P120 sandpaper
125 µm grain
P120 (FEPA) · about 120 grit (CAMI) · 0.125 mm average particle
What P120 is for
The workhorse grit for wood before finishing. Many projects go 80, 120, 180 and stop there.
The two scales
| FEPA (European) | P120 |
| CAMI (American) | about 120 |
| Average grain | 125 µm |
| Scales agree here? | Yes, near enough to substitute |
Nearby grits
| FEPA | CAMI | Grain | Typically |
|---|---|---|---|
| P60 | 60 | 269 µm | Heavy shaping and taking off old finish |
| P80 | 80 | 201 µm | The usual first grit on bare timber |
| P100 | 100 | 162 µm | General sanding on softwood, and the point at which the surface starts to look intentional rather than attacked |
| P120 | 120 | 125 µm | The workhorse grit for wood before finishing |
| P150 | 150 | 100 µm | Between the shaping grits and the finishing ones |
| P180 | 180 | 82 µm | The last grit where P and CAMI still mean nearly the same thing |
| P220 | 220 | 68 µm | The last grit most woodwork needs before paint or stain, and the point where the two scales still agree closely enough to substitute one for the other without noticing |
| P240 | 220 | 58.5 µm | The first grit of the finishing range rather than the preparation range, and the first where the two scales visibly part company: P240 falls between CAMI 220 and 240 and matches neither |
Frequently asked questions
Is P120 the same as 120 grit?
Close enough to treat as the same. Below about P180 the European and American scales agree; the divergence starts above it.
What grain size is P120?
An average grain of 125 µm — 0.125 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 P120 used for?
The workhorse grit for wood before finishing. Many projects go 80, 120, 180 and stop there.
What comes before and after P120?
Coming up from coarse, P100 (162 µm) and then this; the next step finer is P150 at 100 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.