{"id":10342,"date":"2026-07-31T15:14:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T07:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sc-sic.com\/?p=10342"},"modified":"2026-08-10T18:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:07:54","slug":"how-to-choose-the-right-silicon-carbide-grit-size-for-industrial-processing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sc-sic.com\/ru\/how-to-choose-the-right-silicon-carbide-grit-size-for-industrial-processing\/","title":{"rendered":"\u041a\u0430\u043a \u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0438\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e \u0432\u044b\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0440\u0430\u0437\u043c\u0435\u0440 \u0437\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0430 \u043a\u0430\u0440\u0431\u0438\u0434\u0430 \u043a\u0440\u0435\u043c\u043d\u0438\u044f \u0434\u043b\u044f \u043f\u0440\u043e\u043c\u044b\u0448\u043b\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0442\u043a\u0438"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Silicon carbide (SiC) has been one of the main components of abrasive technology for decades now. Exceptional hardness (9.5 on the Mohs scale), thermal conductivity and abrasive nature of SiC make it a key component in dealing with hard and brittle nonmetallic materials. Nonetheless, the real value of a silicon carbide grain is revealed only if the appropriate grit size is chosen. This single parameter decides on removal rate, surface quality and the general economy of the process. Choosing wrong grit size will cost you in terms of scrap, slow processing, and quick consumption of media. This article presents an overview of the technical aspects of choosing a correct grit size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Fundamental Principle: Geometry of the Material Removal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choosing a correct grit starts with understanding the principles of the grit action. Each silicon carbide grain acts as a cutting tool with a specific geometric shape consisting of sharp points. The grit size parameter determines two main variables in this equation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  Depth of Cut (Chip Thickness): Larger grit extends further away from the bond or carrier matrix (depending on whether the abrasives are bonded or in suspension form such as slurries or blasting), hence allowing for a greater depth of cut. Larger chips are formed, which require more energy expenditure but remove larger volumes of material at each cutting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.  Mechanical Load per Cutting Point: In a situation where the load remains constant, coarse grits distribute the load at a smaller number of points and in doing so create very large mechanical loads. This leads to a fracture of even the hardest materials. Fine grits distribute the same load at a large number of microcutting points, which in turn produce insufficient mechanical pressure to cause a fracture; hence causing plastic deformation (plowing and rubbing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interpretation of Grit Size Specifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The terminology for grit size specifications is standardized but needs explanation. The three major classifications are FEPA (Federation of European Producers of Abrasives), ANSI (American National Standards Institute), and JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Macrogrits (FEPA F, ANSI): Based on mesh number, which indicates the number of openings per inch in the sieve screen. F60 means that the particles will pass through a sieve having 60 openings per inch. Lower Fnumber (such as F16) means fewer openings and larger particle sizes, whereas higher Fnumber (such as F120) means greater openings and smaller particles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Microgrits (FEPA P, JIS): Indicated by the physical size of the particle in micrometers (\u00b5m). An F800 microgrit has a median particle size of 6.5 \u00b5m. In this case, the larger the number, the finer is the grit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is the size of a given particle significant but also the PSD. The more precise the PSD control, the better the results. In a wide PSD, even a coarse F24 grit will have some particles that will polish and several others that will scratch deep and unexpectedly. As for precision applications, one should pay as much attention to the PSD specification as to the nominal size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abrasive Sieve Size and Mesh Opening Comparison Table<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sieve Size<\/strong><\/td>Aperture (mm)<\/strong><\/td>Wire Diameter (mm)<\/strong><\/td>Open Area\uff08%\uff09<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
