What is abrasiveness of a material and why does it change everything in diamond cutting?

When talking about diamond blades, we often hear that a material is “hard”.
However, hardness is not the most important factor .

What really makes the difference is the abrasiveness of the material .
This article explains what abrasiveness is , how it affects cutting, and why different materials wear the disc completely differently .

In materials engineering, abrasion describes the wear caused by rubbing.

What is the abrasiveness of a material?

Abrasiveness indicates how much a material wears the tool during cutting .

It does not only depend on the hardness, but also on:

• material structure
• presence of inert materials
• composition

The concept of abrasiveness is also used in the industrial field to evaluate wear resistance.

👉 A material can be hard but not very abrasive, or less hard but very abrasive .

Why abrasiveness is so important

Abrasiveness determines:

• how quickly the binder is consumed
• how quickly the diamond is exposed
• the overall duration of the disc

Consequently, abrasiveness is the parameter that guides the choice of binder .

Abrasiveness of the most common materials

🔹 Reinforced concrete

• abrasiveness: medium-high
• presence of inert materials
• progressive consumption of the segment

👉 Requires a balanced binder.

🔹 Asphalt

• abrasiveness: very high
• “open” material
• rapid segment consumption

👉 A hard binder is needed, otherwise the disc will wear out too quickly.

🔹 Porcelain stoneware

• abrasiveness: low
• compact material
• tends to polish the diamond

👉 Requires a soft binder, which frees the diamond.

🔹 Granite

• abrasiveness: low–medium
• hard and compact material

👉 A softer binder than cement is needed to keep the disc active.

Hardness ≠ abrasiveness (common mistake)

A common mistake is to confuse:

1. hardness → resistance to penetration
2. abrasiveness → ability to wear down the tool

Because of this:

• stoneware is very hard but not very abrasive
• the asphalt is “soft” but very abrasive

What happens if abrasiveness is ignored?

If you don't consider abrasiveness:

• the disc can get shiny
• consumption can become excessive
• the cutting quality gets worse

In many cases, the problem is attributed to the disc, but it originates from the material .

Connection with the disc binder

The abrasiveness of the material is what determines:

• whether to use a hard binder
• or a soft binder

👉 Without understanding abrasiveness, disc choice is always a random compromise .

Conclusion

Abrasiveness is the factor that really makes the difference in cutting .
Understanding it means:

1. choose the correct disk
2. make it last longer
3. work consistently and professionally

It's one of the key concepts to stop changing discs randomly .