P1000 sandpaper
18.3 µm grain
P1000 (FEPA) · about 600 grit (CAMI) · 0.018 mm average particle
What P1000 is for
Wet sanding clear coat before compounding. Scratches are no longer visible individually, only as haze.
The two scales
| FEPA (European) | P1000 |
| CAMI (American) | about 600 |
| Average grain | 18.3 µm |
| Scales agree here? | No — P1000 is about 67% coarser than a CAMI 1000 |
A packet marked 1000 in the United States is finer than one marked P1000 in Europe. The P prefix is the tell, and it is easy to miss on a label — which is why a finishing schedule copied from an American source and followed with European paper comes out coarser than intended at every step.
Nearby grits
| FEPA | CAMI | Grain | Typically |
|---|---|---|---|
| P500 | 360 | 30.2 µm | Fine finishing and light wet sanding |
| P600 | 400 | 25.8 µm | Wet sanding paint and polishing metal |
| P800 | 500 | 21.8 µm | Between coats on a high-gloss finish, and the start of the polishing range rather than the sanding one |
| P1000 | 600 | 18.3 µm | Wet sanding clear coat before compounding |
| P1200 | 800 | 15.3 µm | Removing orange peel from paint |
| P1500 | 1000 | 12.6 µm | Final wet sanding before machine polishing on automotive paint |
| P2000 | 1200 | 10.3 µm | Refining a polished surface |
Frequently asked questions
Is P1000 the same as 1000 grit?
No. P1000 is roughly CAMI 600 — the American 1000 grit is finer than the European P1000. The two scales agree up to about 180 and separate above it, so at this end a packet marked 1000 and a packet marked P1000 are genuinely different papers.
What grain size is P1000?
An average grain of 18.3 µm — 0.018 mm. That figure is what the P number is defined by, which is why it is the reliable way to compare across scales.
What is P1000 used for?
Wet sanding clear coat before compounding. Scratches are no longer visible individually, only as haze.
What comes before and after P1000?
Coming up from coarse, P800 (21.8 µm) and then this; the next step finer is P1200 at 15.3 µm. Skipping more than one step leaves scratches the finer paper cannot remove — the usual cause of a surface that looks fine dry and terrible once finish goes on.