5#<\/td>4<\/td>1<\/td>64<\/td><\/tr>
5.5#<\/td>3.55<\/td>0.9<\/td>63<\/td><\/tr>
6#<\/td>3.35<\/td>0.8<\/td>65<\/td><\/tr>
6.5#<\/td>3.15<\/td>0.8<\/td>63<\/td><\/tr>
7#<\/td>2.8<\/td>0.71<\/td>63<\/td><\/tr>
7.5#<\/td>2.5<\/td>0.63<\/td>64<\/td><\/tr>
8#<\/td>2.36<\/td>0.56<\/td>65<\/td><\/tr>
9#<\/td>2.24<\/td>0.56<\/td>64<\/td><\/tr>
10#<\/td>2<\/td>0.5<\/td>64<\/td><\/tr>
10.5#<\/td>1.9<\/td>0.5<\/td>63<\/td><\/tr>
11#<\/td>1.8<\/td>0.45<\/td>64<\/td><\/tr>
12#<\/td>1.7<\/td>0.45<\/td>63<\/td><\/tr>
12.5#<\/td>1.6<\/td>0.45<\/td>61<\/td><\/tr>
13#<\/td>1.5<\/td>0.4<\/td>62<\/td><\/tr>
14#<\/td>1.4<\/td>0.4<\/td>60<\/td><\/tr>
14.5#<\/td>1.32<\/td>0.4<\/td>59<\/td><\/tr>
15#<\/td>1.25<\/td>0.4<\/td>57<\/td><\/tr>
16#<\/td>1.18<\/td>0.4<\/td>56<\/td><\/tr>
16.5#<\/td>1.12<\/td>0.355<\/td>58<\/td><\/tr>
17#<\/td>1.06<\/td>0.355<\/td>56<\/td><\/tr>
18#<\/td>1<\/td>0.355<\/td>54<\/td><\/tr>
18.5#<\/td>0.95<\/td>0.315<\/td>55<\/td><\/tr>
19#<\/td>0.9<\/td>0.315<\/td>54<\/td><\/tr>
20#<\/td>0.85<\/td>0.315<\/td>53<\/td><\/tr>
22#<\/td>0.8<\/td>0.28<\/td>52<\/td><\/tr>
24#<\/td>0.75<\/td>0.28<\/td>53<\/td><\/tr>
25#<\/td>0.71<\/td>0.28<\/td>51<\/td><\/tr>
27#<\/td>0.67<\/td>0.28<\/td>50<\/td><\/tr>
29#<\/td>0.63<\/td>0.25<\/td>51<\/td><\/tr>
30#<\/td>0.6<\/td>0.25<\/td>50<\/td><\/tr>
32#<\/td>0.56<\/td>0.224<\/td>51<\/td><\/tr>
34#<\/td>0.53<\/td>0.224<\/td>49<\/td><\/tr>
35#<\/td>0.5<\/td>0.224<\/td>48<\/td><\/tr>
38#<\/td>0.475<\/td>0.18<\/td>53<\/td><\/tr>
39#<\/td>0.45<\/td>0.18<\/td>51<\/td><\/tr>
40#<\/td>0.425<\/td>0.16<\/td>53<\/td><\/tr>
42#<\/td>0.4<\/td>0.16<\/td>51<\/td><\/tr>
44#<\/td>0.375<\/td>0.16<\/td>49<\/td><\/tr>
45#<\/td>0.355<\/td>0.14<\/td>51<\/td><\/tr>
47#<\/td>0.335<\/td>0.14<\/td>50<\/td><\/tr>
48#<\/td>0.315<\/td>0.14<\/td>48<\/td><\/tr>
50#<\/td>0.3<\/td>0.14<\/td>46<\/td><\/tr>
54#<\/td>0.28<\/td>0.14<\/td>44<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Sieve Size<\/strong><\/td>Aperture (mm)<\/strong><\/td>Wire Diameter (mm)<\/strong><\/td>Open Area\uff08%\uff09<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
57#<\/td>0.265<\/td>0.125<\/td>43<\/td><\/tr>
60#<\/td>0.25<\/td>0.125<\/td>44<\/td><\/tr>
65#<\/td>0.236<\/td>0.125<\/td>43<\/td><\/tr>
68#<\/td>0.224<\/td>0.125<\/td>41<\/td><\/tr>
70#<\/td>0.212<\/td>0.215<\/td>40<\/td><\/tr>
75#<\/td>0.2<\/td>0.125<\/td>38<\/td><\/tr>
78#<\/td>0.19<\/td>0.125<\/td>36<\/td><\/tr>
80#<\/td>0.18<\/td>0.125<\/td>35<\/td><\/tr>
85#<\/td>0.17<\/td>0.1<\/td>36<\/td><\/tr>
90#<\/td>0.16<\/td>0.1<\/td>35<\/td><\/tr>
100#<\/td>0.15<\/td>0.1<\/td>36<\/td><\/tr>
110#<\/td>0.14<\/td>0.09<\/td>37<\/td><\/tr>
115#<\/td>0.132<\/td>0.09<\/td>35<\/td><\/tr>
120#<\/td>0.125<\/td>0.09<\/td>34<\/td><\/tr>
125#<\/td>0.118<\/td>0.063<\/td>42<\/td><\/tr>
130#<\/td>0.112<\/td>0.063<\/td>41<\/td><\/tr>
140#<\/td>0.106<\/td>0.063<\/td>39<\/td><\/tr>
150#<\/td>0.1<\/td>0.063<\/td>38<\/td><\/tr>
160#<\/td>0.095<\/td>0.063<\/td>36<\/td><\/tr>
170#<\/td>0.09<\/td>0.063<\/td>35<\/td><\/tr>
180#<\/td>0.085<\/td>0.056<\/td>36<\/td><\/tr>
190#<\/td>0.08<\/td>0.056<\/td>35<\/td><\/tr>
200#<\/td>0.075<\/td>0.05<\/td>34<\/td><\/tr>
210#<\/td>0.071<\/td>0.056<\/td>31<\/td><\/tr>
220#<\/td>0.067<\/td>0.05<\/td>34<\/td><\/tr>
230#<\/td>0.063<\/td>0.045<\/td>34<\/td><\/tr>
240#<\/td>0.06<\/td>0.045<\/td>33<\/td><\/tr>
260#<\/td>0.056<\/td>0.045<\/td>33<\/td><\/tr>
270#<\/td>0.053<\/td>0.04<\/td>33<\/td><\/tr>
290#<\/td>0.05<\/td>0.036<\/td>34<\/td><\/tr>
300#<\/td>0.048<\/td>0.036<\/td>35<\/td><\/tr>
325#<\/td>0.045<\/td>0.036<\/td>31<\/td><\/tr>
340#<\/td>0.042<\/td>0.036<\/td>31<\/td><\/tr>
360#<\/td>0.04<\/td>0.03<\/td>31<\/td><\/tr>
400#<\/td>0.038<\/td>0.0332<\/td>29<\/td><\/tr>
420#<\/td>0.036<\/td>0.03<\/td>30<\/td><\/tr>
450#<\/td>0.032<\/td>0.025<\/td>31<\/td><\/tr>
