# Ceramic bead blasting media

Ceramic blast-cleaning beads, supplier-specific chemistry and size ranges, measurement bases, and the boundary with controlled shot peening.

Reviewed: 2026-10-29

Tags: abrasives, blasting, ceramic-media, reference

## Identity and product boundaries

ZirPro’s Zirblast B60 spans **125–250 µm**, covering the listed B100 (125–180 µm) and B80 (180–250 µm) ranges. Its crystalline zirconia sits in a glass matrix. Zirshot is a separate, shape-controlled peening product. [Zirshot][zirshot] [ZirPro product description][zirblast]

The supplier separates cleaning beads, fine finishing beads, peening shot and angular grit.

| Product or form | Documented distinction |
| --- | --- |
| Zirblast cleaning beads | Cleaning and preparation media; the manufacturer describes satin finishing with greater roughness than Microblast treatments. [Zirblast][zirblast] |
| Microblast fine beads | Fine spherical blasting media for cosmetic finishing, weld cleaning, and related treatments. [July 2020 sheet][micro-tds] |
| Zirshot peening shot | A separate product with controlled spherical shape and tight size distribution for shot peening. Its performance claims belong to that product and process. [Zirshot][zirshot] |
| Zirgrit F ceramic grit | Zirconia–silica composite grit, with a different surface-texture effect from beads. Shared oxide ranges do not make grit and beads interchangeable. [Zirgrit F][grit] |
| Glass beads | A different material. SRL's July 2023 glass-bead sheet lists typical SiO₂ 70–75% and specific gravity 2.60 g/cm³. Spherical shape alone does not establish ceramic-bead behavior. [SRL sheet][glass] |
| Ceramic vibratory shapes | Rösler describes sintered, preformed abrasive bodies for mass finishing, including triangles, cylinders, and cones. They are a separate consumable category. [Rösler ceramic media][vibratory] |

Fused alumina grains also remain distinct. ZirPro compares Zirgrit F against alumina grit and ceramic beads as separate media categories. [Zirgrit F][grit] See also [Finishing process references](../../processes/finishing/index.md).

## Chemistry, phases, and source-specific properties

The following are supplier reference values, not a universal ceramic-bead specification.

| Basis | ZirPro Zirblast, July 2020 technical sheet | KrampeHarex ceramic-bead sheet, undated |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chemical composition | Typical wt%: ZrO₂ 60–70, SiO₂ 28–33, Al₂O₃ <10, other <1 | ZrO₂ 65–70%, SiO₂ 28–33%, Al₂O₃ maximum 0.10%. Percentage denominator unstated. |
| Particle-material density entry | "Specific gravity" 3.85 g/cm³ | "Specific weight" approximately 3.8 g/cm³ |
| Bulk entry | Bulk density 2.3 kg/L | Bulk weight approximately 2.3 kg/L |
| Hardness entry | Vickers 700 HV1 | Approximately 700 HV, 60 HRC, and 7–7.5 Mohs. Vickers load unstated. |
| Qualification of values | Typical values; sheet gives no warranty | General product description, subject to change |

Sources: [ZirPro July 2020 sheet][zir-tds] and [KrampeHarex sheet][kh]. The alumina limits differ substantially. Neither source establishes that the products are chemically identical.

ZirPro's April 2012 sheet separates oxide analysis by X-ray fluorescence on a melted sample from a typical structure description of 68% zirconia and 32% vitreous phase. The structure percentages have no stated mass or volume denominator. They are not interchangeable with oxide wt%. That sheet marks its hardness entry as a statistical measurement and prints an HRC equivalence of 50 to 65. This is not a separately documented Rockwell test on every bead. [April 2012 sheet][zir-old]

The July 2020 sheets explicitly label chemistry in wt%, but their listed ranges are not one simultaneous recipe. Adding all upper limits is not a valid batch composition. Oxide analysis alone also does not identify how much silica is crystalline. These are interpretation limits, not additional test results. [Zirblast sheet][zir-tds], [Microblast sheet][micro-tds]

