Tool Belt CalcMeasure
Sandpaper Grit Chart
Which grit for which job, and the sequence.
| Grit | Grade | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 40–60 | Coarse | Stripping finish, levelling badly uneven surfaces, shaping. Leaves deep scratches that later grits must remove. |
| 80–100 | Medium | General stock removal and flattening. The usual starting point on bare timber that is already reasonably flat. |
| 120–150 | Fine | Removing the previous grit's scratches and preparing for finish. Most furniture work finishes around here. |
| 180–220 | Very fine | Final sanding before stain or paint. Going finer than this on bare wood can burnish it and resist stain. |
| 320–400 | Extra fine | Sanding between coats of finish, not bare wood. Enough to knock back dust nibs without cutting through. |
| 600+ | Ultra fine | Wet sanding and polishing cured finishes, and metal preparation. |
Never skip more than one grade. Each grit's job is to remove the scratches left by the one before it, and jumping from 60 to 150 leaves marks that only appear once finish goes on — at which point they cost far more to fix than the skipped step would have.
Each grit's real job is to remove the scratches left by the one before it. That is why the sequence matters more than any individual choice, and why skipping grades costs more time than it saves.
Why use this tool?
Organised by job
What each range is actually for, rather than a bare list of numbers.
The sequence rule
Never skip more than one grade. Each grit exists to remove the last one's scratches.
Where to stop
Going too fine on bare wood burnishes it and makes stain go on blotchy.
Between-coat grits
The fine grades are for finish, not bare timber — a distinction that gets missed.
How this sandpaper grit chart works
Grit number is the abrasive particle size, and lower numbers are coarser. Each grit leaves a scratch pattern proportional to its particle size, and the next grit up exists to replace those scratches with finer ones.
That is why skipping grades fails. Jumping from 60 to 150 leaves deep scratches the 150 cannot reach, and they stay invisible on bare wood right up until finish goes on and reveals every one of them.
Going too fine is a separate error. Sanding bare wood past about 220 burnishes the surface, closing the grain so stain sits on top rather than soaking in — which produces a patchy result that only shows after the stain is applied.
How to use it
Step 1: Start as fine as you can
Only go coarse if the surface genuinely needs levelling. Coarse grits create work for every grit after them.
Step 2: Step up one grade at a time
60 to 80 to 120 to 180. Never skip more than one.
Step 3: Stop around 180–220 on bare wood
Finer burnishes the surface and makes stain blotchy.
Step 4: Use fine grits between coats
320 and up are for knocking back cured finish, not for bare timber.
Example usage
- A typical furniture sequence
- 80 to flatten, 120 to remove those scratches, 180 to finish. Three grades, each doing the previous one's cleanup.
- Stripping an old finish
- Start at 40 or 60, then work up. Coarse grits leave deep scratches, so expect to spend real time at 80 and 120 afterwards.
- Between coats of varnish
- 320 or 400, lightly. Enough to knock back dust nibs without cutting through the coat you just laid.
Frequently asked questions
What grit sandpaper should I start with?
The finest that will do the job. 80 to 100 suits most bare timber that is already reasonably flat; only go coarser if the surface genuinely needs levelling.
Can I skip grits?
One grade at most. Each grit's job is removing the previous one's scratches, and skipping leaves marks that stay invisible until finish goes on.
What grit before staining?
180 to 220. Finer than that burnishes the surface, closing the grain so stain sits on top rather than penetrating — which shows as blotchiness.
What grit between coats of finish?
320 to 400, used lightly. Enough to level dust nibs without cutting through the coat underneath.
Does higher grit mean coarser or finer?
Finer. The number is roughly the abrasive particle count, so higher numbers mean smaller particles and a finer scratch pattern.
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