing a texture to my smooth plastic part, but would like to try sandblasting,. I need to first remove a paint layer with poor adhesion and then “sand” the plastic to provide a better surface for a new paint coat to adhere. What media would you recommend for 1. removing the paint, 2. sanding the plastic to provide a texture for painting.

    I really appreciate your help!!

  48. What are the best media to sandblast granite and rock and grit size, and what types of vinyl stencil mask can be use for sandblasting?

  49. Dear Eric,
    This is Eileen from Shandong Metal Group Co.,Ltd in China.
    Glad to know that you are on the market for abrasive media
    Brown/White Aluminum Oxide,
    Steel Shot/Grit , Stainless steel shot
    Glass Beads.Clear Glass sand
    Baoda specialize in abrasive media with good quality and competitive price
    Please feel free to contact us for any questions

    Best regards

    Eileen

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