Sandpaper Grit Chart and Guide (Numbers, Types, and Uses)

Sandpaper looks simple until you’re standing in the aisle staring at a dozen different grit numbers, unsure which one your project actually needs. Grab the wrong grit and you’ll either spend an hour removing material that should’ve taken ten minutes, or scratch up a surface you just spent time smoothing out.

This guide covers what those grit numbers actually mean, how to work through a grit sequence without leaving swirl marks, and which abrasive type makes sense for wood, metal, or finish work. There’s a full grit chart further down, so you can find your number fast whether you’re sanding by hand or with some type of sander.

What Does the Sandpaper Grit Number Mean?

Every piece of sandpaper carries a specific grit rating, which tells you the size of the abrasive material bonded to the paper’s backing. The higher the number, the finer the abrasive. Lower numbers mean bigger, coarser grit.

Lower grit sandpaper removes material fast, which makes it the right call for chewing through deeply pitted or damaged surfaces. Higher grit sandpaper is what you reach for when you want a smooth finish without swirl marks.

Grit rating is denoted by one of two systems: FEPA (Federation of European Producers of Abrasives) or the North American system, often still called CAMI (Coated Abrasive Manufacturers Institute) grit.

If the grit number has a “P” in front of it, that’s FEPA. A plain number is commonly used for the North American system. Either way, low numbers mean coarse and high numbers mean fine.

Link: FEPA vs CAMI Grit Comparison Chart (PDF)

Importance of Grit Sequence

Before you grab any sandpaper, think about what you’re actually trying to do. Removing material fast calls for coarse grit, while finishing a surface that’s already prepped calls for something finer. Most projects need both, since you’re pulling off material but still want the piece to look sharp when you’re done. That’s where grit sequence comes in.

Grit sequence just means the order you work through different grits to reach the finish you want. Get the order right and you can take almost any surface, no matter how rough, to whatever finish you’re after. The rule to remember: always move to a higher, finer grit with each pass, since this clears away the swirl marks the coarser grit left behind.

Don’t skip too many steps at once, though, or you’ll end up redoing earlier work. Move up in grit, not back down, unless you spot a flaw that needs fixing first. Finish the job with the highest grit you have on hand, or at least fine enough to get the look you’re going for.

Related: Wet Sanding vs Dry Sanding (Best Use Cases)

Sandpaper Grit Grade

Macro Grit Sizes

Extra Coarse Sandpaper (#24 to #36)

• Purpose – Removes material at a rapid rate
• Used For – Initial prep-sanding of hardwood, blending welds, even rough metal edges

Coarse Sandpaper (#40 to #60)

• Purpose – Removes excess material, levels uneven surfaces
• Used For – Shaping edges on hardwood, paint removal, blending welds or fabricated surfaces

Medium Sandpaper (#80)

• Purpose – Great for all-around medium-duty sanding
• Used For – Finishing hardwood, evening surfaces, removing varnish, removing rust

Fine Sandpaper (#100 to #120)

• Purpose – Final shaping and finishing of hardwoods
• Used For – Finishing wood surfaces, removing swirl marks, water stain removal, plaster removal, paint prep, sanding drywall

Very Fine Sandpaper (#150 to #220)

• Purpose – Excellent for final sanding of most delicate projects
• Used For – Sanding bare wood, removing light swirl marks, prep for wood stain, sanding acrylics

Micro Grit Sizes

Very Fine Sandpaper (#240)

• Purpose – Fine sanding, delicate prep work
• Used For – Sanding finishes, intermediate drywall sanding

Extra Fine Sandpaper (#320 to #360)

• Purpose – Excellent for wood polishing or final sanding
• Used For – Finishing wooden surfaces to a fine polish, wet sanding heavy finishes

Super Fine Sandpaper (#400 to #600)

• Purpose – Removing fine inconsistencies, polishing delicate materials
• Used For – Restoring car headlights, polishing wooden surfaces, wet sanding

Ultra Fine Sandpaper (#800 to #1000)

• Purpose – Finishing the most delicate of materials
• Used For – Removing light scratches from glass, restoring automotive headlights, finishing polymers and acrylics

Sandpaper Grit Chart 

Class	Type	Grit Range	Common Uses
Macro	Extra Coarse	#24 to #36	Rapid material removal, heavy sanding of hardwood
Macro	Coarse	#40 to #60	Heavy sanding, leveling of uneven surfaces, evening welds
Macro	Medium	#80	All-purpose wood sanding, rust removal, stripping varnish
Macro	Fine	#100 to #120	Finishing hardwood, sanding drywall, paint prep, plaster removal
Macro	Very Fine	#150 to #220	Sanding bare wood, sanding acrylics, removing swirl marks
Micro	Very Fine	#240	Sanding finishes, paint prep (in between coats)
Micro	Extra Fine	#320 to #360	Polishing wood, wet sanding heavier finishes
Micro	Super Fine	#400 to #600	Wet sanding, polishing wood, restoring headlights
Micro	Ultra Fine	#800 to #1000	Finishing plastics, surfacing glass, fine wet sanding

What Grit to Use for Common Projects

Knowing the grit ranges is one thing. Knowing which one to reach for on the project in front of you is another. Here’s how the numbers break down for a few jobs that come up constantly in the garage.

