Sandpaper

Sandpaper, also known as coated abrasive as well as <a href="/facts/Emery_paper/w22UoFDj">emery paper</a> , is a type of material that consists of sheets of <a href="/facts/Paper/FUETwwKV">paper</a> or <a href="/facts/Cloth/PJrVeM5S">cloth</a> with an <a href="/facts/Abrasive/UJ9TvVMx">abrasive</a> substance glued to one face. In the modern manufacture of these products, sand and glass have been replaced by other abrasives such as aluminium oxide or silicon carbide. It is common to use the name of the abrasive when describing the paper, e.g. "aluminium oxide paper", or "silicon carbide paper".
There are many varieties of sandpaper, with variations in the paper or backing, the material used for the grit, grit size, and the bond.
Sandpaper is produced in a range of grit sizes and is used to remove material from surfaces, whether to make them smoother (for example, in <a href="/facts/House_painter_and_decorator/NkDn1FvH">painting</a> and <a href="/facts/Wood_finishing/JraBr8US">wood finishing</a>), to remove a layer of material (such as old <a href="/facts/Paint/Q176AsIG">paint</a>), or sometimes to make the surface rougher (for example, as a preparation for <a href="/facts/Adhesive/shTfIJ0E">gluing</a>). The grit size of sandpaper is usually stated as a number that is inversely related to the particle size. A small number such as 20 or 40 indicates a coarse grit, while a large number such as 1500 indicates a fine grit.

Sandpaper open-in-new

Sandpaper