Brown Fused Alumina (BFA) is one of the most popular and versatile blasting abrasives worldwide, especially for demanding industrial applications.
| Chemical Properties (% wt) | Item | Typical | Min | Max |
| Al2O3 | 95.50 | 95.50 | 96.00 | |
| Fe2O3 | 0.15 | – | 0.30 | |
| SiO2 | 0.88 | – | 1.20 | |
| TiO2 | 2.70 | 2.50 | 3.20 | |
| Physical Properties(% wt) | Magnetics | 0.03 | – | 0.05 |
| Moisture | 0.05 | – | 0.20 | |
| Hardness | 2090 Knoop | 9 Mohs | – | |
| Grain form | Angular-cubic | |||
| Bulk density g/cm3 | 3.94 | 3.90 | – | |
| Grit sizes | A full range of size from # 10 to # 320 TO ANSI,ISO and FEPA specifications | |||
| Packing | In 1,000-1,500 kilos super sacks,or 25 kilos paper bags Special quantity packaging and labeling available. | |||
Here is a detailed breakdown of the advantages of using Brown Fused Alumina blasting grit, along with some context on its disadvantages for a balanced view.
Primary Advantages of Brown Fused Alumina Blasting Grit
1. Exceptional Hardness and Cutting Speed
Property: Brown Fused Alumina has a Mohs hardness of 9.0, making it second only to diamond, silicon carbide, and boron carbide in the abrasive world.
Advantage: This extreme hardness allows it to cut through tough contaminants, mill scale, and tenacious coatings very quickly. It significantly reduces blasting time compared to softer abrasives like coal slag or garnet, leading to higher productivity.
2. High Durability and Reusability
Property: BFA is a tough, blocky abrasive with high mechanical strength. It fractures in a way that creates new, sharp edges rather than turning into dust.
Advantage: This is arguably its biggest economic advantage. BFA can be recycled and reused 5 to 15 times or more in a closed-loop blasting system (like a blast room or recycling unit). This drastically reduces the consumption of abrasive and lowers the overall cost per project, despite a higher initial purchase price.
3. Creates an Excellent Anchor Profile
Property: The sharp, blocky particles are designed to bite into the metal surface.
Advantage: It produces a very clean, sharp, and well-defined anchor profile (e.g., a Rugotest “Topshot” or “Anchor Pattern”). This is critical for ensuring the proper adhesion of coatings, paints, and linings. The profile is consistent and free of embedded contaminants, providing a perfect mechanical key for subsequent layers.
4. Low Friability and Consumable Cost
Property: “Friability” refers to how easily an abrasive breaks down upon impact. BFA has low friability.
Advantage: Because it doesn’t break down easily, it maintains its size and cutting efficiency for longer. This translates to less waste (fines) and, as mentioned, high reusability. While the upfront cost is higher than many alternatives, the total cost of ownership is often lower.