? Where is your part right now?

Not made yetWe machine it and bead blast it in one order — blasting is the step that removes the tool marks the machining left.Machine + blast from one order →Already madeSend us your finished parts. Blasting removes material rather than adding it, so threads and bores have to be masked.Check if your part qualifies →Still comparing processesBlasting is mechanical, not chemical — that difference decides what it can and cannot fix.Compare the blasting media →

SURFACE FINISHING

Bead Blasting Service

Glass bead Aluminium oxide Steel media Medical instruments

A uniform matte finish produced by propelling fine media at high velocity. It removes tool marks, deburrs edges and peens the surface in one pass — and it takes a thin layer of material off rather than adding one.

Get a quote Check if my part qualifies

7 materialsABS, aluminium, brass, copper, stainless steel, titanium, tool steel

Matte textureUniform satin, hides machining marks

Cosmetic on requestCosmetic availability is available on request

ThicknessNot applicable — this process removes material, it does not add a layer

Fine blasting media striking the inside of an aluminium part under high pressure — Media hitting the surface at high velocity — the tool marks disappear because the material around them does.

Sequence

Blasting is a mechanical step — it cleans up what machining left behind

No chemistry is involved, so the surface you send us is the surface it works on. That is why it sits after machining and after deburring, and why anything you want untouched has to be masked first.

STEP 1MachineMill, turn or fabricate to drawing

STEP 2Inspect the surfaceDeep scratches become more visible after blasting, not less

STEP 3MaskThreads, bores and sealing faces are removed rather than protected

STEP 4Bead blastYou are here — 7 materials, one uniform matte

STEP 5InspectTexture uniformity and masking integrity

Blasting cannot hide a scratch by filling it — it works the surrounding material down toward the scratch. If the drawing has a visible surface, mark it, and tell us which faces must not be touched: see drawing notes.

Four bead blasted ring samples held in one hand, showing a uniform matte texture in black, grey, teal and white — Four colours, one process — the same uniform matte, edge to edge.

Bead blasted aluminium part showing the fine satin texture on a machined face — A machined face after blasting: tool marks gone, texture even.

Fit check

Can we bead blast your part? Three things decide it

Material, masking and geometry. The second one is where most orders go wrong — blasting removes material, so an unmasked thread will not accept its nut afterwards.

Material

Yes — ABS, aluminium, brass, copper, stainless steel, titanium, tool steel
Seven materials are covered by our published material list
Anything outside that list: ask first

Soft plastics and very thin walls behave differently under media — tell us the wall thickness.

Masking

Threads, bores and sealing faces must be masked — they are eroded, not protected
Masking areas have to be marked in the design
Media can lodge in blind holes and narrow slots

Give us the masking list before the parts arrive. See drawing notes.

Geometry & texture

Blasting reaches what the nozzle can see — deep recesses and undercuts stay darker
The finish is matte; a polished surface cannot be produced by blasting
Uniformity depends on part orientation during blasting

Tell us which face is the visible one and we will orient the part for it.

Specifications

Bead blasting: 7 materials, uniform matte, cosmetic finish on request

Every value below is taken from our published specification for this process.

Materials

7 coveredABS, titanium, aluminium, brass, copper, stainless steel, tool steel

Texture

MatteUniform satin across the part, non-directional

Colour

White glossyAs published for this process

Cosmetic availability

On requestCosmetic finish is available on request — say so when you order

Thickness

Not applicableBlasting removes a thin layer; it does not add one

Material removed · Ra achieved

To confirmDepth of cut and the resulting roughness are being confirmed with the shop

The one line that matters most: thickness is not applicable here. Unlike plating or painting, blasting takes material away — which is exactly why threads and bores need masking instead of protection.

What it removes

Blasting takes material off — so the masking list decides the fit

The layer removed is thin, but it is removed everywhere the media reaches. On a thread or a bearing bore that is enough to change whether the part assembles.

Where it acts	Effect	Why it matters	What to do
Threads	Material removed from the flanks	A blasted thread is a looser thread — the pitch diameter no longer matches the nut.	Mask all threaded features.
Bores and bearing seats	Material removed from the wall	A press fit loses its interference and no longer holds.	Mask bores that carry a press fit or a shaft.
Sealing faces	Surface roughened	A matte face no longer seals against a gasket or an o-ring.	Mask o-ring grooves, gasket faces and lapped surfaces.
Sharp edges	Radiused by the media	The deburring benefit of blasting is the same effect that blunts a cutting edge.	Say so if an edge has to stay sharp.

Depth of material removed is being confirmed with the shop and will be published as a figure. The masking rules above hold regardless of the final number.

