Can Beach Sand Be Used for Sandblasting?

Whether you need to remove rust or corrosion or prepare a hard surface for paint, the type of blasting material you use in sandblasting projects can affect the results. Beyond affecting the surface condition and profile, the wrong blasting material can also impact workplace safety and the condition of your blasting equipment.

Can I Use Beach Sand for Sandblasting?

Beach sand is not suitable for sandblasting because it is primarily quartz and is crystalline in structure. Using beach sand for sandblasting will produce respirable crystalline silica, which is dangerous. Beach sand for sandblasting is also a poor choice for your substrate because it can contain a variety of impurities like salts, organic matter, shell fragments, and other debris. These impurities can affect the quality of the surface preparation and may cause contamination or corrosion on the surfaces being blasted, particularly on mild carbon steel substrates. Many coatings manufacturers require a consistent profile as well, and the irregular shape and softer nature of beach sand can fail to produce the required profiles. River sand and regular sand are also not suitable for similar reasons. 

The particle size and shape, and relative particle softness, and inability to produce the required profiles with beach sand are not the only reasons to avoid it. Silica dust can be released into the air during the blasting process. Ongoing exposure to these harmful particles can lead to respiratory diseases like silicosis. 

Blasting with the wrong type of sand may also damage blasting equipment by causing excessive wear and tear on parts, such as the nozzle or blast hose. The right type of blasting abrasive is essential to avoid increased maintenance and repair expenses. With the appropriate abrasives, you also maintain your operation’s uptime by limiting the risk of damaged equipment.

Alternatives to Beach Sand for Sandblasting

Instead of sandblasting with beach sand and producing inferior results, and creating an unnecessary occupational hazard, abrasives designed for sandblasting can help you consistently and safely achieve quality results. 10X superoxalloy abrasives can produce superior surface profiles. 

These blasting abrasives can deliver improved results for various applications:

• EpiX superoxalloy abrasive: This precision-grade blasting abrasive offers high-performance results for demanding manufacturing jobs. EpiX can smooth medical devices, aviation material surfaces, and various manufacturing equipment. 
• DynamiX superoxalloy abrasive: This robust abrasive can help save time for heavy-duty blasting jobs. DynamiX is ideal for various hard surfaces in construction, including bridges, water towers, and ship hulls. 
• KinetiX superoxalloy abrasive: This blasting abrasive can handle high-volume blasting jobs. KinetiX abrasives are ideal for various demanding maintenance jobs and pipeline processes.

Choose 10X Engineered Materials for Superior Sandblasting Abrasives

10X Engineering Materials provides a range of bio-soluble and bio-persistent abrasives. With low dust production and high-performance results, our quality abrasive products can enhance your blasting job outcomes. Beyond improved surface profiles, better efficiency and less wear and tear on blasting equipment, our abrasive products can save you time and money. 

Purchase 10X products online to stock up on quality abrasives. If you aren’t too sure which abrasive is best for your blasting jobs, our courteous team members can provide support.