Stearated aluminum oxide Hook and Loop Discs are resistant to loading and ideal for sanding paint, primer, metal, wood, fiberglass, plastic and more, as well as general purpose grinding, deburring, and blending on most metals. Silicon carbide Hook and Loop Discs are ideal for sanding fiberglass, old paint, primer, body filler, metal, gel coat, soft and resinous wood, wood coatings, walls, dry walls and plastics.

 Aluminum oxide is a popular abrasive, known for its hardness and strength and low cost when compared to other abrasive types. It has low heat retention and low specific heat making it useful in a wide array of grinding and sanding applications. Aluminum oxide occurs naturally in the form of the mineral corundum, but the mineral is not used as a commercial abrasive except as a component of emery. When combined with emery and/or crocus, it produces an abrasive suitable for finishing applications.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a widely used abrasive due to its durability and low cost. It is a synthetic abrasive first developed in the late 1800s. SiC is harder than aluminum oxide, but more friable than fused aluminum oxide grains. Since silicon and carbon are both soluble in steel, silicon carbide is not a effective in grinding steel or ferrous alloys—especially with coarser grit sizes in heavy metal removal applications. Silicon carbide is typically used in applications involving nonferrous metals such as brass, aluminum, and titanium, and for abrading non-metals such as stone, glass, wood, and leather. 

Superabrasive disc types include diamond and cubic boron nitride (CBN). Superabrasive diamonds have the highest known hardness of all abrasive grains. They are used for grinding and sanding nonferrous metals, ceramics, glass, stone, and building materials. Diamond abrasive discs are not useful in grinding steel or ferrous alloys because the carbon in diamond readily dissolves or reacts with iron. However, diamond pastes are useful in ferrous polishing or lapping applications where heat and reactivity are not a factor. When working with ferrous metals, CBN is a better choice. Cubic boron nitride is not as hard as diamond.

Other types of grains include ceramics, garnet, tungsten carbide, and alumina-zirconia abrasives.