Abrasive Caps for Nail Drills — Grit and Size Guide (UK 2026)
Abrasive caps are the most-replaced consumable on any nail drill or podiatry e-file, and picking the wrong grit or size is the easiest way to waste time, waste product, or leave a client with an uneven finish. This guide covers how to read grit numbers, when to use 10mm vs 13mm caps, why they're single-use, and whether a trial pack or a bulk box makes more sense for your station.
Grit Numbers, Explained
Grit works on a simple rule: the lower the number, the coarser the abrasive.
| Grit | Use case |
|---|---|
| 60 | Coarse — thick, hardened callus and heavy material removal |
| 80 | General-purpose — the salon workhorse for everyday callus reduction |
| 150 | Medium-fine — smoothing after a coarse pass |
| 220+ | Finishing — final smoothing, sensitive skin, light maintenance |
The practical sequence for heavy callus work is coarse-to-fine: 60 to break down thickened skin, 80 for general reduction, 150 to smooth, and 220+ if you're stocking it for a final finishing pass. Jumping straight to a fine grit on thick callus just means more passes and more time; starting too coarse on already-smooth skin removes more than you need.
Cap Size: 10mm vs 13mm
The two sizes stocked are 10mm and 13mm, and the choice is about geometry, not aggressiveness:
- 10mm — the more versatile size for precision work and smaller areas: between toes, around nail edges, tighter contours where a bigger cap can't get in cleanly.
- 13mm — faster coverage on larger, flatter areas like heels, where the bigger surface clears material more quickly per pass.
Most stations keep both sizes on hand and pick per-area rather than standardising on one.
Single-Use Consumables — Not a Suggestion
Abrasive caps mount on a reusable rubber mandrel, but the cap itself is a single-use consumable. Once a cap has contacted a client's skin, it should be discarded — not wiped down and reused on the next client. This is a hygiene requirement: caps can't be effectively sterilised the way a metal bit or an autoclavable handpiece part can, so treating them as disposable is the only safe protocol. Budget for consumption accordingly — a busy podiatry station gets through caps fast.
Trial Packs vs Bulk — The Economics
| Pack | Price | Per-cap cost (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 10mm / 150 grit, 10 pcs (trial) | £3.77 | ~38p |
| 13mm / 60 grit, 10 pcs (trial) | £4.09 | ~41p |
| 13mm Blue Med / 80 or 150 grit, 20 pcs | £6.81 | ~34p |
| 13mm / 80 grit, 100 pcs (bulk) | £36.16 | ~36p |
| 10mm / 80 grit, 100 pcs (bulk) | £32.72 | ~33p |
| 13mm / 150 grit, 100 pcs (bulk) | £36.16 | ~36p |
Trial packs (10–20 pcs, £3.77–£6.81) make sense when testing a grit or size you haven't used before — the per-cap cost is only slightly higher, and you're not left with 90 unused caps if it's the wrong choice.
Bulk packs (100 pcs, £32–36) are the better buy once you know what you use regularly — the per-cap cost drops slightly, and for a station going through caps daily, restocking less often is worth more than the marginal saving.
The Disc Alternative: Poddisk Carriers + Sanding Pads
For large, flat areas — heels again being the main case — a poddisk system is a faster alternative to caps. It's a two-part setup: a reusable steel carrier (15mm or 20mm, £5.45) that stays on the drill, plus self-adhesive sanding pads (grit 120, £6.14) that you peel and replace between clients, same single-use hygiene principle as caps. The wider flat contact area of a disc clears material faster than a cap of similar grit on big, even surfaces — caps still win for contoured or tight areas.
Managing the Dust
Any grit of cap or pad generates fine filing dust, and volume scales with how coarse the grit and how much material you're removing — heavy 60-grit callus work throws up considerably more dust than a 220-grit finishing pass. If your drill doesn't have built-in extraction, pair your station with a desktop absorber; see our comparison of the Marathon Olimp 65W vs Levent for which one suits a caps-heavy podiatry workload.
Quick Picks
EXO abrasive cap 13mm / grit 80 — 100 pcs (£36.16)
View Product OfferEXO abrasive cap 10mm / grit 80 — 100 pcs (£32.72)
View Product OfferEXO abrasive cap 13mm / grit 150 — 100 pcs (£36.16)
View Product OfferSummary
- Grit: lower number = coarser. 60 for thick callus, 80 for general reduction, 150 for smoothing, 220+ for finishing.
- Size: 10mm for precision and small areas, 13mm for faster coverage on larger flat areas.
- Hygiene: caps are single-use — discard after each client, remount fresh caps on the reusable mandrel.
- Buying: trial packs (10–20 pcs) to test a grit; bulk 100-packs once you know your regular grit and size.
- Alternative: poddisk carriers + adhesive pads for faster coverage on large flat areas like heels.
Browse the full range on our accessories page, including bits, poddisk carriers and dust extraction.
Stocked and sold by Coheal UK — UK stockist of genuine Saeyang equipment, sourced through Saeyang's official EU distribution network.
