Sanding Discs

Sanding Discs for Australian Workshop, Fabrication and Surface Finishing

Sanding discs are the abrasive consumables that handle the most common workshop surface preparation, finishing, and material removal tasks — from rough stock removal through to fine finishing on metal, timber, and composite surfaces. AIMS Industrial supplies sanding discs in the formats, grits, and abrasive grain types Australian fabricators, joiners, and trade users actually need, with Norton, Pferd, Klingspor, and Flexovit as the established brands.

The sanding disc types we stock

• Coated abrasive sanding discs — paper or cloth-backed abrasive in standard sizes for orbital and rotary sanders
• Fibre discs — heavy-duty cloth-backed discs for angle grinder use; aggressive material removal
• Flap discs — multiple overlapping abrasive flaps; combine cutting and finishing in one disc
• Quick-change discs — TR/TS-mount discs for fast disc changes (see quick change discs for the dedicated category)
• Hook-and-loop sanding discs — Velcro-backed discs for orbital sanders, fast disc changes
• PSA (sticky-back) sanding discs — adhesive-backed for permanent-style mounting on sander backing pads

Abrasive grain types — match to material

• Aluminium oxide (A/O) — the everyday workshop choice; suits steel, stainless, timber, and most general work
• Zirconia (zirconium oxide) — self-sharpening grain that maintains cutting edge; longer life than A/O on steel and stainless
• Ceramic — premium grain for the toughest materials and longest service life; cuts cool and stays sharp
• Silicon carbide — sharper but more brittle; suits glass, ceramic, and very hard materials
• Garnet — natural abrasive for timber finishing; produces a fine surface finish

Grit selection

• 24-40 grit — heavy stock removal, weld cleaning, rough finishing
• 60-80 grit — medium stock removal, general surface preparation
• 100-120 grit — surface finishing, light stock removal, prep before painting
• 150-180 grit — fine finishing, prep before staining or final coating
• 240+ grit — very fine finishing, polishing preparation

For most surface preparation work, the sequence is 80 → 120 → 180 in three steps; skipping grits leaves visible scratch marks under finer abrasives.

Sizing — match to tool

Sanding disc diameter must match the tool's backing pad. Common sizes include 100mm, 115mm, 125mm, 150mm, 180mm — angle grinders typically take 115mm or 125mm; orbital sanders typically take 125mm or 150mm; large fibre discs are 178mm. Check the tool spec before ordering.

Brands stocked at AIMS

Norton, Pferd, Klingspor, and Flexovit cover the sanding disc range across the standard formats, grits, and abrasive grains. Each brand has strengths in particular applications — for fibre discs and flap discs, Pferd and Klingspor are the workshop favourites; for coated abrasives in finer grits, Norton has strong product depth.

Companion ranges at AIMS

Sanding discs sit alongside our broader abrasives range — see quick change discs, sanding drums, sanding hand pads and sponges, and power brushes for the broader range.

Need help with grit selection or disc type for a specific application? contact our team — we'll match abrasive, grit, and format to your work.