For one historical product basis, SEPR's Zirblast SDS DS MS BE 11 GB, version 13, dated 01/06/2015, identifies zirconium dioxide at 60–70 wt%, silica glass at 28–33 wt%, and alumina below 10 wt%. Section 3 explicitly describes the silica-alumina vitreous phase as free from crystalline silica. Its silica-glass CAS number is 60676-86-0. This is product- and revision-specific evidence, not a consequence of the SiO₂ number or a certification of all used blasting media. [SEPR SDS, sections 3 and 16][sds]

## Size designations and distribution limits

Selected ranges from the complete July 2020 ZirPro sheets illustrate the product designations. A micrometre, µm, is 0.001 mm.

| Product and designation | Published size range, µm | Interpretation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zirblast B20 | 600–850 | Coarse cleaning-bead range |
| Zirblast B60 | 125–250 | Broad range overlapping B80 and B100 |
| Zirblast B80 | 180–250 | Narrower interval within B60 |
| Zirblast B100 | 125–180 | Narrower interval within B60 |
| Microblast B120 | 63–125 | Fine-bead range |
| Microblast B125 | 0–125 | Broader fine fraction than B120 |
| Microblast B205 | 0–63 | Fine fraction without a positive lower endpoint in this table |

Sources: [Zirblast sheet][zir-tds] and [Microblast sheet][micro-tds]. The sheets provide size ranges, not complete acceptance distributions. They do not state sieve-retention tolerances, percent passing, number versus mass weighting, or D10/D50/D90 values. A range is not a mean diameter or a promise that every particle lies inside both endpoints. A zero endpoint does not mean zero-diameter particles exist. These are synthesis of what the tables do and do not specify.

The letters and numbers are source-specific names, not a universal mesh conversion. ZirPro's live Microblast page mentions laser diffraction and morphological imaging for quality inspection, without publishing the distribution settings or lot results. [Microblast product page][micro]

There is an unresolved manufacturer-page conflict. ZirPro's live B20 detail page gives 252–425 as its size range, without a unit alongside that field, and labels composition "Zirconium Silicate". The range page and July 2020 sheet give B20 as 600–850 µm and describe a zirconia/glass composite. This reference retains the dated table basis. The conflicting detail page does not establish a product change or chemical equivalence to zirconium silicate. [B20 detail][b20], [Zirblast][zirblast]

## Density, hardness, and conditional deductions

Synthesis: particle-material density describes mass per volume of bead material. Bulk density includes the spaces between beads in a container. A poured or tapped bulk value additionally depends on its packing method. Neither compared sheet specifies poured versus tapped preparation. The manufacturer's density label is retained even where "specific gravity" carries density units.

For illustration, using the July 2020 typical values, 25 kg divided by 2.3 kg/L gives approximately 10.9 L of bulk media. Dividing the same mass by 3.85 kg/L gives approximately 6.49 L of bead material. These are different volume bases, not package-capacity guarantees. Packing method and lot variation remain unknown. [Property inputs][zir-tds]

HV1 retains a Vickers load designation. The instrument manufacturer's force table associates HV1 with 9.807 N. KrampeHarex's unqualified HV value lacks that load basis. Neither compared sheet specifies indentation dwell time or bead specimen preparation. Mohs, Rockwell, and Vickers entries therefore remain separate source statements rather than exact conversions or wear-life ratings. [TIME force table][hardness], [KrampeHarex sheet][kh]

For an ideal spherical particle, mass is proportional to density times diameter cubed. At equal density and velocity, doubling diameter makes particle mass and kinetic energy eight times larger. This conditional physics relationship does not predict surface roughness, cleaning rate, bead fracture, or a safe machine pressure. Real size distributions and impact conditions remain separate inputs.

