Sanding Discs

Red Label Abrasives Premium-Quality Sanding Discs

Red Label Abrasives is a family-owned abrasive manufacturer based in the United States that has been producing premium-quality sanding discs for over 35 years. Our sanding discs are designed from the ground up to be effective, affordable, and long-lasting. 

We produce sanding discs in a variety of different sizes for a variety of different uses. Discs range from 5” in diameter all the way up to 30” in diameter. We also carry discs specifically designed for woodworking, metalworking, and automotive sanding.  If your application requires the use of sanding discs, we have the discs you need. 

Types Of Sanding Discs We Offer

Red Label ultimately offers three different types of sanding discs. These three different types of discs come in a variety of different grains and grits, which we cover further below.

Hook And Loop Discs (Velcro)

Hook and loop sanding discs are sometimes referred to as velcro sanding discs. Velcro is a brand of hook and loop system that became so popular it is now a proprietary eponym for any hook and loop system.

Hook and loop discs contain backings with loops that lock into hooks on the backing pads of disc sanders. Hook and loop sanding discs can be easily interchanged, but they are only compatible with disc sanders that have a hook and loop backing pad. You can make almost any disc sander compatible with hook and loop discs by buying a hook and loop converter pad.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) Discs

Pressure sensitive adhesive discs (PSA discs) are sanding discs with an adhesive sticker backing. PSA sanding discs are affordable and lightweight, but they are difficult to reuse after they have been removed from the sander.

Flap Discs

Flap discs vary slightly from the two other types of sanding discs above. Flap discs aren't sanding sheets cut into disc shapes. Instead, overlapping abrasive flaps are installed onto a center disc hub. Red Label's Edgecore Ceramic Flap Discs are primarily designed for metalworking. The discs can be used to cut, sharpen, shape, hone, and blend both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

What Type Of Abrasive Grain Should I Be Choosing For My Sanding Discs?

Red Label Abrasives offers sanding discs in four different types of abrasive grains: zirconia, silicon carbide, open coat aluminum oxide, and closed coat aluminum oxide. The best abrasive grain to choose will depend on your application. 

If you’re working with softer woods, you’ll likely want open coat aluminum oxide sanding discs. If you’re working with a material that is heat sensitive, you may want to use silicone carbide sanding discs. Both zirconia and closed coat aluminum oxide sanding discs are designed to work with hardwoods and metals. Closed coat aluminum oxide is less expensive than zirconia, but it also has a shorter lifespan. Zirconia sanding discs will have a longer lifespan if you’re working with hardwoods or metals. 

Our abrasive technicians have created a complete breakdown of each grain type if you’d like to learn more about the different abrasive grains on our Abrasives 101 guide. 

What Grit Do I Need For My Sanding Discs?

Red Label Abrasives uses the FEPA scale for grit size. Our sanding discs are available in grits ranging from P24 to P5000. Different grit ranges are going to be better suited to perform different tasks. Anything with a grit of P80 or below (coarse grit) should be used for stock removal or stripping. Medium grit (P100-P220) is good for shaping, honing, and sharpening. Grits of P240 or above (fine grit) are best used for sharpening and polishing. You can view our full grit guide table on our Abrasive 101 guide. 

Hook & Loop (Velcro) VS. PSA (Adhesive) Sanding Discs

Red Label Abrasives manufactures sanding discs with both hook and loop (velcro) and PSA (adhesive) backings. Ultimately, both types of backings work well. The decision on which backing is better for you depends on how frequently you plan to change out your discs.

Adhesive backings work well and they are typically less expensive than hook and loop backings. However, you won’t be able to change out your discs without making the disc you’re changing useless. Once you tear the disc off of the sander, the adhesive is going to have a hard time re-sticking to surfaces. If the application you’re using sanding discs for doesn’t require you to change grits often, then adhesive discs may be the best fit for you. 

Hook and loop discs are both durable and reusable. You can take your disc off of the sander and put it back on several times without sacrificing performance. Red Label also sells hook and loop waterproof film backings for wet sanding applications. 

Common Applications For Sanding Discs

Sandpaper discs are a versatile abrasive product with many different uses. Sandpaper discs are commonly used for auto body work to restore auto headlights, or repair auto paint jobs. Sandpaper discs may also be used to remove putty, resurface bowling balls, restore boats and planes, round sharp edges, strip paint off of furniture, smooth and clean metal, prepare new molding, and perform many other material removal or finishing tasks. 

Can You Reuse Sanding Discs?

Sanding discs can be reused depending on which type of disc you're purchasing. As previously mentioned, PSA sanding discs are not reusable. The adhesive backing won't stick well after the disc has been removed from the sander. Conversely, hook and loop discs and flap discs can be reused. Red Label has become an industry leader well-known for the quality and durability of our abrasives. Our sanding discs are some of the longest-lasting discs on the market.

Questions? Contact An Abrasive Specialist

The abrasive technicians at Red Label Abrasives are here to serve you. As a family-owned business, we take great pride in offering unrivaled customer support. If you have any questions about our sanding disc products or the best abrasives for your application, you can ask one of our technicians by calling (844) 824-1956 or filling out a contact form.