Sandpaper Grit Guide

Which grit sequence to use at each stage — from rough shaping to final polishing.

Grit	Classification	Operations	Notes
40	Extra coarse	Aggressive stock removal Stripping paint/finish Reshaping edges	Leaves deep scratches; only for heavy shaping. Always follow with 60 or 80.
60	Coarse	Stock removal Rough shaping Flattening glue-ups	Good starting point for rough stock or removing mill marks.
80	Coarse	Stock removal Removing 60-grit scratches Initial smoothing	Common starting grit for already-planed or jointed surfaces.
100	Medium	General smoothing Removing 80-grit scratches	Many woodworkers skip this and jump from 80 to 120.
120	Medium	Pre-finish smoothing Softwoods final prep	Last coarse grit before fine work begins. Often the finish-prep grit for softwoods.
150	Medium-fine	Pre-finish prep (hardwoods) Removing 120 scratches	Many finishers stop here for oil finishes on open-pored species.
180	Fine	Final sanding before finish Between stain coats	Recommended pre-finish grit for most hardwoods with film finishes.
220	Fine	Final hand sanding Light scratch removal Between first coats	Go no coarser than 180–220 before your first finish coat.
240	Very fine	Between finish coats Light scuff-sanding	Used dry or with a lubricant to knock down dust nibs between coats.
320	Very fine	Between finish coats Scuff-sanding hardened film	Good between-coat grit for lacquer and water-based finishes.
400	Extra fine	Final coat prep Wet-sanding lacquer	Often used with water or mineral spirits as lubricant.
600	Ultra fine	Rubbing out final coat Pre-polish	Start here for a satin rub-out on a cured film finish.
1000	Micro fine	Rub-out to semi-gloss	Use with water, mineral spirits, or rubbing compound.
2000	Micro fine	Rub-out to high gloss	Automotive-style rubbing; follow with 3000 and polish for piano finish.

Common sanding sequences

Furniture — oil or wax finish

80 → 120 → 150 → 180 → Apply finish

Stop at 180. Oil finishes penetrate the grain — going finer can close the pores and reduce absorption.

Furniture — film finish (varnish, lacquer, waterborne)

80 → 120 → 180 → 220 → 1st coat → 320 (between coats) → Final coat → 600+ rub-out

Allow each coat to fully cure before sanding. Sand with the grain — circular scratches show through film finishes.

Softwoods (pine, fir)

80 → 120 → 150 → Apply finish

Softwoods scratch and dent easily; avoid heavy machine sanding. Raise the grain with water, let dry, then sand to 150 before finishing.

Between-coat sanding

240–320 (dry) → Tack cloth → Next coat

Goal is to knock down dust nibs and improve adhesion, not to remove material. Use light pressure.

Grit progression tips

Never skip more than one grit — each step removes the scratches left by the previous one.
Sand with the grain on the final passes — cross-grain scratches show under stain and finish.
Raise the grain with water before the final grit on water-based finishes; let dry, then sand lightly.
Blow off dust between grits and check with a raking light at a low angle to confirm all previous scratches are gone.

Grit numbers (P-grade / CAMI) differ slightly between manufacturers. The P-grade system (common in Europe) uses finer particle sizing at high grits — P400 is slightly finer than American CAMI 400.