Comparison Guide

Sand Blasting vs Shot Blasting

Sand blasting typically uses non-metallic or general abrasives with air pressure for surface cleaning and paint removal, while shot blasting uses metallic shot media at higher intensity for heavy-duty metal cleaning and production-line applications.

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Topic	Sand blasting	Shot blasting
Primary media	Sand, garnet, aluminum oxide, glass bead, and similar abrasives	Steel shot, steel grit, and metallic media
Best for	Paint removal, rust cleaning, refurbishment, lighter fabrication work	Foundry castings, heavy fabrication, scale removal, production cleaning
Typical equipment	Portable blasters, blast cabinets, blast pots	Tumble blast, table type, hanger type, conveyor shot blasting machines
Surface intensity	Flexible and adjustable for varied substrates	Higher impact energy for tougher metal surfaces
Dust & recovery	Depends on cabinet or room design	Often integrated with production recovery systems

Related definitions

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