Sanding Belt Material Descriptions

Our 4 most popular stiff backed abrasive materials
are detailed below and available online!

We also offer several other materials (shown below) but they are not available for purchase on the website. Please call for details.

Best

“Original “- Firestorm Ceramic (CA/X Plus) 24-120X Polyester

Long Life & Fastest Stock Removal – self sharpening
Our original Firestorm Ceramic product. High performance grain offers the fastest cut rate. It has a top-size grinding aid which helps resist loading & aids in cooling. It requires medium to heavy pressure to keep the grain sharp. It works well on most metal applications, but it excels on severe grinding applications. Very cool cutting & long life. It is our top performer on carbon steel, 400 series stainless (4500sfpm) and also Inconel. Designed for dry use, but can also be used wet. Very durable. Good for both narrow & wide belts. Still very popular with the knife makers & blacksmiths.

Products available with this high performance grain: Belts, Quick-Lock Discs, PSA Discs, Flap Discs, Mini Flap Discs, Cartridge Rolls, Square Pad, Cross Pads, No Lap Spiral Bands, Resin Fiber Discs

“New” – Firestorm Ceramic II (CA/Y Plus) 24-120Y Polyester

Longest Life & Fast Stock Removal – self sharpening
Our NEW Firestorm Ceramic II product. Fast cutting with consistent scratch depth. New improved grain offers the longest life, it can last up to 30% longer than our Original Firestorm product. It has a top-size grinding aid which helps resist loading & aids in cooling. It requires medium to heavy pressure to keep the grain sharp. It works well on most metal applications, but it excels on severe grinding applications. We consider this the best of all Ceramic Products! Very cool cutting & long life. Great for all metals, but especially titanium (2500sfpm). Designed for dry use, but can also be used wet. Very durable. Good for both narrow & wide belts. This has recently become our most popular belt with the knife makers & blacksmiths.

Better

Zirc (R203 – ZA/Y Plus) 24-120Y Polyester

Long Life & Fast Stock Removal – self sharpening
Our most popular Zirconia product. R203 is considered by many to be the #1 Zirc product. It also features dual top-size grinding aids which helps resist loading & aids in cooling. It requires heavy pressure to keep the grain sharp! Works well on most metal applications, but it excels on severe grinding applications as well as aluminum. Very cool cutting & long life. Great for stainless steel, alloy & aluminum applications. Designed for dry use, but can also be used wet. Very durable. Good for both narrow & wide belts.

Products available with this material: Belts, Quick-Lock Discs, PSA Discs

Good

Aluminum Oxide (XA911 – AO/X Std.) 24-400X Poly/Cotton

General Purpose Metal Abrasive
Our most popular AO product. XA911 has a durable X-wt. Polyester/Cotton backing. Good general-purpose material for most metal applications. Can be use wet, but not in fully submersed applications.

AO is the primary choice for the finer grits (240 – 600), since most Zirc and Ceramic products are only available as fine 120 grit (we offer ceramic belts as fine 220 grit.) AO is available with a variety of flexes that range from stiff to extra-flexible. Flexible backings (J-Flex) are used for conform-ability. We offer several varieties of flexible belts, please contact our customer service department (937-818-4056) to help determine the best material for your needs.

We offer over 20 different sanding belt materials that include:
Ceramic, Zirconia, Aluminum Oxide and Silicon Carbide

Many belts are run against a contact wheel or a metal platen eliminating any need for a flexible backing. In these cases, regardless if the belt is designed for general purpose use or made for high performance, stiffer backings are generally used (X or Y-wt.).

Flexible backings (J or J-Flex) are used for contours. Quite often, the “slack” of the belt is used for contours, but some customers use soft buffs as their contact wheel. We offer several varieties of flexible belts to meet your specific needs. Details are shown below. If you would like assistance in determining the best belt material for your application please call: 937.963.0376

Other Popular Belt Materials

Ceramic Alumina – C/A-J Flex

CA/J Plus Grinding Aid (soft J-Flex backing)

JS997 (Also available: 052J)
Grit Range 80-220
Closed Coat

High performance flexible product with a grinding aid.. Great for polishing or when using the “slack” of the belt. Works great on carbon steel, stainless steel, inconel, titanium and high grade aluminum. Only used for narrow belts.

