Black Silicon Carbide Grit Applications

1. Black Silicon Carbide in Industrial Abrasives

Black silicon carbide is produced in an electric resistance furnace from silica sand and a carbon source. It combines:

• High hardness (around Mohs 9.2)
• Angular, sharp fractured grains
• Reasonable toughness for repeated impact in grinding and blasting
• Good thermal conductivity and temperature resistance

These characteristics make black SiC a practical choice for:

• Bonded abrasives such as grinding wheels and cut-off wheels
• Coated abrasives such as belts, paper, and fiber discs
• Loose abrasives for pressure blasting and wheel blasting

2. How Grit Size Influences Performance

Grit size is one of the primary levers for tuning abrasive behavior. In simple terms:

• Coarser grits remove material quickly, leave deeper scratch patterns, and are used earlier in the process.
• Finer grits remove less material per pass, reduce surface roughness, and are used for finishing or preparation before coating.

For black silicon carbide, the same overall material can therefore be present in a cut-off wheel for heavy-duty work or in a blasting setup where the goal is a specific surface profile before painting, plating, or thermal spray coating.

3. Coarse Grits (Approx. F12–F60): Heavy Grinding & Cutting

Coarse black SiC grits are typically used where high removal rates and robust cutting behavior are required. Typical examples include:

• Cutting wheels and rough grinding wheels for castings, forgings, and hard alloys
• Rough grinding of stone, ceramics, and wear-resistant components
• Heavy blasting where a strong, aggressive profile is desired

At these sizes, the priority is normally efficiency rather than surface finish. Equipment design, coolant supply, and wheel structure play major roles in managing heat and wear when using coarse grits.

4. Medium Grits (Approx. F80–F220): General Grinding & Deburring

Medium-size black silicon carbide grits form the backbone of many everyday abrasive products. They are often found in:

• General-purpose grinding wheels for steel and non-ferrous metals
• Sanding belts and discs used for deburring and dimensioning
• Blasting media where a controlled, but still relatively pronounced, surface texture is needed

In this range, manufacturers usually look for a balanced performance: enough cutting power to maintain productivity, while producing a surface that can either be used as-is or refined by one or two additional steps.

5. Fine Grits (Approx. F230–F400): Surface Preparation & Finishing

Fine black SiC grits are commonly used when surface quality and profile control matter more than removal rate. Examples include:

• Precision blasting before painting, powder coating, or thermal spray
• Finishing passes on hardened components where a smoother profile is required
• Fine sanding and lapping operations where controlled roughness is important

These grits help remove shallow defects and blending marks from previous stages, preparing the surface for its final function—whether that is as a mating surface, a coated surface, or a visible exterior.

6. Powders and Micro Grits (F500+): Compounds and Special Uses

While green silicon carbide is more common in very fine polishing, black SiC powders also play a role in some applications, for example:

• Abrasive compounds and pastes for maintenance work
• Certain lapping processes where high cutting ability is needed
• Additives in wear-resistant coatings and composite materials

In these cases, the emphasis is on combining the sharpness of SiC with suitable binders, carriers, or matrix materials rather than using the grains in free blasting or bonded form only.

7. Application Matrix by Grit Size and Process Type

The following table provides a concise overview of how black silicon carbide grits are typically aligned with different processes. It is intended as a starting point for discussions rather than a rigid rule.

8. Practical Guidelines for Selecting Black SiC Grits

When designing a grinding or blasting process with black silicon carbide, consider the following points:

• Define the target surface condition – required roughness, profile, or visual appearance.
• Match grit size to the heaviest necessary correction – use coarser grits only where justified.
• Use intermediate grits to remove deep scratches and reduce the number of finishing steps.
• Test small increments when moving to finer grits, especially for coated and bonded abrasives.
• Monitor tool life and process stability – a slightly finer grit may improve consistency even if removal rate decreases.

9. Information to Share with Your Abrasives Supplier

To receive meaningful support from a black SiC supplier, it helps to provide more than just the grit number. Useful information includes:

• Type of abrasive product (wheel, disc, belt, blasting media, paste)
• Workpiece material (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, stone, others)
• Process parameters (speed, pressure, dry or wet operation)
• Target surface profile or roughness range
• Any constraints related to dust, contamination, or cleanliness

With these details, suppliers can propose suitable grit ranges, particle size distributions, and purity levels adapted to your process.

10. How CanAbrasive Supports Abrasive & Blasting Producers

CanAbrasive supplies black silicon carbide grits for grinding wheels, coated abrasives, and blasting applications. The focus is on stable grading, reliable chemistry, and documentation that supports consistent production.

For customers who are refining an existing product or developing a new abrasive line, our team can discuss available size ranges and share experience from similar applications to help narrow down the initial choices.