Every disc on this page is built for wood. Ceramic and aluminum oxide grain on a flexible film backing, hook and loop attachment, and hole patterns that line up with the random orbit sanders woodworkers actually own. Sizes run 5 inch (125mm) and 6 inch (150mm), in 6, 8, 9 and 49 hole patterns to fit Festool, Mirka, Bosch, Makita and DeWalt machines.
Which grit for solid wood
Start at P80 only if you are removing milling marks, planer snipe or old finish. For most projects P100 to P120 does the general smoothing, P150 to P180 is your final pass before a film finish, and P220 suits close grained hardwoods like maple and cherry. Never skip more than one grit step. Each grit exists to erase the scratch pattern left by the one before it, so jumping from P80 straight to P150 leaves deep scratches that only appear once stain or oil hits the surface, when it is too late to fix easily.
Stop at 150 or 180 before hard wax oil
If you are finishing with Rubio Monocoat, Osmo or another hard wax oil, do not sand finer than roughly P150 to P180. Sanding beyond that burnishes and closes the grain, so the oil cannot penetrate and cure the way it should. You lose durability rather than gaining smoothness. Our white non-scratch pads are made for this stage: work the oil in, then buff the excess off before it sets.
Sanding between coats
Between coats of poly, lacquer or water based finish you are knocking down dust nibs and raised grain, not removing material. A P320 or P400 disc at light pressure does it, and a non-woven pad is safer still on profiles and edges where a disc will cut through to bare wood at the corners.
Hole patterns and dust extraction
Match the pattern, not just the diameter. 8 hole is the current 125mm trade standard and covers most DeWalt, Makita, Bosch and Ryobi sanders. 9 hole fits Festool ETS 125 and Rotex 125 machines along with Mirka. 6 hole suits older 150mm sanders. 49 hole is for Festool ETS EC 150 and RO 150, where the high hole count keeps extraction working across the whole pad. When the holes line up, airflow stays open, your dust collection actually works, and discs last noticeably longer because the swarf leaves the surface instead of loading the grain.
Ceramic or aluminum oxide for wood
Green aluminum oxide is the value workhorse for everyday wood sanding and is the right default for softwoods, plywood and general project work. Purple ceramic cuts faster and lasts longer on dense hardwoods, exotics, figured stock and cured finishes, and because it is film backed and wet or dry capable it also handles primer, filler and metal if you work across materials.
Part of our full sanding disc range.