Tell us which features must keep their exact size and we will mask them before blasting.

Get a quote

Media types

Glass bead, aluminium oxide or steel media — the choice sets the cut

The three media below are the ones our published process description names. Each cuts differently, which is why the same part can come back satin or aggressive.

Glass bead

Fine, non-abrasive

Delicate beads propelled at high velocity to clean or smooth a surface. The process is described as non-abrasive, so the part keeps its form.

Best for: uniform satin, cleaning, pre-paint preparation

Not for: removing heavy scale or producing a deep anchor profile.

Close view of a bead blasted aluminium bracket showing the fine uniform satin texture

Aluminium oxide

Sharper cut

An abrasive media, named in our published description alongside glass and steel. It cuts faster and leaves a more open texture than bead.

Best for: heavier cleaning, a coarser texture, preparing for coatings

Not for: thin sections or fine detail that would be rounded off.

Bead blasted metal sample showing the even matte surface left by the media

Steel media

Peening action

Steel media is named in our published description as one of the three used. Its weight is what produces the peening effect on the surface.

Best for: peening, surface strengthening, removing stress risers

Not for: soft substrates such as ABS, which the media would mark.

Not sure which media your part needs? Send the drawing and say what the surface has to do afterwards — paint, seal, or nothing at all.

Get a quote

Pick or avoid

When bead blasting is the right call — and when it is not

Pick bead blasting when

You want a uniform matte finish that hides machining marks.
You need burrs removed from machined edges in the same operation.
The part will be painted, bonded or coated afterwards — blasting prepares the surface.
You want peening to improve the surface's fatigue behaviour.
The part is one of the seven materials on our published list.

Avoid bead blasting when

You need a polished or reflective surface — blasting only goes matte. See polishing.
The part has threads, bores or seals that cannot be masked.
You need corrosion protection — blasting cleans the surface but adds no protective layer. See anodizing for aluminium or black oxide for steel.
The material is outside the published list and you cannot send a sample.

Blasting plus a protective layer is a common pairing — send one drawing and ask for both operations quoted together.

Get a quote

Design constraints

What decides whether the blasted part comes back right

Three variables: the masking you mark, the media we use, and the surface you started from.

Masking

Threads, bores, press fits, o-ring grooves and sealing faces all have to be masked — the process erodes them. Mark them on the drawing; anything unmarked gets blasted.

Starting surface

Blasting reveals rather than fills. A deep scratch, a gouge or a weld repair becomes more visible after the matte finish, not less. Fix it before blasting.

Media choice

Glass bead cuts gently and keeps form. Aluminium oxide cuts faster and leaves a coarser profile. Steel media adds a peening effect. Say which behaviour you need.

Thin walls and soft plastics

ABS and thin sections can distort or mark under heavier media. Tell us the wall thickness so the media can be chosen around it.

Blind holes and slots

Media can lodge where the nozzle reaches but the air cannot clear. Call out blind features so they can be masked or blown out.

Surface you started from

Blasting cannot create a texture finer than the media allows, and cannot remove a machining pattern it was not given the depth to remove. State the starting finish.

Drawing notes

What to write on the drawing so the blast lands where you meant

The masking list matters more than anything else here — blasting removes material, so an unmasked thread is a thread that no longer fits.

1.  BEAD BLAST ALL SURFACES UNLESS MASKED.    MEDIA: GLASS BEAD / ALUMINIUM OXIDE / STEEL  (delete one)2.  MASK THE FOLLOWING BEFORE BLASTING:    - ALL TAPPED HOLES AND THREADED FEATURES    - BEARING SEATS AND PRESS FITS    - O-RING GROOVES AND SEALING FACES    - MACHINED DATUM SURFACES USED FOR INSPECTION    (SEE VIEW A)3.  FINISH: UNIFORM MATTE, NON-DIRECTIONAL.    NO VISIBLE MACHINING MARKS ON SPECIFIED FACES.4.  KEEP SHARP EDGES AT: __________________    (LIST ANY EDGE THAT MUST NOT BE RADIUSED)5.  BLOW OUT ALL BLIND HOLES AFTER BLASTING.

Examples only. If the masking line is missing, threads and bores get blasted — and the part will not assemble afterwards.

Materials

Which materials we bead blast — the published list of seven

The list below is exactly what our published specification covers. Anything outside it needs a sample part before we can quote.

