The Best Sandpaper (Review) in 2020

This multi-pack from Miady is great value for the money and is an easy go-to product for pretty much all your general sandpaper needs. The grit type is a waterproof silicon carbide that has been electro-coated to ensure the abrasive is spread evenly across the paper backing, giving each sheet a nice quality feel.

With 36 sheets per pack, you get 12 types of grit to take you from wood and metal to auto bodywork polishing. Each sheet is nicely sized too and will wrap neatly around most standard-sized sanding blocks. The pack also includes wet and dry sandpaper sheets with 1000 to 3000 fine grit sandpaper grades that hold together well when put under wetted pressure to get a seriously smooth fine finish to your car’s bodywork. At less than eight bucks for a decent sized variety pack, and a durable quality you could expect from a more premium product, this 36-sheet pack is great for most DIY jobs. 

A great addition to your electric sander kit, this pack of circular sandpaper discs from Mirka is tough enough for high-speed sanding on a range of heavy-duty jobs. Designed to fit the big names – Dewalt DW421/423, 5-inch Ryobi and the Bosch 3107 or 3725 – you can use these 60-grit coarse sandpaper discs to whip off heavy paint, surface material as well as for auto finishing.

Using durable aluminum oxide, the discs have a semi-open grain with a stearate coating to help prevent clogging and to ensure you get a superior sanding result. Plus, Mirka use a high-strength resin on every Bulldog Gold sandpaper to provide exceptional grit bonding and therefore a longer life per disc. The backing paper is also satisfyingly thick without compromising the disc’s performance. Each pack of Bulldog Gold comes with 50 five-inch discs to see you through the toughest of jobs. You will pay a little extra for the privilege, but these discs work well as automotive sandpaper and will give you the smooth result you are looking for.

Dura-Gold is a convenient and easy-to-use medium to fine grit sandpaper for a wide range of DIY jobs, from auto bodywork and woodwork to metal, fiberglass and plastics. By coming on a roll, you can take what you need for the job at hand and keep the rest of the sandpaper protected for a later date, ensuring a consistent quality in the grit.

At 60 feet, the roll is sufficiently long for a host of uses and comes with a pack liner to protect its pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) from any damage or contamination. What we also like about the Dura-Gold is that the width is pre-cut to fit standard file boards and can be easily removed from the board once used. The sandpaper’s backing is tear-resistant, the grit is fixed with a high-strength resin and is covered with stearate coating for a nice, clean sand. Dura-Gold rolls also come in a range of sandpaper grit grades from 80 to 400. Overall it’s very versatile and a worthy candidate on our list.

For a no-nonsense, all-round sandpaper at a great price, you can’t go wrong with the 11-inch aluminum oxide assorted pack from DIY stalwarts, 3M. Providing five sturdy sheets – 1 very fine, 2 fine and 2 medium grit – these are the ones to buy when you are next at the DIY store and pop into the toolbox for when a general sanding job comes calling.

For dry sanding use, you can easily use the 3M assorted sandpaper pack for wood, paint, metal, plastic, drywall and fiberglass, and the 9×11-inch sheet size makes them ideal for hand use or for trimming down and wrapping around most standard sized sanding blocks. Tough and durable and with the reliable 3M name on the pack, this sandpaper easily takes our best value slot. Not suited to wet sanding.

If you are looking for a convenient all-rounder that can easily cope with both wet and dry jobs, then the 42-multi sandpaper pack from PaxCoo is the one. First, the quality of the backing paper is excellent, and it is also tear-resistant so it won’t fall apart or crumble in the middle of a full-on sanding job. Each sheet contains silicone carbide grit that is electro-coated, which makes it suitable for both wet and dry use.

And the grit range on offer is pretty impressive too – from 120 to 3000 grit sandpaper, this assortment pack covers all your coarse/medium to extra fine sanding needs. Use by hand or pop onto a sanding block, you get great control over your precision sanding, making these sheets a great choice for removing scuffs or smoothing wood and furniture or wet sanding blemishes out of your car. 

The Norton ProSand is an excellent fine grit sandpaper which, with its ‘self-sharpening’ grit, will make a really precision job of your smoothing and finishing. As both a sandpaper for metal and wood, the ProSand comes with a 220-grit grade made from zirconia alumina combine, which offers three times the sanding performance of standard aluminum oxide. The grit also sharpens back up as you sand, making a really durable sandpaper sheet that is fast in cutting through the rough.

With its open-coat construction, the grit is also nicely clog resistant, and the stearate coating helps to extend its overall abrasive shelf life. We also like the flexible but thick paper backing. A high-performing go-to after priming, sealing or staining to beautifully smooth finish your job.

When it is time to fine sand your job to a quality smooth finish, this 90-piece pack from Verones is a great grit size. From automotive sanding, wood furniture finishing, and wood turning finishing to metal finishing, this is a super all-rounder, with grit grades ranging from 400 through to 3000.

With its nine types of grit, this fine grit sandpaper assortment with cover all you need from art and craft, wood work, metal, and plastic applications for buffing and polishing. These fine grits are also ideal automotive sandpapers and will help to give your bodywork job a super, professional finish. Made from silicone carbide and electro-coated for durability, they work well both wet and dry. When used wet, they also have impressive holding powers and won’t crumble or tear apart under pressure when using.  Each sheet comes in a convenient 8.85 inch x 3.54 inch shape that can be easily cut down to size for smaller sanding blocks.

Made by Dremel, this 18-piece electric Multi-Max sandpaper pack is certainly a friendly soul as it is also compatible with Fein’s Multimaster and the Bosch multi-X.

With a choice of three grits – the coarser 80, mid-range 120 and the finer 240 grit – this is a versatile assortment pack for most every day sanding jobs, although the pack could perhaps do with a coarse grade grit to really make it an all-round set. Use the 80 to sand off old paint, the 120 to get your surface primed and the 240 fine grit sandpaper for a smooth finish. The Dremel multi pack is also quick and easy to fit so there’s no delays in your DIY project.

Made from durable silicon carbide abrasive, 3M’s WetorDry sandpaper is a good option for achieving a quality finish on a range of wood and metal surfaces. With a 1000-grade grit that has a nice open layout to reduce clogging, WetorDry has been specifically designed for wet or dry sanding between coats of varnish, lacquer, paint and other surface finishes. This quality fine grit sandpaper cuts fast and smooth and can also be used to work on and repair surface defects.

The paper backing comes in two weights of waterproof paper to suit the polishing job at hand – A weight for contouring and C weight for levelling general surfaces. Also beneficial as an automotive sandpaper, as well as a sandpaper for metal, the 3M WetorDry is robust and won’t crumble. And it can handle water or oil impressively well for a long-lasting use each time. The size of each sheet – 9-inch x 11-inch – is also big enough to use as it is or trim down for smaller or trickier jobs.

A heavy-duty medium grit sandpaper that fits into your drum sander so you can take on those large wood sanding jobs with ease and precision. This premium pick from Red Label Abrasives fits the Delta 18-36 or any other drum sander that can work with two-inch wide strips.  It comes in a convenient 60-foot continuous roll so you can cut the perfect length so you can keep sanding for longer – ideal for when you are faced with a large wooden floor.

The medium grade grit is made from premium aluminum oxide with an open grain that works to resist heat and reduce any surface clogging or build-up. The durability of this hard-working drum sander roll is boosted by the tough cloth packing to reduce the risk of mid-job wear and tear. The grit is also nicely abrasive and will cut through paint, varnish and surface imperfections, to prepare you for priming and re-finishing. If you are a drum sander, this is actually really good value for the money.