What levels of abrasion do sharpening stones have?

9th March 2020

What levels of abrasion do sharpening stones have?
			Shop for Sharpening Stone
			Sharpening stones are available in a wide variety of levels of abrasiveness, which are directly linked to the size of the grit particles.

			Grit sizes
			120-400 grit – grinding These grits sizes are suitable for rough sharpening, repairing and to grind off chips when the edge of a knife or tool is damaged or unusually dull.

			500-1200 grit – sharpening Sharpening stones with a grit size between 500 and 1200 are typically used for “normal” sharpening. Stones of this grit size are used to to take a knife or tool that has been repaired towards a sharp cutting edge.

			2000-6000 grit – honing These stones have very fine grits and though they sharpen slowly, they will produce a very keen edge. They are chiefly used to remove scratches and burrs left by coarser stones and to hone blades to a very sharp edge.

			8000-10,000+ grit – finishing These ultra-fine grit sharpening stones are used to finish a blade’s edge to razor sharpness and a mirror polish. In practice, 6000 grit stones should be fine enough for most finishing applications.