Steel Shots

Steel shot blasting is the most widely used process for cleaning, stripping and improving a metal surface. The grade or size of steel shot will determine the ultimate finish achieved on the surface of the metal. The round ball shape of the steel shot produces a clean, smooth and polished surface through a peening action created by the acceleration of the shot. In a peening application, steel shot is also used to impart compressive strength to torque or load bearing metal parts such as crankshafts, engine turbine blades and heavy-duty springs.

Smaller steel shot will result in a smoother and more polished surface. Larger shot will clean more aggressively but produce a rougher surface. Both air powered and wheel blast systems can used to accelerate the steel shot onto the surface of the part. Due to the hardness and density of steel shot, it can be re-cycled as much as 3000 times before replacement. Since steel shot does not use an abrasive process a minimal amount of dust is created in the blasting process.

Technical Details
Shot Grade	Approximate Size	Finish	Applications
S-70	0.007"	Fine, smooth shot finish. Excellent coverage.	Blasting of relatively small ferrous and non-ferrous castings. Removal of light scale from foreign and heat treated parts. Blasting of machined parts. Removal of mill scale, rust and other deposits.
S-110	0.011"
S-170	0.017"
S-230	0.023"	Medium, light shot finish. Good coverage.	Blasting of grey iron, malleable iron, light steel castings, medium forgings, heat-treated parts and heavy mill scale - rust and other deposits.
S-280	0.028"
S-330	0.033"
S-390	0.039"	Average to heavy shot finish. Average coverage.	Blasting of steel, heavy malleable iron and grey iron castings. Removal of scale from large billets, slabs - rust and other deposits.
S-460	0.046"
S-550	0.055"
S-660	0.066"	Rough coverage. Adequate for most applications.	Heavy steel castings. Removal of tough, heavy scale.
S-780	0.078"