Zirconia Alumina – Z/A

ZA/Y Standard (stiff, heavy backing)

PZ628 (Also available: R205)
Grit Range 24 – 120
Closed Coat

Zirconia Alumina, Y-wt. Poly: Great for most materials. Requires heavy pressure! Can be used wet or dry. Very durable. Good for both narrow & wide belts.

ZA/X Economy (general purpose backing)

XZ677
Grit Range 24 – 180
Closed Coat

Zirconia Alumina, X-wt. 65/35 Poly/Cotton: Great for most materials. Requires heavy pressure! Can be used wet or dry. Good durability. Good for both narrow & wide belts. Economy priced, excellent value for the money.

Aluminum Oxide – A/O X-Wt.

AO/X Standard (general purpose backing)

XA911 (Also available: R145)
Grit Range 24 – 400
Closed Coat

Aluminum oxide, X-wt. 65/35 Poly/Cotton: The backing, a Polyester/Cotton blend is very durable. Good general-purpose material for most metal applications. Can be use wet, but not in fully submersed applications.

AO/X “PC” Economy (general purpose backing)

XA167
Grit Range 24 – 400
Closed Coat

Aluminum oxide, X-wt. 65/35 Poly/Cotton: The backing, a Polyester/Cotton blend offers good durability. AO/X “PC” is an inexpensive product providing outstanding performance for the money. Good for both wood and metal applications.

AO/X Open Coat (general purpose backing)

XA345 (Also available: K35)
Grit Range 24 – 320
Open Coat

Aluminum oxide, X-wt. 65/35 Poly/Cotton with antistatic and non-loading additives in the resin: Open Coat, good general-purpose material for most wood applications. Good for portable belts, edge sanders and stroke sanders. Dry use only.

Aluminum Oxide – A/O J-Wt.

AO/J Plus Grinding Aid (soft J-Flex backing)

KA537
Grit Range 60 – 600
Closed Coat

AO/J Plus is our most popular J-Wt. belt. Green in color, made with Premium Blue Fired Aluminum oxide with grinding aids added to the resin and top coat, J-Flex 100% Egyptian cotton (can be torn to custom widths): A highly flexible product for high performance applications. Great on stainless steel & other highly alloyed materials. Also popular for wood. This is one of the favorites for knife makers because it works great on metal and also various handle materials.

AO/J Premium (soft J-Flex backing)

KAF (60-400), KK511F (800)
Grit Range 60 – 800
Closed Coat

Aluminum oxide, J-Flex 100% Egyptian cotton: A highly flexible product for use on most metal applications, also good on hard woods.

AO/J “PC” Economy (soft J-Flex backing)

JA165
Grit Range 60 – 600
Closed Coat

Aluminum oxide, J-wt. 65/35 Poly/Cotton: A standard flexible product for use on aluminum, die-cast, carbon steel and other metalworking applications. Economy priced, excellent value for the money.

Aluminum Oxide – A/O Y-Wt.

AO/Y Standard (Grinding Aid) (stiff, heavy backing)

R192
Grit Range 24 – 600
Closed Coat

Aluminum oxide, X/Y wt. 65-35 Poly/Cotton: (Y-wt. for 120 grit & coarser. X-wt. for 150 grit & finer.) Includes a grinding aid to help reduce heat. For high tensile steel, stainless steel, titanium & other heat sensitive material. Dry use only. Good for both narrow & wide belts.

AO/Y Open Coat Washable (stiff, heavy backing)

PA343 (Also available: W25)
Grit Range 24 – 320
Open Coat

Aluminum oxide, Y-wt. Poly: Very popular for flat sanding, can be used at high speed. Very durable. Can be used wet or dry. Used primarily on wood, in wide belt applications.

Silicon Carbide – S/C

SC/Y Standard W/P (stiff, heavy backing)

PC221 (Also available: S181)
Grit Range 24 – 800
Closed Coat

Silicon Carbide, Y-wt. Poly: For wet or dry sanding of glass, cement, ceramic, non-ferrous metal, titanium and stainless steel. Good for both narrow & wide belts.