Home / Garnet Abrasive Buying Guide

Garnet Buying Guide

For over 40 years, BlastOne has been partnering with GMA Garnet to supply the cleanest and safest abrasives to contractors throughout the US, Australia, and New Zealand.  GMA has produced the highest-quality almandine garnet abrasives for the global abrasive blasting and waterjet cutting industries globally.

Have an upcoming project? BlastOne understands the requirements and project specifications different projects entail. BlastOne has helped contractors on different
projects across the globe for more than four decades, and we understand the requirements that different projects bring. As America’s undisputed industry expert, we understand abrasives. Let’s connect on your next job bid.

Garnet Abrasive Buying Guide

Not all blasting projects require the same abrasive. Different abrasive grades and mineral types perform differently depending on the coating system, steel condition, specification, and production targets.

This guide helps you determine which garnet best suits your surface preparation goals when you have a choice of Australian mined garnet as well as international options.

Step 1: Understand Your Project Goals

Before choosing a blasting abrasive, ask yourself:

  • What type of surface are you blasting? (Steel, aluminium, stainless, concrete, etc.)
  • What coating or rust levels need to be removed?
  • Is this for new steel, heavy maintenance, or precision restoration?
  • What surface profile is required for coating adhesion?

Step 2: Choose the Right Garnet Blend for the Application

Coating Thickness Abrasive Options Profile Blasting Rate Consumption
Very thick coatings, TSA, coal tar 20/40 mesh / ExtremeBlast™ 90–115 μm Up to 24 m²/hr ~10 kg/m²
Heavy-duty coatings & corrosion 20/40 mesh / ToughBlast™ 75–100 μm Up to 33 m²/hr ~7.3 kg/m²
Medium coatings & rust removal 30/60 mesh / PremiumBlast 75–95 μm Up to 32 m²/hr 7.3–14.6 kg/m²
General-purpose cleaning 30/60 mesh / SpeedBlast™ 50–75 μm Up to 33 m²/hr ~7.3 kg/m²
Mill scale & light rust on new steel 80 mesh / NewSteel™ 40–65 μm Up to 37 m²/hr ~6.3 kg/m²
Precision cleaning & restoration 120 mesh / PrecisionBlast™ 25–50 μm Up to 31 m²/hr ~4.9 kg/m²

 

Step 3: Match Your Blend to Industry Needs

When selecting a garnet abrasive, important considerations may include:

  • Silica content
  • Conductivity levels
  • Dust generation
  • Required surface profile
  • Blasting productivity targets
  • Abrasive consumption rates
  • Recyclability
  • Coating specification requirements
  • Environmental or site conditions

Matching the abrasive to the project specification can help improve blasting efficiency, coating performance, and total project cost.

Step 4: Need Help Choosing?

BlastOne’s abrasive specialists can help you choose the right product for your application, blasting equipment, and coating requirements.

Talk to an Expert →

Helpful Resources

ExtremeBlast

The coarsest grade for extreme jobs. Removes high-build coatings of 750+ µm, such as TSA and coal tar.

INDUSTRIES SERVED

Oil & Gas (Onshore/Offshore), Shipyards, Bridges, Military, Tank chemical liners

ToughBlast

Power through thick industrial coatings. An engineered blend for medium to heavy industrial maintenance.

INDUSTRIES SERVED

Oil & Gas (Onshore/Offshore), Shipyards, Bridges, Military, Tank chemical liners

PremiumBlast

Efficient & cost effective all-round performance for removal of medium to heavy rust and industrial coatings.

INDUSTRIES SERVED

Refinery, Water Storage, Tank Farms, Energy Generation, Pipelines

Screenshot-2024-04-11-103419
Surface Profile
Blasting Rate
Consumption Rate
3.5-4.5 mil (90 - 115 µm)
Up to 260 ft2/hr (24 m2/hr)
As low as 2 lb/ft2 (10 kg/m2)
Surface Profile
Blasting Rate
Consumption Rate
3.0-4 mil (75-100 μm)
Up to 360 ft2/hr (33 m2/hr)
As low as 1.5 lb/ft2 (7.32 kg/m2)
Surface Profile
Blasting Rate
Consumption Rate
3.0-3.75 mil (75 -95 μm)
Up to 340 ft2/hr (32 m2/hr)
As low as 1.5-3.0 lb/ft2 (7.32-14.65 kg/m2)

SpeedBlast

Fast blasting performance for removing light to medium coatings and rust, producing exceptional surface quality.

INDUSTRIES SERVED

Refinery, Water Storage, Tank Farms, Energy Generation, Pipelines

NewSteel

The fastest mill scale and light rust removal abrasive that minimizes consumption and keeps costs down.

INDUSTRIES SERVED

Refinery, Water Storage, Tank Farms, Energy Generation, Pipelines

PrecisionBlast

Ideal for fast, gentle cleaning of precision equipment, removing mill scale, and preparing various metals.

INDUSTRIES SERVED

Metal fabrication, Stone & Brick Restoration, Waterjet Cutting, Concrete Maintenance, Graffiti removal, Timber restoration

Surface Profile
Blasting Rate
Consumption Rate
2-3 mil (50-75 μm)
Up to 360 ft2/hr (33 m2/hr)
As low as 1.5 lb/ft2 (7.32 kg/m2)
Surface Profile
Blasting Rate
Consumption Rate
1.5-2.5 mil (40-65μm)
Up to 400 ft2/hr (37m2/hr)
As low as 1.3 lb/ft2 (6.34 kg/m2)
Surface Profile
Blasting Rate
Consumption Rate
1.0-2.0 mil (25-50μm)
Up to 330 ft2/hr (31m2/hr)
As low as 1 lb/ft2 (4.88 kg/m2)

The right abrasive for the right job

REDUCE OVERALL PROJECT COSTS

Premium garnet abrasives, such as GMA Garnet, are often selected for projects where productivity, lower abrasive consumption, and reduced cleanup are important considerations. While some abrasives may have a higher upfront cost per tonne, overall project economics are typically influenced by a combination of blasting rate, abrasive usage, cleanup time, labour requirements, and equipment wear.
Performance garnet abrasives can help improve production rates while reducing abrasive consumption, disposal volumes, and downtime – contributing to lower total project costs across many industrial blasting applications.

lower-grade abrasives may offer a cheaper initial purchase price, if not screened to an approved standard these can affect project quality and performance, resulting in lower productivity at a higher consumption rate. In fact, more abrasive is needed to complete a project. This dramatically increases your cleanup, disposal, labour and equipment costs and ultimately, increases your total project costs.

LESS WASTE, MORE PERFORMANCE

Selecting garnet based on it’s blend of particle sizes which guarantees you more grains per pound. The end result is you use significantly less abrasive to do the same job when compared with inferior garnet.

Abrasive blasting relies on impact to remove unwanted material. More impacts = higher production.

GRAIN SIZE MATTERS

While coarse abrasives excel at removing thick coatings and creating deep profiles, they leave behind embedded particles and struggle with cleaning small, recessed areas. This translates to wasted abrasive, slow cleaning times, and a higher risk of future corrosion due to inadequate cleaning. Conversely, fine grains excel at cleaning and removing thin coatings, but lack the punch for thicker layers or deep profile creation.

Traditional abrasives force you to choose between removing the coating or properly cleaning the surface – you can’t achieve both effectively in one go.

Select a garnet that has exceptional cleaning power alongside fast and efficient coating removal at a lower consumption rate. This translates to a cleaner surface ready for inspection and coating application, all achieved with minimal abrasive waste.

Case Studies

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