The best sandpaper for hard metals such as iron or steel is aluminum oxide, while the best sandpaper for softer metals such as aluminum or brass is silicon carbide.

Garnet is good for hand-sanding. It works well on raw wood, removing light scratches and preparing the surface for finishing. The abrasive particles break during use, providing new edges for removing material, but garnet sandpaper wears quickly. Emery works for both hand-sanding and power-sanding metal.

The most common include 60 grit (coarse), 100 grit (medium), 220 grit (fine) and 400 grit (ultra-fine). There are also different types of sandpaper, such as ceramic alumina, silicon carbide and aluminium oxide.

Sandpaper is actually a type of coated abrasive, meaning, it is made from some type of abrasive “grain”, such as the types we are going into in this article, which is affixed to some kind of backing – often paper, cloth, plastic, or even foam sponges or mesh.