## Cleaning results and peening qualification

ZirPro describes low dust and high reuse for Zirblast, but its product page supplies no matched trial conditions for a universal cycle-life ratio. The July 2020 sheet's iron-contamination claim is narrower than a guarantee against every form of contamination. Neither statement measures embedment or cleanliness on an arbitrary workpiece. A satin appearance also supplies no numerical Ra or Rz acceptance criterion. [Zirblast][zirblast], [July 2020 sheet][zir-tds]

Zirshot's page describes low embedment and compressive-stress benefits in shot peening. Those claims cannot be transferred to a cleaning treatment merely because its beads are rounded. The April 2012 Zirblast sheet itself recommends Zirshot for higher-performance applications such as peening. [Zirshot][zirshot], [April 2012 sheet][zir-old]

SAE J443_202512, revised December 2025, addresses deriving and verifying peening intensity. SAE J2277_202301, revised January 2023, addresses coverage and its relationship to part exposure. Their public scopes establish different controlled quantities. They do not certify this media, a particular Almen intensity, coverage, residual-stress profile, fatigue improvement, or a customer's process. Only public scope text is used here. [J443 scope][intensity], [J2277 scope][coverage]

Synthesis: cleaning acceptance concerns the required removed material and resulting surface. A controlled peening requirement introduces its own media and process acceptance basis. A product's application list, standards reference, or spherical shape alone proves neither result. The sources here do not establish a universal pressure, angle, distance, speed, coating compatibility, or workpiece approval.

## Source versions and coverage limits

Reviewed 29 October 2026 PDT. The Zirblast and Microblast technical sheets both print July 2020, although the Microblast URL contains 202008. The older Zirblast sheet prints April 2012. These are manufacturer-authored documents; the Zirblast copies cited here are hosted outside the manufacturer domain. All are reference snapshots, not current lot certificates. KrampeHarex's sheet has no visible revision date.

The 2015 SDS warns that impact treatment may generate dust and that dust can mechanically irritate eyes and the respiratory tract. It also calls for analysis of process waste to determine disposal. Its historical nonhazardous classification is not a current regulatory determination or proof that blasted coatings, substrate dust, or recirculated media are harmless. [SDS, sections 2, 11, 13, and 16][sds]

No complete current lot grading tolerance, phase-fraction method, sphericity acceptance limit, matched reuse trial, embedment measurement, or qualified process recipe is established by these sources. The page does not determine installed equipment capability or standards compliance.

[zirblast]: https://www.zirpro.com/ceramic-media-surface-treatment/products/zirblast
[zir-tds]: https://139540819.hs-sites-eu1.com/hubfs/ZirPro-TDS-Zirblast-Surface%20Treatment-202007-E.pdf?hsCtaAttrib=262641953979
[zir-old]: https://www.greatfinishing.com/pdf-files/zirblast20/
[micro-tds]: https://www.zirpro.com/sites/hps-mac3-cma-zirpro/files/2022-10/Zirpro-TDS%20-Microblast-Surface%20Treatment-202008-E.pdf
[micro]: https://www.zirpro.com/ceramic-media-surface-treatment/products/microblast
[zirshot]: https://www.zirpro.com/ceramic-media-surface-treatment/products/zirshot
[grit]: https://www.zirpro.com/ceramic-media-surface-treatment/products/zirgrit-f
[glass]: https://srl-materials.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/TDS-Glass-beads_en.pdf
[vibratory]: https://www.rosler.com/en/products/consumables/ceramic-media
[kh]: https://www.krampeharex.com/download-file?file_code=e3d83fdb57&file_id=1335
[sds]: https://qnergy.com/download/5443/
[b20]: https://www.zirpro.com/zirblast-b20
[hardness]: https://www.tgindt.com/resources_details/8.html
[intensity]: https://saemobilus.sae.org/standards/j443_202512-procedures-determining-verifying-peening-intensity
[coverage]: https://saemobilus.sae.org/standards/j2277_202301-shot-peening-coverage-determination