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From coarse to fine

Which grit do I need?

Lots of people know P80 or P400 – but not when to use which. Here's what the number means, which grit suits which step and material, and which comes next.

Calculate grit sequence ↓

The film

Which grit do I need?

From P40 to P3000 – the next grit is at most twice as fine.

1 · Understand

What the number means

What does the grit number mean?

The number after the P (FEPA standard) states how many meshes per inch a sieve has that the grain still passes through. The higher the number, the finer the grain and the finer the finish.

What counts as coarse, what as fine?

Coarse is P24 to P80 (heavy removal), medium P100 to P180 (shaping, levelling), fine P220 to P400 (smoothing, preparing), very fine P500 to P1000 (keying paint), ultra-fine from P1200 (finish before polishing).

The five ranges ↓

Which grit comes next?

Never more than double: after P80 comes P120 or P150, after P240 comes P320 or P400. That way each step removes the scratches of the one before.

Calculate your sequence ↓

1 · Understand

The five ranges

From heavy removal to the finish before polishing – every range has its job.

  • Coarse

    P24–P80

    Heavy stock removal

    Strip old paint, rust and rough unevenness, shape body filler. Leaves visible scratches – always work finer afterwards.

  • Medium

    P100–P180

    Shaping and levelling

    The standard for rough and intermediate sanding on wood, for feathering filler edges and for keying metal. Removes the scratches left by coarse grits.

  • Fine

    P220–P400

    Smoothing and preparing

    Intermediate sanding before oil, wax and varnish, smoothing primer surfacer and primer, paint preparation. The most-used group in any workshop.

  • Very fine

    P500–P1000

    Keying paint

    Matting top coat and clear coat, preparing plastics for painting, sanding between coats.

  • Ultra-fine

    P1200–P5000

    Finish before polishing

    Removing dust nibs, runs and paint defects, usually wet. Then polish – the scratches are so fine that the polish takes them out.

Grits compared: abrasive grain and scratch pattern on metal from P60 (very coarse, clearly visible sanding marks) through P80, P120, P240, P400, P800 and P1500 to P3000 (ultra-fine, mirror-smooth surface)
Here's what the difference looks like: grit and scratch pattern from P60 to P3000. Open full-size image

2 · Plan

Your grit sequence

Where are you now, where do you want to get to? The sequence in between appears instantly – every grit leads to its uses and matching products.

4 grits from P80 to P400 – 3 changes:

  1. 1.P80Heavy stock removal
  2. 2.P150Intermediate sanding
  3. 3.P240Fine sanding wood
  4. 4.P400Primer / paint

Never more than double per step – that way the scratches of the previous grit disappear. An extra intermediate step never hurts.

Buy this sequence

For each product from the grits it comes in – still with no more than double per step.

  • PRO CUT 150

    P80 → P120 → P240 → P400

    PRO CUT 150, 1 × smallest pack each (10 pcs) in P80, P120, P240, P400. Incl. VAT, plus shipping.

  • PRO NET 150

    P80 → P120 → P240 → P400

    PRO NET 150, 1 × smallest pack each (10 pcs) in P80, P120, P240, P400. Incl. VAT, plus shipping.

  • PRO CUT 125

    P80 → P120 → P240 → P400

    PRO CUT 125, 1 × smallest pack each (10 pcs) in P80, P120, P240, P400. Incl. VAT, plus shipping.

2 · Plan

Which grit for which material?

The proven sequence for each material and surface – with the grits for every step.

3 · Sand it right

Common mistakes – and how to avoid them

The right sequence alone isn't enough. These are the places where sanding most often goes wrong.

Identify a defect →

  1. 01

    Skipping grits

    Going straight from P80 to P240 leaves the deep scratches in place, and they show up in the paint at the latest. Double at most – the calculator names the steps in between.

    To the calculator ↑

  2. 02

    Changing too early

    Only move on once the scratches from the previous grit are gone everywhere. A guide coat or pencil marks show where you haven't sanded yet.

  3. 03

    Pressing too hard

    Pressure makes deeper scratches and hot spots. Let the grit and the machine do the work – if it stops removing material, the disc is worn out.

    Avoid pigtails →

  4. 04

    Carrying on with blunt paper

    Clogged or worn abrasive polishes instead of sanding and leaves irregular scratches. Changing it in time saves time in the end.

