Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Coated abrasives
An abrasive material is used to finish a work piece through rubbing the surface of the work piece.
Abrasives are primarily used in industrial applications like grinding, polishing, buffing, honing,
cutting, smoothening etc. The coated abrasives are classified into two broad categories: Woven coated
abrasives and Non-woven coated abrasives.
Product characteristics
The cloths used are cotton, polyester and polyester blends, processed to obtain a suitable coated
abrasives backing. These backings have special characteristics as weight, tensile strength and
flexibility. The type of backing cloth used is Jeans cloth called “J” weight cloth, Drills cloth called
“X” weight cloth and Sateen called “S” weight cloth. Jeans cloth is lighter and more flexible, while
Drills cloth is stronger and used in the manufacturing of coated abrasives to work under medium and
heavy duty pressures.
There are two sides of the drill cloth which are different from each other. One side bears a net of fine
lining if seen carefully and this side is called drilled side of the cloth. Drill side is filled with fillers.
The other side of the cloth is called the coating side.
"J" weight cloth typically has a weight of about 130-195 GSM."X" weight cloth typically has a weight
of about 200-245 GSM and "Y" weight cloth typically has a weight of about 270-330 GSM.
The non-woven coated abrasives are made from abrasive grade fibres and made available for usage in
various sizes and forms.
Market dynamics and growth drivers
The market of coated abrasives is primarily driven by growth in automobiles, auto-ancillaries, auto-
after markets, castings and forging, consumer goods, tanneries, hand tool, power tools, furniture,
sanitary-ware and construction.
The demand for coated abrasives from various industries as given below:
Customer segment of Percentage share of
Coated Abrasive coated abrasive sales
Auto 40%