What are Garnet Abrasives?

Ideal for waterjet cutting and abrasive blasting

Almandine garnet is one of the hardest minerals in the world, ranking between 7.5 and 8.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness (where diamonds, which serve as the benchmark for hardness, rank as a 10). This means it is an excellent abrasive, ideal for many industrial applications including waterjet cutting and abrasive blasting.

Mined in the USA

BARTON’s ADIRONDACK almandine hard rock garnet is especially desirable in these applications because its crystalline structure causes it to fracture into sharp-edged grains while in use. No matter how small they are crushed, the crystals never develop a blunt or worn edge.

Typically deep red in color, garnet is New York’s official gemstone. In fact, the cornerstone of the World Trade Center memorial in New York City is a block of garnet-bearing ore from the BARTON Ruby Mountain mine.

Barton ADIRONDACK almandine garnet abrasive

Barton ADIRONDACK garnet abrasive

Proudly family-owned and operated since 1878

As a family-owned company with production based in the USA, we are proud to offer high-quality ADIRONDACK garnet abrasives. It is mined exclusively in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, where the Barton family has been mining for almost 150 years. Seven generations have built a company that is recognized today as a world leader in the production of the highest-quality garnet and mineral abrasives the industry has to offer. You can read more about it at History of BARTON Garnet.

Mineral hardness

To cut through metal or stone in waterjet applications, or to remove surface contaminants using abrasive blasting, the media used must be extremely hard. And that’s what you get with BARTON garnet abrasives. Scoring between 7.5 and 8.5, it is high on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, created in 1812 by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. As the hardest known naturally occurring substance, diamond is at the top of the scale, among ten minerals that are all readily available.

The BARTON brand means you are getting the world’s premier garnet abrasive for waterjet applications that require the fastest, deepest and straightest-cutting performance. In abrasive blasting, it delivers faster cleaning, less dust and impeccable surface quality.

Mohs Hardness Scale

Diamond 10
Corundum 9
Garnet 7.5-8.5
Topaz 8
Quartz 7
Feldspar 6
Apatite 5
Fluorite 4
Calcite 3
Gypsum 2
Talc 1