    When is the disc worn out? →

  5. 05

    Fine sanding paint dry

    From about P800, paint is usually wet sanded: the water flushes away the sanding dust, the grit doesn't clog and the scratch pattern is more even.

    Wet or dry? →

  6. 06

    Not removing the dust

    Coarse grit left lying on the surface scratches on the next pass. Vacuum or wipe down between steps.

    Dust extraction and mask →

4 · Look up

Every grit in detail

Uses and next step for the common series P40 to P3000, sorted by range. Even coarser (from P24) and finer grits (up to P5000) exist for special cases. Click a grit for its neighbours and products – and the converter translates US grit on the pack.

Printable grit chart

CoarseP24–P80

  • Stripping. Remove old paint and rust, heavy stock removal on wood.

    Next: P80

  • Rough shaping. Weld seams, rough unevenness, rough-shaping body filler.

    Next: P120

  • Heavy stock removal. Remove old coatings, level body filler, rough sanding on wood.

    Next: P150

MediumP100–P180

  • Rough sanding. Remove saw marks on wood, the step up from P80.

    Next: P180

  • Levelling. Level surfaces, shape body filler, key metal.

    Next: P240

  • Intermediate sanding. Wood before fine sanding, feathering filler edges.

    Next: P240

  • Feathering / filler. Level filled areas, feather edges into the old paint.

    Next: P320

FineP220–P400

  • Before oil and varnish. Wood before oil and varnish, first smoothing of primer.

    Next: P400

  • P240

    ≈ 220–240 Grit (US)

    Fine sanding wood. Preparing for primer, fine sanding wood, smoothing metal.

    Next: P400

  • P320

    ≈ 280 Grit (US)

    Fine sanding. Fine surfaces, sanding primer surfacer, final corrections.

    Next: P600

  • P400

    ≈ 320 Grit (US)

    Primer / paint. Smoothing primer surfacer and primer, preparing for the top coat.

    Next: P800

Very fineP500–P1000

  • P500

    ≈ 360 Grit (US)

    Fine primer sanding. Fine sanding of primer surfacer, plastics before painting.

    Next: P1000

  • P600

    ≈ 400 Grit (US)

    Paint preparation. Keying paint for a perfect finish before the top coat.

    Next: P1200

  • P800

    ≈ 500 Grit (US)

    Keying paint. Matting top coat, sanding between clear coats.

    Next: P1500

  • P1000

    ≈ 500–600 Grit (US)

    Fine matting. Clear coat before recoating, fine sanding plastics.

    Next: P2000

Ultra-fineP1200–P5000

  • P1200

    ≈ 600 Grit (US)

    Wet sanding. Start of finish sanding, usually wet.

    Next: P2000

  • P1500

    ≈ 800 Grit (US)

    Paint defects. Remove dust nibs and runs in the clear coat.

    Next: P3000

  • P2000

    ≈ 1000 Grit (US)

    Before polishing. Before polishing, wet, with light pressure.

    Next: P3000

  • P2500

    ≈ 1000–1200 Grit (US)

    Ultra-fine finish. Smooth out the finest scratches, cut polishing time.

    Next: P3000

  • Polish preparation. Right before polishing – hologram-free.

    Next: polish

Any questions?

FAQs about grit

Wet or dry sanding?

Up to about P600, sanding is usually dry with dust extraction. From P800, paint is usually wet sanded: the water binds the dust, the grit doesn't clog and the scratch pattern is more even. Wood is always sanded dry.

Wet or dry sanding →

What's the difference between P grade and grit?

P grades follow the European FEPA standard, grit the US standard (CAMI/ANSI). Up to 220 both numbers are practically the same; above that the P number is higher: 600 grit is roughly P1200.

Convert grit →

Which grit before painting?

Wood before the first coat with P180 to P240, between coats with P240 to P320. On a car, sand the primer surfacer with P320 to P400, before a light top coat or metallic up to P500 to P600; matt sound old paint with P400 to P600 dry or P800 wet.

Which grit before painting →

Which grit before polishing?

Finish with P2000 to P3000, wet and with light pressure. The finer the last sanding step, the faster the polish takes the scratches out.

How can I tell the disc is worn out?

It barely removes material any more, gets hot or leaves shiny, uneven patches. Change it then – blunt grit only polishes, it doesn't sand.

When is a sanding disc worn out? →

And which for your project?

The finder asks about material, machine and goal – and tells you the grit and product.

Start the abrasive finder →