Handheld belt sanders come in a handful of belt sizes, and most of them have an inch version and a metric version a millimetre or two apart. Knowing the families makes it easier to spot the right belt, and to notice when a belt that looks right is actually the next size along.
The main families.
- 3 × 21 in and 75 × 533 mm. The most common size for full-size sanders: 3 × 21 in on North American machines, 75 × 533 mm or 76 × 533 mm on many European ones. Bosch’s GBS 75 AE is one of them.
- 3 × 18 in and 75 × 457 mm. A shorter belt for compact sanders, including several cordless ones.
- 3 × 24 in and 76 × 610 mm. A longer 3 in belt used by some heavier sanders.
- 4 × 24 in and 100 × 610 mm. The large size for heavy sanders such as the Makita 9403, which removes material fast over a wide area.
Within a family the inch and metric figures are close: 3 × 21 in is 76.2 × 533.4 mm. Metric and inch sizes explains how close is close enough and why we keep them apart. Between families the difference is large: a 457 mm belt is 76 mm shorter than a 533 mm one and will not go on.
Read the size on the old belt.
Most sanding belts have their size printed on the back, often next to the grit. If yours is worn off, measure it, or better, look up your sander: the manual and the label on the machine give the size.
More than the size.
- Grit. Coarse belts (40 to 60) remove material and paint fast; medium (80 to 100) smooths the marks; fine (120 and up) prepares for finishing. Work through the grits rather than jumping from coarse to fine.
- Direction. Many belts have an arrow on the back because the joint is made to run one way. Fit the belt so the arrow points the way the belt travels, which most sanders mark on the housing.
- Backing. Cloth-backed belts are the norm for belt sanders; they are stronger and resist tearing at the edges.
- Tracking. After fitting a new belt, run the sander briefly off the work and adjust the tracking knob until the belt runs centred on the rollers.
The step-by-step change is in changing a sanding belt; your manual comes first for your sander’s lever and tracking control.
Sizes documented for handheld belt sanders.
These are the belt sizes in our catalogue for handheld belt sanders, with the number of sanders documented for each. Open a size to see every machine that takes it.
| Size | Machines of this kind | For example |
|---|---|---|
| 3 × 21 in76.2 × 533.4 mm | 19 machines | BLACK+DECKER BR400, BLACK+DECKER DS321, Bauer 20103E-B |
| 75 × 533 mm2.95 × 20.98 in | 14 machines | BLACK+DECKER KA88, Bosch GBS 750, Bosch GBS18V-75 |
| 3 × 18 in76.2 × 457.2 mm | 13 machines | BLACK+DECKER BR300, BLACK+DECKER BR318, Bauer 22106C-B |
| 76 × 533 mm2.99 × 20.98 in | 8 machines | Einhell TC-BS 8038, Erbauer EBS950, Güde BS 76-900 E |
| 75 × 457 mm2.95 × 17.99 in | 8 machines | AEG BHBS 18-75BL, AEG BHBS18B, BLACK+DECKER KA86 |
| 4 × 24 in101.6 × 609.6 mm | 7 machines | Bauer 1816E-B, Makita 9403, Makita 9404 |
| 76 × 457 mm2.99 × 17.99 in | 7 machines | Erbauer EBS18-Li, Güde BSR 18-0, Makita 9910 |
| 100 × 610 mm3-15/16 × 24.02 in | 6 machines | HiKOKI SB10V2, Makita 9403, Makita 9404 |
| 3 × 24 in76.2 × 609.6 mm | 6 machines | Makita 9920, Makita 9924DB, PORTER-CABLE 360 |
| 76 × 610 mm2.99 × 24.02 in | 2 machines | Makita 9921, Makita 9924DB |
Counts are the machines of this kind documented for each exact size today. A size page also lists other kinds of machine that take the same size.
Find your sander’s belt size ↗︎