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Grit profile

120 grit sandpaper

Medium

The everyday workhorse grit. Most projects live here.

What 120 grit is for

120-grit is the most-used grit in woodworking. It’s smooth enough to feel finished but coarse enough to take stain evenly. Most cabinet shops finish on 120 for paint-grade work and step up to 180–220 for stain-grade.

Projects at 120 grit

  • · Final sanding before primer on painted furniture
  • · General-purpose cabinet sanding
  • · Smoothing trim before installation
  • · Pre-stain on softwoods (pine, fir, poplar)
  • · Auto-body second-pass after 80-grit filler shaping

Abrasive materials

  • · aluminum oxide
  • · ceramic
  • · silicon carbide
  • · zirconia

Common mistake

120 leaves a slight tooth that softwood readily absorbs stain into — often desirable, sometimes blotchy. Use a pre-stain conditioner if you’re after even color.

← 100 grit (the step before) 150 grit (the step after) →

Top pick at 120

3M Pro Grade Precision Assorted Pack

Five grits. One box. Everything you need to finish what you started.

Check price Review

Catalog fit

34

Current SKU matches in this grit lane.

Common forms

5

Forms represented here, led by discs.

Head to head

4

Comparison pages currently touching this stage of the sanding climb.

Use this grit when

The surface still needs this stage.

  • · The everyday workhorse grit. Most projects live here.
  • · This is the working middle of most sanding progressions: enough bite to matter, refined enough not to leave the job stranded.
  • · On this site, 120 grit shows up most around fine furniture, metal finishing, paint prep, and weld prep.

Skip this grit when

The job is earlier or later than this.

  • · Skip this grit if you still need heavy stock removal or if the surface is already ready for polish-level refinement.
  • · Skip the urge to jump straight here from a very coarse grit; the scratch pattern underneath will usually survive the shortcut.

Recommended at this grit.

Head to head

Comparisons in this lane.

Norton 3X Sheet Sandpaper — 220 Grit (20-pack) vs. 3M Pro Grade Precision Assorted Pack

One grit done right, or five grits done well.

Read the breakdown →

Mirka Gold 5-inch Hook & Loop Disc Assortment vs. Diablo 5-inch ROS Discs — 120 Grit (50-pack)

Finnish precision or American volume.

Read the breakdown →

3M 9×11 40-Grit Sandpaper (5-pack) vs. Norton 3X Sheet Sandpaper — 80 Grit (20-pack)

How rough is the surface, and how much do you want left of it.

Read the breakdown →

3M Pro Grade Precision Assorted Pack vs. Gator Finishing Multi-Grit 9x11 Sandpaper Pack

Both cover the range. One holds up longer.

Read the breakdown →

Questions people ask

The practical part.

What is 120 grit actually for?

120 grit is for the everyday workhorse grit. most projects live here. This is the working middle of most sanding progressions: enough bite to matter, refined enough not to leave the job stranded.

What should come before and after 120 grit?

The safe lane is usually 100 -> 120 -> 150. You can stretch that a little on easy material, but large jumps usually leave scratches behind.

Which forms make the most sense at 120 grit?

On UltraRough, this grit shows up most in discs, sheets, and rolls. That reflects where shoppers usually need this cut level in the real world.

Keep moving

Follow the climb.

100 grit The step before 120 grit. 150 grit The next step after 120 grit. Discs See discs that commonly show up in this lane. Sheets See sheets that commonly show up in this lane. Rolls See rolls that commonly show up in this lane. Use the grit selector Start from the project instead of the number.
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