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Grinding disc vs cutting disc

Updated: 21 October 2026

You searched for a grinding disc and amazon.co.uk is full of thin cut-off wheels at a lower price. A grinding disc dresses welds on its face. A cutting disc slices on its edge. Using one as the other is how discs break. The three packs kept here are ranked on the [grinding discs comparison](/hub/sanders/grinding-discs). Flap discs are a third product, overlapping abrasive sheets rather than a solid bonded wheel, and not a substitute for either. Peter F. did not run a destruction test. Prices and review counts are amazon.co.uk figures from 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You searched for a grinding disc and amazon.co.uk is full of thin cut-off wheels at a lower price. A grinding disc dresses welds on its face. A cutting disc slices on its edge. Using one as the other is how discs break.

Our top picks

Merryland Merryland 125 mm grinding wheels (10)

Best overall

Merryland Merryland 125 mm grinding wheels (10)
4.5/10about £17.90
View offer
Merryland Merryland 115 mm grinding wheels (10)

Rank 2

Merryland Merryland 115 mm grinding wheels (10)
6.8/10about £15.90
View offer
Hilka Hilka Turbo Flex grinding discs (5)

Best value

Hilka Hilka Turbo Flex grinding discs (5)
5.5/10about £10.02
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each wheel is built to do
  2. 2.What side load does to a thin disc
  3. 3.How the listings blur the two products
  4. 4.Which wheel for the job in front of you

What each wheel is built to do

A grinding disc here is a depressed-centre, resin-bonded wheel about 6 mm thick. You hold the grinder at about 15–30 degrees, as Cutwel describes, and the face does the work. The usual bore is 22.23 mm. Merryland's 115 mm ten-pack prints 115 x 6.0 x 22.23 mm and 13,300 rpm. The 125 mm ten-pack prints 125 x 6.0 x 22.23 mm and 12,250 rpm. Both claim EN 12413. A cutting disc is about 1–3 mm, meant to pass through sheet, bar or pipe on its edge. It is the right tool for a slot, and the wrong tool for knocking a weld flat. Hilka's five-pack is still a 6 mm grinding listing, at grit 180 and £10.02, even where reviewers describe cutting steel drums. Review language does not change the thickness claimed. If the job is only a cut, use the cutting disc comparison.

What side load does to a thin disc

Side load means pushing on the flat face of a wheel built for its edge. FEPA's leaflet says you do not grind with a cutting wheel. A 1 mm disc has little stiffness across its face, so leaning it over to dress a weld can shatter it. Keep the guard on, and do not stand in line with the wheel on a trial run. Forcing a 6 mm disc to act as a saw wastes the wheel and heats the work. One UK review of the 115 mm Merryland pack describes 115 x 3 mm discs. If that arrives, measure it. Do not press harder. Flange direction is on how to use a grinding disc.
Merryland Merryland 125 mm grinding wheels (10)

Testsieger

Merryland Merryland 125 mm grinding wheels (10)
4.5/10about £17.90
View offer

How the listings blur the two products

Best Sellers Rank files the Merryland 115 mm pack and the Hilka pack under cut-off wheels. That bucket is why 4.6 from 1,006 reviews, or 4.6 from 844, can be full of cutting stories. The 125 mm pack is 4.6 from 1,074 and has the same clash: bullets say 6.0 mm, reviews talk about cutting rod. A happy cutting review is not weld-dressing evidence. The 115 mm Merryland pack is the top pick here because size and speed are printed. Hilka is the best value only as a £10.02 box of grit 180 for a light finish, not a cutoff. Bore, date and grit are on the grinding disc buying guide.

Which wheel for the job in front of you

If you are dressing a weld or removing stock on mild steel, buy a wheel about 6 mm thick, with a diameter that matches the guard and an rpm mark at least as high as the grinder. Do not side-load a cutting disc to save a disc change. If you are parting bar or sheet, buy a cutting disc and keep it on the edge, in a cutting guard, and do not lean the face into the burr afterwards. Use the grinding guard for a thick face wheel. If the wheel stands proud, change the disc, not the guard.

Common questions

Can I grind with a cutting disc if I am careful?
No. Careful pressure is still side load on a wheel about 1–3 mm thick. FEPA's guidance is not to grind with a cutting wheel. The disc can shatter rather than wear away slowly. Fit a grinding disc about 6 mm thick and use the face at a shallow angle, with the grinding guard on.
Can I cut with a 6 mm grinding disc?
A 6 mm wheel will eventually groove thin metal, and it is a hot, slow way to cut. It also wears a face you bought for weld dressing. Use a cutting disc for the slot, then change back if you need to dress the edge. Do not twist a thick wheel in a deep cut.
Why do grinding disc reviews talk about cutting?
Search results and sales rank often sit under cut-off wheels, so buyers review the job they did, not the job the bullet promised. Merryland's 115 mm pack is a 6.0 mm listing with many cutting-disc comments among 1,006 reviews. Read the thickness line and, when the box arrives, measure the wheel.
Are flap discs the same as grinding discs?
No. A flap disc is layers of abrasive cloth, and it is a different category. It is not the 6 mm bonded wheel compared here, and it is not a thin cut-off wheel. For a bonded face and stock removal, stay with a depressed-centre grinding disc.
Which guard goes with which disc?
Use the grinding guard for a thick face wheel and the cutting guard for a thin edge wheel. A 125 mm disc does not belong inside a 115 mm guard of either type. If the wheel stands proud, change the disc, not the guard. Taking the guard off is not a setup.
Does a 4.6 rating mean the disc was used correctly?
It means amazon.co.uk's average for that listing, not a check that reviewers used the face, the right guard or an in-date wheel. Hilka is 4.6 from 844 reviews with both grinding praise and steel-cutting stories. Match thickness to the job before the first spin.

Related pages

Best grinding discs

Grinding discs

115 mm vs 125 mm grinding disc: guard size and rpm

Grinding disc buying guide: diameter, grit and rpm

How to use a grinding disc: guard, flange and angle

Sources

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

  1. HSE HSG17 — safety in the use of abrasive wheels (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. FEPA — safety leaflet, bonded abrasives (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Cutwel — expert guide to grinding discs (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Cutwel — Klingspor A 24 R grinding wheels (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Abrasives Safety — reinforced bonded wheels (retrieved 19.10.2026)