Stripping Old Paint

Start at 40 to 80 grit for the first pass, especially on wood or metal with more than one coat built up. That range cuts fast enough to get through the old finish without eating too far into the wood or metal underneath.

Once the bulk of the paint is gone, move up to 150 or 220 grit to knock out the deep scratches the coarse paper left behind before you prime or repaint.

Prepping Bare Wood

Most bare wood projects start around 100 to 120 grit to knock down mill marks and rough spots, then work up to 180 or 220 before stain or a clear coat.

If you’re staining, it’s worth stopping there. Sanding much past 220 can burnish the wood fibers closed, and the stain ends up sitting on the surface instead of soaking in evenly.

Sanding Between Coats

320 to 400 grit is the range for scuffing a surface between coats of paint or finish. It’s not about removing material, just knocking down dust nibs and giving the next coat something to grip. Wet sanding works well here since it cuts down on dust and won’t clog the paper as fast.

Deglossing Cabinets and Trim Before Repainting

A light pass with 150 grit breaks the sheen on factory-painted cabinets or old trim, giving primer something to grip instead of beading up on a glossy surface. Follow up with 220 grit after the primer dries. You’re not trying to strip anything here, just knock the shine down enough for the next coat to bond.

Smoothing Drywall Patches and Spackle

Once a patch or spackle job has fully dried, 120 to 150 grit levels it flush with the surrounding wall. Switch to 180 or 220 grit for the final pass before priming, and run a hand over the spot to catch any high points a quick look might miss.

Deburring and Smoothing Metal

80 to 120 grit handles most deburring and weld-blending jobs on typical shop metalwork. If you’re dealing with heavy rust or mill scale first, drop down to 40 to 60 grit to clear that off before you move into the finer range.

Grit Material

You might assume all sandpaper is made the same way, but that’s far from true. Sandpapers differ a lot in the type of abrasive material they use. The most common types are ceramic, aluminum oxide, garnet, flint, and silicon carbide. Each one has its own strengths and works better for some jobs than others.

• Ceramic – Extremely durable and typically red. Handles both wood and metal well, especially with power sanders, though it costs more than most other types.
• Aluminum Oxide – Synthetic, usually tan or gray, and the default all-around choice for wood and metal. Tough enough to hold up through repeated use.
• Garnet – A natural abrasive with a red or golden color. Good for small tasks and a clean wood finish, but wears out too fast for large jobs.
• Flint – A natural abrasive, usually beige, used mostly for finishing wood. Doesn’t last long, but it’s cheap.
• Silicon Carbide – Synthetic, usually gray, charcoal, or black. Holds up well in water, making it the standard for wet sanding, though it works dry too.

Open Coat vs Closed Coat

Sandpaper is also classified by how densely the abrasive grains are packed onto the backing, described as open coat or closed coat. This doesn’t show up anywhere in the grit number, so it’s easy to miss, but it makes a real difference in how long a sheet lasts on certain materials.

Open Coat

Open coat sandpaper has wide spaces between the individual grains, which let dust fall away instead of clogging the paper and help the sandpaper last longer. It typically covers somewhere around 50 to 70 percent of the backing with abrasive, and works especially well on softwoods like pine that shed a lot of resin and dust.

It won’t cut quite as fast as closed coat since there’s less grit doing the work at any given moment, but it holds up longer on the materials that would otherwise gum it up.

Closed Coat

Closed coat sandpaper packs the grains in tightly, with little to no space between them. That density means more cutting surface in contact with the material, so it removes stock faster and tends to leave a more even scratch pattern.

The tradeoff is that it clogs quicker, which is why it’s generally reserved for hardwoods and other materials that don’t gum up an abrasive the way softwood does.
Yard and Garden Guru

One more variation worth knowing: some sandpaper is stearated, meaning it’s coated with a dry, soap-like lubricant that resists clogging even on gummy surfaces. That coating is a dry lubricant that keeps material from welding into the grit, which is why it works well between coats of finish and on painted surfaces that gum up ordinary paper fast.

Tools Used With Sandpaper

Sandpaper works by hand or mounted to a tool, and the right method depends on the size of the surface, the material you’re working with, and how many corners or contours you have to work around. Here’s a rundown of the tools you’ll run into most often, along with what each one is actually built for.

Sanding Block

A sanding block or sanding sponge is the simplest way to sand small to medium surfaces evenly by hand. Most feature a flat side and a beveled side, with clasped end joints that hold the sandpaper in place so it doesn’t slip while you work.

The flat side lets you draw the sandpaper across a surface in a straight, controlled line, while the beveled edge gives your hand a more comfortable grip. The slight give in a sanding sponge also makes it a good choice for edges and corners, where a rigid block would gouge the material instead of smoothing it.

