48-tooth or rip blade 160mm: sheet goods, or a rip
Updated: 22 October 2026
The blade already fits the arbor. You still have to choose the cut: a long rip in softwood, or a facing cut in plywood. A 48 tooth or rip blade 160mm choice is that decision. More teeth clean a crosscut and can scorch a rip. Fewer teeth clear a rip and leave a rougher face. The table is on the [160x20 saw blade comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/160x20-saw-blade). This page is that one trade-off. Listings were read on 19 October 2026. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The blade already fits the arbor. You still have to choose the cut: a long rip in softwood, or a facing cut in plywood. A 48 tooth or rip blade 160mm choice is that decision.
The blade already fits the arbor. You still have to choose the cut: a long rip in softwood, or a facing cut in plywood. A 48 tooth or rip blade 160mm choice is that decision. More teeth clean a crosscut and can scorch a rip. Fewer teeth clear a rip and leave a rougher face. The table is on the 160x20 saw blade comparison. This page is that one trade-off. Listings were read on 19 October 2026. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Teeth | Grind | Job | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Trend Trend CSB/160/3PK 48-tooth triple pack | 48 | ATB | Plywood and MDF | 9.2 | about £34.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  Saxton Blades Saxton TCT16080T 80-tooth blade | 80 | ATB | Finer crosscut | 9.0 | about £13.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Festool Festool PW12 12-tooth rip blade | 12 | Rip | Solid-wood rip | 1.0 | about £35.99 | View offer |
On this page
What the cut is asking for
A rip runs with the grain in solid wood. A crosscut or a sheet cut runs across the grain, or through plywood and MDF, where the face is the finished surface. A coarse blade shows tooth marks. A fine blade can scorch if you push too slowly.
Key Blades treats about 48-tooth ATB as the track-saw default for plywood and MDF, and about 24 teeth for ripping. A UK Workshop rule of thumb puts 12 teeth on a 160 mm blade for a rip, and about 36 to 48 for a fine crosscut, and notes that a slow feed scorches. Both are guides, not BS EN 847-1. If the kerf is still unchecked, use the 160mm blade for a Festool TS 55 before you argue about teeth. A 48-tooth ATB is the general sheet blade when the kerf fits. A 12-tooth blade is for a rip in solid wood. Neither promises a chip-free melamine edge.
48 teeth and 80 teeth
The Trend pack states 48-tooth ATB, a 2.2 mm title kerf and a +15° hook. Reviewers report that it is not chip-free on melamine and that it burns on oak. The Trend single is also 48 teeth, with a 2.4 mm title and a +5° hook.
The Saxton TCT16080T agrees on 80 in the title, the model and the tooth field, with 4.6 from 1,965 reviews, at about £13.99. It is the finer crosscut in this set, and a poor rip blade. Eighty teeth in solid wood, fed slowly, is how scorch marks appear. BAUBECK also says 80 teeth, with laminate burn, a metal claim and a 20 mm thickness field. Who to buy is on best 160x20 saw blade. Both counts can still chip a coating.
The 12-tooth rip listing
The rip blade in this set is the Festool listing titled HW 160x1.6x20 PW12, model 578580, 12 teeth, at about £35.99. The bullets describe long cuts in solid wood and a faster feed. There is no review line. Twelve teeth match the Workshop rule of thumb for a rip on 160 mm. They do not match a show-face crosscut.
Protrade’s 205550 PW12 is 12 teeth and 1.8 mm for TS 55 F and TSC 55 K saws from 2021. The amazon title says 1.6 mm. Confirm the kerf before you treat this ASIN as that trade blade. A 48-tooth blade is the wrong tool for a long rip in oak.
Coated board is a different grind
Melamine chips because the coating is brittle and an ATB tooth can flick a chip out as it exits. Triple-chip grind alternates a flat raker-style tooth with a chamfered one, which is why sellers recommend it for laminate. None of the kept listings clearly say triple chip. Appleby Woodturnings sells Trend CSB/PT16048, a 48-tooth triple-chip blade that is not in this set. Do not copy the 10,000 rpm line on that page onto the ATB blades here.
For plywood and MDF, choose a 48-tooth ATB whose kerf fits, and expect some chip on melamine. For a visible sheet face, the Saxton 80-tooth ATB is the finer option here, still without a melamine guarantee. A chip-free kitchen door needs a triple-chip blade that is not in this list.
Common questions
Should I buy 48 teeth or 80?
Buy 48 teeth for general plywood and MDF when the edge can be finished afterwards. Buy 80 teeth when the sheet face needs a finer crosscut and you accept a slower feed. In this set the agreed 80-tooth listing is the Saxton TCT16080T. The Trend pack is the documented 48-tooth ATB, and its reviews include oak burn and melamine chip.
When do I want 12 teeth?
When you are ripping solid wood and the face will not be the show edge. The Festool listing in this set is the 12-tooth PW12 title, with no UK review line, and a printed width of 1.6 mm. A forum rule of thumb uses 12 teeth on 160 mm for that rip. Confirm the kerf before you treat the amazon listing as Protrade’s 1.8 mm blade.
Will 80 teeth rip solid wood cleanly?
They will cut, and they are likely to scorch if the feed is slow, which is the usual advice people give themselves on a long rip. UK Workshop commenters treat that slow feed as a burn risk on a fine blade. Use 12 teeth for the rip and keep 80 teeth for the crosscut. Oak already shows burn on the 48-tooth Trend reviews.
Why does melamine chip with an ATB blade?
The coating is brittle and an alternate-top-bevel tooth can lift a chip as it exits. Trend reviewers report that the 48-tooth pack is not chip-free on melamine. BAUBECK notes include laminate that burns once the edge dies. Masking or scoring reduces tear-out. It does not make the blade triple chip.
Is triple chip the same as ATB?
No. ATB is the bevelled grind named on Trend, Saxton, S&R and the OX title. Triple chip is a different tooth shape, sold for laminate. A Trend TCG blade exists at other shops, including Appleby’s CSB/PT16048, and that SKU is not in this comparison. None of the kept listings clearly specify triple chip.
Does a slow feed fix tear-out?
A controlled feed helps spelching. A crawl feed scorches, which is the forum warning on fine blades and the burn reviewers mention on oak. If the underside is tearing, check the splinter guard and the support under the sheet. Slowing to a stall heats the tips.
Which kept listing is the rip blade?
The Festool PW12 title, model 578580, with 12 teeth, listed at about £35.99 and no review line. The bullets name long cuts in solid wood and a faster feed. It is not a fine crosscut blade. The title width is 1.6 mm, separate from the 1.8 mm PW12 on Protrade’s page for saws from 2021.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for this comparison, last checked on 19 October 2026.
- HSE: Circular saw benches and riving knives (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE: Woodworking standards, including BS EN 847-1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 847-1:2017 circular saw blade safety requirements (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Festool UK: HW 160×1.8×20 W18 circular saw blade (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Protrade: Festool PW12 160 x 1.8 x 20, saws from 2021 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Festool TS 55 FEQ manual: rotation arrows must match (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- UK Workshop: TS 55 F kerf and riving knife (retrieved 19 October 2026)