Material	Bead blasting	Notes	Use instead
Aluminium	Yes	The most common substrate — uniform matte hides machining marks and prepares the surface for anodizing.	—
Stainless steel	Yes	Common on medical instruments and food-contact parts, where a matte surface is easier to clean than a polished one.	—
Tool steel	Yes	Used where the blasted texture has to survive service.	—
Titanium	Yes	Blasting is often the step before anodizing titanium.	—
Brass	Yes	Gives an even satin on machined brass fittings.	—
Copper	Yes	Blasting removes tarnish and leaves a uniform matte.	—
ABS	Yes	A plastic on the published list — media has to be chosen gently for it.	—
Other materials	Send a sample	Soft plastics, composites and very thin sections behave differently under media.	As machined

Material not on the list? Send a sample part and we will run a test blast before quoting the batch.

Get a quote

Applications

Where bead blasting is used

Three jobs are named in our published description of the process — finishing, deburring and peening. Each is a different reason to specify it.

Bead blasted aluminium bracket with a uniform matte finish on a dark background

Finishing

A uniform matte across the part — used on items like medical tools, where an even surface looks right and is easier to clean.

Bead blasted metal section showing the fine satin texture on a machined edge

Deburring

The media removes sharp edges from machined parts as a side effect of the same pass — no separate deburring operation.

Four bead blasted ring samples held in a hand, showing a fine even satin texture

Peening

Under heavier media the surface is worked rather than only cleaned, which is what the peening effect is.

QA and documentation

What you get back with the parts

Purchasing usually needs paper as well as parts. Here is what we can issue today and what is still being confirmed.

Available

Texture uniformity

Visual check for a uniform, non-directional matte across the specified faces.

Available

Masking check

Masked features confirmed clear of media before dispatch.

To confirm

Surface roughness (Ra)

Measured Ra per media type. Being confirmed with the shop.

To confirm

Material removed

Dimensional check before and after blasting on masked reference features.

Bead blasting guides and comparisons

Longer answers on the questions this page only has room to state.

Bead blasting guide

What bead blasting does, what it cannot fix, and how to write the requirement.

Bead blasting vs sandblasting

The two media compared on cut, finish and what each does to the substrate.

Brushed aluminium finish

The directional mechanical finish, and how it differs from the matte blasting leaves.

Glass bead blasting

The media our own process description names, explained in full.

Anodizing service

The usual next step for bead blasted aluminium parts.

All surface finishing options

Compare all 20 finishes by roughness, thickness, corrosion and cost.

FAQ

Bead blasting FAQ: the questions engineers ask us

What is bead blasting?

A process that propels fine media — glass bead, aluminium oxide or steel — at high velocity against a surface. It cleans and smooths the material without changing its form, which is why it is described as non-abrasive at the glass-bead end of the range.

Does bead blasting change my part dimensions?

Yes, slightly — it removes a thin layer everywhere the media reaches. That is why threads, bores and sealing faces have to be masked rather than protected. See the what it removes table.

Which media should I choose?

Glass bead for a gentle, uniform satin that keeps the part's form; aluminium oxide when you need a faster cut and a coarser texture; steel media when the peening effect is the point. See media types.

Can you bead blast stainless steel?

Yes — stainless steel is one of the seven materials on our published list, and it is common on medical instruments and food-contact parts, where a matte surface is easier to clean than a polished one.

Is glass bead blasting aluminium different from regular bead blasting?

The media is the same; what changes is the substrate. Aluminium takes a uniform matte that hides surface imperfections well and prepares the part for later operations such as anodizing. Softer aluminium does distort under heavier media, so tell us the alloy and wall thickness.

What finish can I expect?

A uniform, non-directional matte — satin at the fine end. It is not a polish: blasting cannot produce a reflective surface. The specified colour for this process is a white gloss appearance, and cosmetic finish is available on request.

Are there materials you would recommend against bead blasting?

Our published list covers ABS, aluminium, brass, copper, stainless steel, titanium and tool steel. Soft plastics, composites and very thin sections can distort or mark under heavier media — send a sample and we will test it rather than guess.

How do I get a bead blasting quote?

Send the drawing with the masking list and the media you want. Contact the team with the part details and we will come back with a quotation for your parts.

Get your bead blasting quote

Upload a STEP, IGES or PDF drawing. Tell us the material, the media you want, and — most importantly — which threads, bores and faces must be masked.

Get a quote Machine it first

What to send us

Drawing — 2D and 3D files (STEP, IGES or PDF).
Material — from our published list of seven, or send a sample if it is not.
Masking list — threads, bores, press fits, o-ring grooves, sealing faces.
Media — glass bead, aluminium oxide or steel. The cut depends on it.
Visible faces — which face is seen, so the part can be oriented during blasting.
Edges to keep sharp — blasting radiuses edges by design.

All uploads are secure and confidential. Engineers review and reply with a quotation and lead time.