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Cutting disc buying guide

Updated: 21 October 2026

You already own an angle grinder, and the next tab is a pile of cutting discs that look interchangeable because the hole is the same size. This cutting disc buying guide is the order to use before you pay: the guard, then the metal, then thickness and the speed mark, and only then the pack price. The [cutting disc comparison](/hub/sanders/cutting-disc) holds the twelve amazon.co.uk listings and the GBP shelf prices. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. read those listings and the UK review notes on 19 October 2026. There was no workshop test.

You already own an angle grinder, and the next tab is a pile of cutting discs that look interchangeable because the hole is the same size.

Our top picks

Starrett Starrett 115 × 1 mm, 12-pack

Best overall

Starrett Starrett 115 × 1 mm, 12-pack
9.4/10about £5.03
View offer
Merryland Merryland 115 × 1.0 mm, 50-pack

Best value

Merryland Merryland 115 × 1.0 mm, 50-pack
9.2/10about £18.90
View offer
STONE REEF STONE REEF 125 × 1.0 mm, 25-pack

Rank 3

STONE REEF STONE REEF 125 × 1.0 mm, 25-pack
9.2/10about £12.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the guard, not the bore
  2. 2.Pick the material family
  3. 3.Thickness, speed and the mark
  4. 4.What the packs in this comparison cost

Start with the guard, not the bore

UK retail splits angle grinders into 115 mm, 125 mm and 230 mm. Toolstation’s guide treats 115 mm as the accurate size for light work, 125 mm as the mid size, and 230 mm as the heavy cutter. The usual bore here is 22.23 mm on all three, so a larger disc can slide onto a smaller spindle. That slide is not a fit. The disc has to sit inside the guard that came with the machine. Most bonded packs in this set are 115 mm. The 125 mm packs are Merryland at £20.90 and STONE REEF at £12.99. The only 230 mm disc is Bosch at £2.41. A UK review says the STONE REEF discs do not fit a 4.5 inch grinder unless the guard comes off. Leave the guard on. The millimetres are on the 115 or 125 cutting disc page.

Pick the material family

Aluminium oxide is the usual grain for steel, including stainless. Engweld’s UK guide puts it on high-tensile ferrous metals and silicon carbide on non-ferrous work and masonry. For stainless, look for stainless or inox, and treat a chemistry number as real only when that page prints it. Only the Metabo tin states iron, sulphur and chlorine at or below 0.1 percent. Starrett, Merryland, TechZone and STONE REEF name stainless or inox without that figure. The stainless steel cutting disc page keeps the number on Metabo alone. Faithfull’s tin at £6.95 also lists brick, stone, ceramic and plastic. The Lozlin set, brand field Penfuzon, is three 115 mm diamond blades at £9.79. Its only UK review says an M10 screw took about seven minutes.
Starrett Starrett 115 × 1 mm, 12-pack

Testsieger

Starrett Starrett 115 × 1 mm, 12-pack
9.4/10about £5.03
View offer

Thickness, speed and the mark

Saw-Tech’s UK guide puts thinner metal discs around 1.0–1.6 mm for a faster cut. Here the small-grinder packs sit at 0.8 mm (TechZone), about 1.0 mm, or 1.2 mm (WORKPRO). Bosch is 3 mm because the wheel is 230 mm. A UK review of the Starrett pack says two of three thin discs shattered after kickback. A 1 mm wheel is for a straight cut, not for cleaning a weld. Where a speed is printed, 115 mm listings cluster around 13,200–13,300 rpm and the 125 mm listings sit at 12,200–12,250 rpm. The marked maximum has to be at least the speed on the grinder. Starrett, Faithfull and Bosch do not print one. Starrett, Merryland, Faithfull, MIDO, STONE REEF and TechZone name EN 12413. WORKPRO, Metabo and Lozlin do not. Bosch puts oSa in the title. HSE’s HSG17 says organic-bonded wheels for hand-held use carry a use-by date of three years from manufacture. Mounting is on the how to use a cutting disc page.

What the packs in this comparison cost

Shelf prices are the amazon.co.uk figures from 19 October 2026. Per-disc figures are the shelf price divided by the pack count, not a unit price Amazon prints. Under about £7: Metabo £4.95, Starrett £5.03, TechZone £5.99, Faithfull £6.95. Bosch at £2.41 is one 230 mm disc, outside that band. About £10–£14: Merryland’s 25-pack £9.90, WORKPRO £12.55, STONE REEF £12.99, MIDO £13.99. The Merryland 50-packs are £18.90 (115 mm) and £20.90 (125 mm), about 38p to 42p a disc. This guide does not name a winner.

Common questions

Does the 22.23 mm hole mean any disc fits?
The hole has to pass the spindle. The disc still has to match the guard, the flanges and the grinder’s speed. WORKPRO’s bullet prints a 22 mm arbor, MIDO prints 22.2 mm and 22.23 mm, and TechZone does not state a bore. Measure a vague listing before you mount it, and tighten the nut with the grinder’s own spanner.
Do cutting discs expire?
HSE HSG17 says organic-bonded wheels for hand-held machines carry a use-by date of three years from manufacture. Check that date on the disc before you pay, and again if the pack has sat in a damp shed. Diamond blades are not that resin product. A disc that was dropped is finished even when the date is still valid.
Aluminium oxide or silicon carbide?
For steel and stainless, aluminium oxide is the grain UK trade guides name first. Silicon carbide is the usual suggestion for masonry and many non-ferrous cuts. MIDO names both alumina and silicon carbide. Faithfull lists metal and masonry and does not name the grain. If the afternoon is only steel, buy a disc that says metal or inox.
Why is a 50-pack not always better value?
The Merryland 115 mm 50-pack is £18.90, about 38p a disc, which is low for this set. That sum only helps if you will use 115 mm discs. A 125 mm guard needs the £20.90 Merryland pack or the STONE REEF 25-pack. The 8,013-review line is shared across three Merryland ASINs, so the box count is not three tests of disc life.
What should I check on the disc before I pay?
Check diameter against the guard, bore, thickness, maximum rpm, the material words, EN 12413 where the listing claims it, and the use-by date. Starrett, Faithfull and Bosch have no maximum rpm on these listings. MIDO disagrees with itself on thickness. WORKPRO disagrees on rpm. If those fields do not settle, the low price does not make the disc usable.

Related pages

Best cutting discs

Cutting disc

115 or 125 cutting disc: which guard will close over

How to use a cutting disc: guard, flanges and the cut

Stainless steel cutting disc: inox and contamination

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk listing figures from 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE HSG17 — Safety in the use of abrasive wheels (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. FEPA — Safety leaflet, bonded abrasives (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. Abrasives Safety — Reinforced bonded wheels (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Engweld — How to choose a cutting disc (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Saw-Tech UK — Choosing a cutting disc (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Cutwel UK — Grinding discs guide (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Toolstation — Angle grinder buying guide (retrieved 21.10.2026)