Choosing the right carbide burr isn’t just about the shape—it’s about quality materials, correct grade selection, and thoughtful engineering. At Abrasive World, we offer a trusted range of tungsten carbide burrs designed for efficiency, durability, and smooth operation across a variety of materials including stainless steel, aluminium, wood, and more.
🔧 Precision Engineering: The Right Carbide Grade
With over 5,000 grades of tungsten carbide in circulation, selecting the ideal grade is key. Our burrs use a balanced "hard metal" grade tailored for ferrous metals like carbon steel and stainless steel, without the excessive brittleness found in ultra-hard variants. This ensures:
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Long tool life
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Controlled chip removal
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Reduced risk of fracture during use
While not suited for exotic alloys like titanium, our carbide grade hits the sweet spot for most industrial and workshop needs.
🔩 Built for High-Speed Tools
Each burr features a precision-welded joint between the cutting head and the shank. This is critical for high-RPM die-grinders and rotary tools, delivering safe, stable operation with minimal vibration or run-out.
Choosing the right speed for tungsten carbide burrs is important. Too fast and you can burn the workpiece and reduce the lifetime of the carbide burrs. Too slow and the burr won't remove material effectively
⏩Recommended speed for Diamond Cut Burrs
Diamond cut tungsten carbide burrs are designed for cutting steel, stainless steel, bronze, cast iron and hard thermo-set plastics. The recommended speed will vary according to the hardness of the material. The diamond cut burrs are primarily used for milling, deburring, hole cutting and weld preparation work. Below we have detailed the recommended cuts according to a wide range of metals:
Steel - Including carbon steel, mild steel and all harder steel alloys and including tool steels. The recommended peripheral speed is between 7.5 – 12.5ms-1 Peripheral speed of a tool can be quite difficult to interpret so below is a table detailing the recommended rotational speeds of drills and cutting tools, dependent on burr diameter when cutting steels.
For hardened and heat-treated steels and for tool steels it is better to operate at the lower end of the speed range, for mild steel and carbon steels a higher peripheral speed will work well.
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Burr Dia/mm |
Recommended Cutting Speed |
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|
|
7.5ms-1 |
10ms-1 |
12.5ms-1 |
|
|
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
|
6 |
24,000 |
32,000 |
40,000 |
|
8 |
18,000 |
24,000 |
30,000 |
|
9.6 |
14,000 |
19,000 |
24,000 |
|
12 |
12,000 |
16,000 |
20,000 |
|
16 |
9,000 |
12,000 |
15,000 |
Stainless Steel
Including duplex, super duplex, ferritic, austenitic and martensitic stainless steels. The recommended peripheral speed is between 7.5 – 10ms-1
|
Burr Dia/mm |
Recommended Cutting Speed |
|
|
|
7.5ms-1 |
10ms-1 |
|
|
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
|
6 |
24,000 |
32,000 |
|
8 |
18,000 |
24,000 |
|
9.6 |
14,000 |
19,000 |
|
12 |
12,000 |
16,000 |
|
16 |
9,000 |
12,000 |
Cast Iron
Cast iron hardness can vary significantly dependent on the particular type of cast iron being cut or ground. For harder cast iron use a slower peripheral speed. For shaping and radiusing use a higher peripheral speed. The recommended peripheral speed is between 7.5 – 15ms-1
|
Burr Dia/mm |
Recommended Cutting Speed |
|||
|
|
7.5ms-1 |
10ms-1 |
12.5ms-1 |
15ms-1 |
|
|
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
|
6 |
24,000 |
32,000 |
40,000 |
48,000 |
|
8 |
18,000 |
24,000 |
30,000 |
36,000 |
|
9.6 |
14,000 |
19,000 |
24,000 |
29,000 |
|
12 |
12,000 |
16,000 |
20,000 |
24,000 |
|
16 |
9,000 |
12,000 |
15,000 |
18,000 |
Brass, Copper & Bronze
Although brass, copper and bronze alloys can cause a burr to load up with metal, when working at lower speeds the diamond cut is an excellent product to use and will leave a finer finish than a fluted cut burr when the speed range is able to be controlled. We therefore recommend working at slower peripheral speeds with brass and copper. The recommended peripheral speed is between 4.0 – 7.5ms-1
|
Burr Dia/mm |
Recommended Cutting Speed |
|
|
|
4.0ms-1 |
7.5ms-1 |
|
|
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
|
6 |
13,000 |
24,000 |
|
8 |
10,000 |
18,000 |
|
9.6 |
8,000 |
14,000 |
|
12 |
7,000 |
12,000 |
|
16 |
5,000 |
9,000 |
Titanium Alloys
Where possible we would recommend grinding titanium under flood conditions to prevent heat build-up and excessive heat. It is for this reason that we recommend working at lower peripheral speeds when using the diamond cut burrs to grind titanium. The recommended peripheral speed is between 4.0 – 7.5ms-1
|
Burr Dia/mm |
Recommended Cutting Speed |
|
|
|
4.0ms-1 |
7.5ms-1 |
|
|
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
|
6 |
13,000 |
24,000 |
|
8 |
10,000 |
18,000 |
|
9.6 |
8,000 |
14,000 |
|
12 |
7,000 |
12,000 |
|
16 |
5,000 |
9,000 |
⏩Recommended speed for Fluted Cut Burrs
Fluted Cut tungsten carbide burrs are designed specifically for the cutting of aluminium and other soft metals. Fluted cut burrs can be used for milling, deburring, hole cutting and weld preparation work.