500#<\/td>0.028<\/td>0.025<\/td>28<\/td><\/tr>
520#<\/td>0.025<\/td>0.025<\/td>26<\/td><\/tr>
550#<\/td>0.022<\/td>0.02<\/td>25<\/td><\/tr>
600#<\/td>0.02<\/td>0.02<\/td>24<\/td><\/tr>
800#<\/td>0.015<\/td>0.018<\/td>23<\/td><\/tr>
1000#<\/td>0.01<\/td>0.015<\/td>20<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 The Core Selection Matrix: ProcessSpecific Logic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fundamental guidelines have to be adjusted to the physics of the industrial process. The same F120 grit will perform completely differently if used in a bonded form (grinding wheel or segments) or in a free form (slurry).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 1. Bonded Abrasives (Grinding Wheels, Segments)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this case, the grit is fixed in a bond system. The selection process is a dialectic of stock removal, surface finish, and thermal damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Coarse Grits (F16F36): Foundry and steel mill workhorses. For highpressure snagging operations, conditioning heavy billets, and material removal where surface finish is not important. The large chip clearance capacity avoids loading and produces less heat in the work piece, which is essential when working with heatsensitive materials. Example: Cleaning titanium or super alloy castings where HAZ depth must be very shallow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Medium Grits (F46F80): General purpose range for surface, cylindrical and centerless grinding. A classic example would be an F60 ceramic bond silicon carbide wheel used for cemented carbides, cast irons, and nonferrous metals (brass, aluminum). The grit is friable enough to autosharpen, continually presenting sharp edges while being large enough to remove material. Example: Cast iron camshaft grinding, where cycle time and surface finish on bearing areas are balanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Fine Grits (F100 \u2013 F220): This is the realm of finish grinding. This is used when Ra values become less than 0.4 \u00b5m. It is at this point that the process of microfracture takes place. A softbond F180 wheel on a bronze or stainless steel roll would produce almost a mirror finish, with the material being removed by means of microcutting and plastic flow. There is always the danger of glazing because the bond has to be soft to let go of the worn out abrasive particles before rubbing results in burning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 2. Lapping and Polishing (Abrasive Powder)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is an entirely different process. The grit is a free roller hydrodynamically between a lapping disc and the work piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Stock Removal Lapping (F320  F600 \/ ~299 \u00b5m): Stock removal lapping involves controlled fracturing. Rolling silicon carbide particles create indentations on the surface, which leads to development of transverse and median cracks that intersect and produce material removal. The main purpose of this process is rapid planarization of the surface and removal of stock generated by the preceding process (e.g., fine grinding). A typical initial lapping solution for silicon wafers, ceramic seal faces, and optical glass substrates is an F400 slurry on cast iron plate. It produces matte, nonglossy surface with substantial SSD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Precision Polishing (F800  F1200 \/ 6.53 \u00b5m): Once the particle size drops below the critical depth of cut of the material, the process moves from the brittle fracture zone into the ductile one. Rather than causing deep cracks through the surface, the abrasive cuts a shallow groove and plastically displaces the material sideways. This technique reduces the SSD significantly while effectively removing the layer of damage left after lapping. F1000 silicon carbide in a tin or composite polishing pad is applied to polish the advanced ceramic substrate down to the damagefree and optically flat surface in preparation for further chemicalmechanical polishing (CMP). In this case, the PSD should be extremely narrow; even one rogue particle of 15 \u00b5m size in F1200 suspension may fatally scratch the surface for future laser optics usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 4. Wire Sawing (Slurrybased)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The traditional process relies on entraining abrasives in a liquid medium that moves the wire. Traditionally, the model uses F800 or F1000 silicon carbide. It is worth noting that the wire itself does not cut anything, while the abrasive particles do the job. It is vital to ensure that the grit particles are large enough to form a kerf larger than the wire and slurry film to prevent the wire from catching up with itself but small enough to reduce kerf loss and subsurface damage to a minimum. The emergence of diamond wire sawing has made this type of slurrygrit system obsolete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 3. Abrasive Blasting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

In this case, the selection is dictated by kinetic energy of the particle and the desired surface profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Stripping and Profiling (F16  F36): High energy, large grit size. The objective here is not a finish but mechanical anchoring. Stripping the steel bridge girder using F20 silicon carbide results in an angular profile (75125 \u00b5m), which is crucial for the anchorage of thermal spray coating or high build industrial painting. Angularity of the grit size is critical; otherwise, if round media were to be used, the surface would get peened rather than cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Surface Cleaning and Cosmetic Finishing (F60  F120): This is used at low pressure for tasks such as deburring, satin finishing, and cleaning oxide scale without altering critical dimensions. F80 grit size at 4060 PSI is ideal for preparing complex bronze art casting for patination, where the investment shell is stripped away to produce a uniformly mattesilver finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Microblasting for Tooling (F320  F600): This involves precision edge honing of carbide cutting inserts using pinpoint nozzles. An F500 particle size can produce a very precise 2030 \u00b5m radius on the edge of a tool without affecting its macrogeometry by eliminating microchips caused during grinding process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Critical Interplay: Grit Size, Material, and Subsurface Damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most complicated choice is associated with SSD control, in ceramics, semiconductors, and optical materials. The SSD is a series of cracks formed below the surface of the finished product. The depth of such cracks is approximately proportional to the size of abrasive grains used at the penultimate stage of processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This results in a primary rule that the stock removal of each subsequent process should be larger than the subsurface damage depth of the previous process. A process engineer designs not a particular grit size but rather a series of grit sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typical grinding and polishing series for a sintered silicon carbide mechanical seal face could be like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. F60 Grind: Fast stock removal. SSD depth around 3040 \u00b5m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. F220 Grind: Stock removal of 50 \u00b5m (SSD elimination from step 1). Produces 0.4 \u00b5m Ra surface with SSD about 68 \u00b5m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. F400 Lap: Removal of 15 \u00b5m of stock (SSD elimination from step 2). Produces matt surface with SSD about 23 \u00b5m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. F1200 Polish: Removal of 5 \u00b5m of stock (SSD elimination from step 3). Produces mirror surface with SSD less than 1 \u00b5m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you violate the sequence (for instance try to perform polishing right after F60 grind) it will be a useless job since all you will manage to do is to round off the peaks of the deep crack topography but never remove the cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

MORE\u2192<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

MORE\u2192<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

MORE\u2192<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t