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Cut paving slabs with a 230 mm angle grinder

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to cut a slab, a block or a concrete edge, and a small 115 mm grinder will not reach it. The Bosch in the carton still will not cut until you add a blade, and the dust can contain silica. To cut paving slabs with a 230 mm angle grinder, buy a diamond disc rated to at least 6,500 rpm, keep the guard on, and decide the dust controls before you argue about watts. The [Bosch angle grinder 230 comparison](/hub/tools/bosch-angle-grinder-230) is where the five tools are chosen. This page is the material, the blade and the dust. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk listings from 19 October 2026, Bosch UK’s dust and disc pages, and HSE CN1. There was no lab cut.

You are about to cut a slab, a block or a concrete edge, and a small 115 mm grinder will not reach it. The Bosch in the carton still will not cut until you add a blade, and the dust can contain silica.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch GWS 22-230 J

Best overall

Bosch Bosch GWS 22-230 J
8.7/10about £115.81
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Bosch Bosch GWS 20-230 J

Rank 2

Bosch Bosch GWS 20-230 J
9.2/10about £145.00
View offer
Bosch Bosch GWS 22-230 P

Alternative

Bosch Bosch GWS 22-230 P
7.0/10about £156.07
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The grinder does not cut until you add a blade
  2. 2.Masonry, concrete and porcelain are not one disc
  3. 3.Dust is the health decision
  4. 4.What the tool still has to do

The grinder does not cut until you add a blade

Every kept listing ships the grinder, a side handle, a guard, a backing flange, a locking nut, a two-hole spanner and cardboard. You do not get a disc or a case. Bosch’s application for these large grinders is metal and stone. Reviewers of the GWS 20-230 J describe a paving cut in one pass. That is a user report, not a depth you can copy onto your slab. The English family manual’s table is 230 mm, a bore of 22.2 mm, and 6,500 rpm no-load. Diamond discs are sold as 22.23 mm. The disc’s marked maximum must be at least 6,500 rpm. A thin abrasive disc meant for steel is the wrong wheel for masonry, and a grinding disc is the wrong wheel for a cut. Fit the blade with the guard on, using the sequence on the how to use a 230 mm angle grinder page.

Masonry, concrete and porcelain are not one disc

Bosch UK sells a PRO multi-material turbo diamond disc at 230 × 22.23 mm for £39.66. The page describes it for soft-stone paving, bricks, roof tiles and concrete. It is not a porcelain specialist. Check the packet for at least 6,500 rpm and a 22.23 mm bore. Bosch’s concrete-cutting page quotes about 60 mm maximum cutting depth on the GDE 230 FC-S, and that guard has to run with an extractor. The 60 mm figure belongs to the guard, not to the open guard in these five cartons. A specialist porcelain blade is often sold with a claim of about 15 mm per pass. That 15 mm line is the blade maker’s claim, not a cut measured here.
Bosch Bosch GWS 22-230 J

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch GWS 22-230 J
8.7/10about £115.81
View offer

Dust is the health decision

Concrete and mortar dust can contain respirable crystalline silica. HSE CN1 treats cutting that material as a job for on-tool extraction, M or H class, and respiratory protection at APF 20 or better. A breeze and a pair of spectacles are not that control. Bosch’s GDE 230 FC-S is listed at about £175.94, and it is not in any of the five cartons. Water on the cut is not a casual substitute on commercial concrete. CN1’s point is extraction and RPE. If the job is a commercial run, or you cannot put extraction and APF 20 RPE on the tool, a professional who already works that way should own the cut.

What the tool still has to do

On a 13 A circuit, a soft start is what keeps a large disc from kicking and, in reviews of the GWS 22-230 J, from tripping a 16 A fuse. That model is 2,200 W at £115.81, and its table prints 120 V, so you confirm the plate. The GWS 20-230 J at £145.00 prints 230 V, at 2,000 W. The P models stop when you release the switch and they start harder. A UK review of the GWS 22-230 P says the tool kicks. The 110 V GWS 2200 P belongs on a site transformer, not on the garage socket. Both hands stay on the tool and the guard stays on. Let the diamond work. Who should skip each switch is on the best Bosch 230 mm angle grinder page.

Common questions

Will a 230 mm grinder cut a 50 mm slab in one go?
It might, and that is not a specification. As a rule of thumb, many domestic concrete slabs sit within one pass of a 230 mm disc, and a GWS 20-230 J review describes paving cut that way. Porcelain blades are often sold against a claim of about 15 mm a pass. Bosch’s roughly 60 mm figure is the depth quoted for the GDE 230 full-cover guard, not a depth measured on every GWS body. This page has no lab cut.
Which disc, diamond or abrasive?
Use a diamond blade for paving, blocks and concrete. Bosch’s PRO multi-material turbo at 230 × 22.23 mm, £39.66, is described for soft-stone paving, bricks, roof tiles and concrete. It is not a porcelain specialist. A thin metal-cutting abrasive, or a grinding disc, is the wrong wheel. The disc must be marked for at least 6,500 rpm.
What bore and what maximum rpm?
The family manual’s table for these grinders is a 22.2 mm bore and 6,500 rpm no-load. Diamond discs labelled 22.23 mm are the same fit. The disc’s own maximum has to be at least 6,500 rpm. A disc marked for a lower speed, or a 115 mm disc with a lucky bore, does not belong on this spindle.
Is the dust just a nuisance?
No, when the material is concrete, mortar or other silica-containing stone. HSE CN1 calls for on-tool extraction in M or H class and RPE at APF 20 or better. Goggles deal with dust in the eyes. They do not deal with respirable silica. A windy day does not replace an M or H class extractor.
Do I need the GDE guard?
You need it if you are using Bosch’s full-cover method. The GDE 230 FC-S fits this family, costs about £175.94, quotes about 60 mm maximum cutting depth, and must be used with an extractor. It is not in these cartons. The open guard that shipped with the grinder is not that accessory. Skipping extraction because the guard is expensive leaves the CN1 duty unmet.
Which of these tools starts more gently on a house socket?
The J models. The GWS 22-230 J at £115.81 is 2,200 W, and reviewers describe a soft start that does not trip a 16 A fuse, with a 120 V cell you still check on the plate. The GWS 20-230 J at £145.00 prints 230 V and also has soft start, at 2,000 W. The P models stop when you let go, and a UK review of the GWS 22-230 P says that tool kicks.

Related pages

Bosch 230 mm angle grinder buying guide

Bosch angle grinder 230

110 V or 230 V Bosch angle grinder: match the plug

Best Bosch 230 mm angle grinder for a house socket

How to use a 230 mm angle grinder: the guard and disc

Sources

Public UK sources used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the five amazon.co.uk listings scored on 20 October 2026. HSE vibration limits, CN1 and PUWER apply at work. They are not a certificate for a domestic tool, and a declared vibration figure is not a daily dose.

  1. Bosch UK, GWS 20-230 P (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Bosch UK, GWS 22-230 P (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Bosch UK, GWS 2200 P 110 V (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Bosch, English family manual (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. HSE, HSG17 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. HSE, Site electrics (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. HSE, Vibration regulations (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. HSE, CN1 silica dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)