Abrasive sheets (also called sheet abrasives) are available in various types based on their constituent material. You can use abrasive sheets to abrade various materials such as metal, wood, ceramics, glass, plastics and paints.

Abrasive sheets are important for various abrading processes including wet and dry grinding, sanding, cleaning, polishing and surface preparation. Different abrasive sheet materials available in the market are aluminum oxide, tungsten carbine, silicon carbide, alumina-zirconia and cubic boron nitride (CBN). Some industries that use abrasive sheets extensively are metalworking, woodworking, ceramics and semiconductors.

Some important parameters for choosing an abrasive sheet are:

1. Expected surface finish of the component
2. Hardness of the material to be removed
3. Type of abrasive grains for the abrasive sheet
4. Grit size for the abrasive sheet
5. Expected useful life of the abrasive sheet

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy standard abrasive sheets from reputable abrasive manufacturers

Once you identify your abrasion requirements, check out the industrial sheet abrasives available in the market.

I recommend: VSM Abrasives is a reputable abrasive product manufacturer that provides abrasive cloth sheets and abrasive paper sheets. Micro-Surface supplies abrasive sheets to various industries such as automation, aerospace, marine and ceramics. You can also buy abrasive sheets at GMT, a reputable supplier of steel wool abrasives. If you need abrasive sheets or rolls, check products offered by Weiler. American Buff supplies abrasive sheets suitable for applications such as cleaning, polishing and deburring.

Buy abrasive sheets from distributors or retailers

You can compare different abrasive sheets based on features and prices at distributors and retailers' websites. You can ask for a discount if you are buying in bulk.

I recommend: You can buy abrasive sheets online at Toolsavings, a reputable distributor of industrial abrasives and accessories. General Tool & Supply is another industrial retailer that supplies sheet abrasives. Additionally, you can check out the abrasive cloth sheets or abrasive paper sheets offered by Enco. Other reputable distributors offering abrasive sheets are Abrasive Supply, Midwest Supply and Atwood Industries.

Buy customized or specialty sheet abrasives

If standard industrial sheet abrasive products do not meet your requirements, opt for customized or specialty sheet abrasives.

I recommend: If you need a superior finish for your products, check out the diamond abrasive sheets offered by 3M, a leading abrasive sheet products manufacturer. You can buy highly flexible, fast cutting abrasive sheets for your metalworking and woodworking applications at Saint-Gobain Abrasives. Fandeli International is another abrasive product manufacturer that supplies abrasive sheets that you can use for abrading various materials such as glass, metal, leather and paints.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use light machine oil with cloth sheet abrasives, as the oil acts as lubricants and provides superior surface finish.
• •  Replace abrasive sheets after the useful life specified by the manufacturers, as abrasive sheets exhaust after extensive use.