Grinding Media Depot®
Norstone, Inc. stocks grinding medias across seven material families for particle size reduction, deagglomeration, mixing, and blending — from coarse milling down to nanoparticle sizes. Families differ in density, hardness, chemical resistance, and contamination profile, and the right choice depends on the process, target particle size, contamination tolerance, and equipment in use.
Grinding Media Categories
Polymeric Grinding Medias
Lower-density beads for low-contamination processes — Polystyrene, Polyamide, Polycarbonate, and Polyethylene.
Glass Grinding Medias
Cost-effective, general-purpose beads — Soda Lime, Borosilicate, Low Alkali, and Barium Titanate.
Silica Grinding Medias
Moderate-density beads for general particle size reduction — Zirconium Silicate, Magnesium Silicate, Alumina Silicate, and Flint.
Alumina Grinding Medias
Hard, wear-resistant ceramic beads across a range of purities, from 73% to 99.99% alumina.
Zirconia Grinding Medias
High-density ceramic beads for fine particle size reduction — Yttria, Cerium, Magnesium, and Alumina Zirconia.
Steel Grinding Medias
Metallic beads for coarser particle size reduction — Carbon, Stainless, and Chrome Steel.
Exotic Grinding Medias
Specialty, high-hardness beads — Tungsten Carbide, Silicon Carbide, Silicon Nitride, Boron Nitride, and Diamond.
Choosing a Grinding Media Family
Families are distinguished by density, hardness, and contamination risk. Polymeric and glass medias run gentler and are chosen for contamination control; silica and alumina cover general-purpose grinding; zirconia and exotic medias provide the greatest hardness for fine, demanding processes; steel is cost-effective for coarse grinding where metal contamination isn't a concern.
Applications by Industry
Grinding medias support particle size reduction across coatings, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, minerals, cosmetics, and additional industries, with material selection varying by contamination tolerance and target particle size. Visit the Industries section for guidance on which family typically fits a given industry.
Related Equipment
Grinding medias are used with mixing and dispersing equipment and mill configurations from Norstone, Inc. — including Blade Depot® dispersing and mixing impellers and mills configured for wet and dry grinding across all seven families.
Technical Resources
Published guidance on grinding media selection and particle size reduction is available in the Technical Articles library.