Pole Sander

A pole sander is a sanding head and clamp mounted on an extendable pole, which lets you reach ceilings, tall walls, and other spots you can’t get to standing on the floor. Sandpaper clips into the head and stays locked in place while you work the pole back and forth.

That extra reach saves a lot of time on drywall and ceiling work, since you’re not constantly climbing up and down a ladder to reach a new section. It’s why pole sanders are a staple for drywall finishers and anyone tackling a large wall or ceiling job.

See Also: How to Sand Concrete With a Pole Sander

Random Orbit Sanders

Random orbit sanders are electrically controlled devices that oscillate in a non-directional manner. Sandpaper is affixed to the head of this device, allowing its user to sand and finish surfaces in a much more timely manner, than would be the case with a traditional sanding block.

Random orbit sanders also prevent swirl marks from being etched into any surface that is being treated.

Orbital Sanders

Standard orbital sanders, sometimes called sheet sanders, move in a smaller, fixed circular pattern rather than the random ellipses of a random orbit sander. They use a rectangular head sized to hold a quarter or half sheet of standard sandpaper, which has its own advantage since sheet paper is cheap and available everywhere.

They’re well suited to finishing small to medium surfaces, but the fixed circular motion can leave faint swirl marks if you’re not careful, and they’re not aggressive enough to make a dent in a large surface in any reasonable amount of time.

Detail Sanders

Detail sanders, often called mouse sanders for their shape, are essentially orbital sanders with a small, triangular head instead of a rectangular one. They use the same fixed-circle motion as a standard orbital sander, just packaged into a much smaller footprint.

That triangular head is the whole point. It lets you work into corners, tight edges, and other spots a full-size sander can’t reach, which makes it a common second sander in any shop that already owns something larger for flat surfaces.

Benchtop Sanders

Benchtop sanders are stationary, bolted to a workbench, and come in belt-style, disc-style, or combination belt-and-disc configurations. Since the sander stays put and you move the workpiece instead, they’re excellent for fast, controlled material removal.

The tradeoff is space and mobility. You need enough clear bench area to maneuver whatever you’re sanding, and the machine itself takes up permanent real estate. In exchange, you get both hands free to control the piece, which makes benchtop sanders useful for fine detail work and quick stock removal alike.

That same corner of the shop is often where a bench grinder lives too, and if keeping drill bits sharp is part of your regular routine, that’s usually where a drill bit sharpener ends up mounted as well.

Handheld Belt Sanders

Handheld belt sanders combine the mobility of an orbital sander with the aggressive material removal of a benchtop sander. A continuous loop of sandpaper runs around two drums, and most models move that belt somewhere between 500 and 1,500 feet per minute, depending on the tool.

That speed is exactly why it’s not a finishing tool. Get careless with a handheld belt sander and you’ll gouge the surface or leave burn marks behind in seconds, so a light touch and constant motion matter more here than with any other sander on this list.

Rotary Sanders

Rotary sanders come in electric and pneumatic versions, and most use a small bit or disc attachment to remove material instead of a full-size pad.

Because the working surface is so small, they’re a favorite for detailed or intricate work where you need to treat one small area without touching the surface around it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What grit sandpaper should I start with?

Start with the coarsest grit the job actually needs, not the coarsest grit you happen to own. Stripping paint or leveling a rough surface might call for 40 to 80 grit, while a surface that’s already close to right can start at 120 or 150. Match the starting point to how far the surface has to travel, not habit.

Do I have to sand through every grit, or can I skip some?

You can skip a step or two, but not many. Jumping from 80 straight to 220 leaves the deeper scratches from the 80 grit untouched, so the finer paper just polishes over damage instead of removing it. A safe rule of thumb is to avoid more than roughly doubling the grit number in a single jump.

Can the same sandpaper be used on both wood and metal?

Some can, but it’s not ideal. Aluminum oxide handles both reasonably well, which is part of why it’s the most common all-around choice. Silicon carbide is the better match for metal and glass specifically, while garnet is really a wood-only abrasive since it dulls too fast on anything harder.

Should I reuse sandpaper, or toss it after one project?

Reuse it as long as it’s still cutting effectively. Sandpaper is worth throwing away once the grit has clogged with dust, oil, or paint, once the paper has worn too smooth for proper sanding, or once there are deep cuts or tears in it. For finish-critical work, avoid reusing paper that’s already been used on a different project, since contaminants or roughness left on the sheet can compromise the new result.

What grit is best for removing rust?

Start in the 40 to 60 grit range for heavy rust or scale, then move up to around 100 to 120 once the metal is clean, to knock down the scratches the coarse grit left behind. Light surface rust on hand tools often lets you skip straight to something finer.

Sanding block vs sanding sponge, which should I use?

They do the same basic job, but a sponge’s flexibility makes it better on curves, corners, and edges, while a rigid block holds a flatter, more even surface across wide, flat areas. Most shops end up keeping both around.

Does a higher grit number always mean a better finish?

Not automatically. Going too fine for the job can burnish some materials instead of smoothing them, which works against you if you’re about to stain wood or bond an adhesive. Match the grit to what happens next, not just to “as fine as possible.”