Our Sharpening Stone Grit Chart
We decided to come up with a grit chart based on 10 levels. Since one person's "fine" and one manufacturer's "fine" may mean something completely different we established a 1 to 10 grit chart with 1 being the most coarse and 10 being the finest. Each of the levels links to a page where we've selected stones that meet that grit range.
Level |
Description |
Particle Size |
Approximate Grit |
1 |
Extremely Coarse - Fastest metal removal, leaves very visible scratches in cutting edge. |
100+ Micron |
Under 150 Grit |
2 |
Coarse - Very fast metal removal, leaves visible scratches in cutting edge. Most coarse stones commonly available. |
60-100 Micron |
150 - 220 Grit |
3 |
Medium Coarse - Fast metal removal rate, scratches not as visible. Finest recommended grit for dull tools and knives. |
45-60 Micron |
220 - 300 Grit |
4 |
Medium - Good metal removal rate, light sctaches edge. Intermediate stage before finer grits. |
35-45 Micron |
300 - 400 Grit |
5 |
Medium Fine - Minimum recommended grit for final stage of most knives. Edge does not appear scratched but frosted. Finer than medium but sharpening rate slower. |
25-35 Micron |
400 - 600 Grit |
6 |
Fine - Modest sharpening rate, leaves metal edge with frosted appearance. Edge sharpness equivalent to majority of factory edges on knives, tools. |
15-25 |
600 - 1000 Grit |
7 |
Extra Fine - Slow sharpening rate. Edge is showing a polished looking edge. Very sharp edge better than most factory edges on good knives. |
8-15 Micron |
1000 - 2000 Grit |
8 |
Extremely Fine - Edge is extremely sharp. Very slow sharpening speed. Edge reflects light very well. |
4-8 Micron |
2000 - 6000 Grit |
9 |
Near Mirror Polish - Edge is very near perfect. Grits past this stage provides only modest benefit. Leave edge polished to naked eye. |
2-4 Micron |
6000 - 10,000 Grit |
10 |
Mirror Polish - Sharpest edge possible, extremely slowing sharpening. Leaves mirror edge without visible flaws. |
0-2 Micron |
10,000+ Grit |
Questions about sharpening stone grits?
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Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone US: 1-800-351-8234
Outside US: +1-608-203-1129
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