Aluminium
For heavy stock removal we recommend working between 10 – 15ms-1 both for lower stock removal and to achieve a slightly finer finish we recommend increase peripheral speed to the higher end of the speed range and ideally 12 – 15 ms-1. Including carbon steel, mild steel and all harder steel alloys and including tool steels. Peripheral speed of a tool can be quite difficult to interpret so below is a table detailing the recommended rotational speeds of drills and cutting tools, dependent on burr diameter when cutting steels.
|
Burr Dia/mm |
Recommended Cutting Speed |
||
|
|
10ms-1 |
12.5ms-1 |
15.5ms-1 |
|
|
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
Burr RPM |
|
6 |
32,000 |
40,000 |
48,000 |
|
8 |
24,000 |
30,000 |
36,000 |
|
9.6 |
19,000 |
24,000 |
29,000 |
|
12 |
16,000 |
20,000 |
24,000 |
|
16 |
12,000 |
15,000 |
18,000 |
🧩 Available Burr Shapes: For Every Contour
Carbide burrs are available in a wide variety of shapes to suit every metal shaping, de-burring, and finishing task:
🔹 Cylinder Burrs
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Flat End: Ideal for hole cleaning, smoothing, and facing.
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End Cut: Perfect for slotting or plunge-cutting.
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Ball Nose: Great for de-burring closed holes without leaving scarring.
🔸 Conical Burrs
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Straight Cone: Reach into tight corners and V-welds.
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Ball Nose Cone: Smooth corner welds without cutting them away.
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Countersink Burrs (60° & 90°): Ideal for screw seating or chamfering. Also great for woodworking.
🔵 Rounded Burrs
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Ball, Oval, Tree, Flame: Excellent on curves, contours, and complex edges. Tree shapes are available with pointed or rounded ends for versatile use.
🔻 Inverted Cone Burrs
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Designed for de-burring the reverse side of holes or rims—perfect for sheet metal finishing. Available in a single diameter with short or long spindles.
🛠️ Compatible with Popular Tools
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6mm Shank: Standard for die grinders and rotary tools.
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3mm Shank: Fits Dremel-type craft tools – ideal for model making, fine detail work, and small-area polishing.
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8mm Shank: Available on larger burrs for use in lathes, pillar drills, or larger grinding machines.
🧱 Best Burr Types by Material
🟢 Ferrous Metals (Steel, Stainless Steel)
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Double cut (cross fluted) burrs reduce chip tearing and improve control, especially on harder steels.
🟠 Non-Ferrous Metals (Aluminium, Copper, Brass)
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Single cut burrs reduce clogging and heat build-up.
🟡 Wood & Plastics
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Both single and double cuts work well. Double fluted burrs typically give a smoother finish.
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For plastics, reduce pressure and RPM to avoid melting or distortion.
🧠 Pro Tips for Best Performance
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Use variable-speed rotary tools for better material control.
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Match burr shape to surface profile: rounded burrs for curves, cones for corners, cylinders for holes.
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Avoid overheating on plastics—run at slower speeds and apply light pressure.
🏁 Summary: Why Choose Our Carbide Burrs?
✅ Precision-balanced for high-speed tools
✅ Engineered for long tool life and minimal vibration
✅ Extensive shape selection for all cutting, shaping & de-burring tasks
✅ Compatible with die grinders, drills, Dremels & lathes
✅ Designed for ferrous and non-ferrous materials, plastics, and wood
Need Help Choosing the Right Carbide Burr?
Our team of abrasives experts is here to assist you with product selection. Contact us today for personalised support.
