Surface preparation refers to the various methods that can be used to treat the surface of a material prior to coating application, the use of adhesives and other procedures. Surface preparation is essential for treating steel and other substrates before they are painted, coated or lined.

There are a variety of different abrasive materials for obtaining the surface finish required. The anchor pattern, or etch profile, that the abrasive makes will directly impact how effectively subsequent coatings adhere to the surface, thus using the right abrasive media for surface preparation and finishing is crucial.

In this method, abrasive materials are propelled against a surface at a very high velocity with the aid of compressed air to remove the contaminants. Some of the most commonly used abrasives include bar shot, coal slag, copper slag, garnet, sand, steel grit, glass beads, and others.


The standard grades of cleanliness for abrasive blast cleaning in accordance with BS EN ISO 8501-1[1] are:

  • Sa 1 – Light blast cleaning
  • Sa 2 – Thorough blast cleaning
  • Sa 2½ – Very thorough blast cleaning
  • Sa 3 – Blast cleaning to visually clean steel

(Note: when they click on the above points like Sa 1, Sa 2, etc., it must show an image containing the below note.






Abrasive blasting inside blasting booth


Abrasive blasting (Site work)


Abrasive blasting (Site work)