Whetstone Grit Guide
Whetstone grit chooser
The short answer. Start with a 1000 grit stone: it sharpens a dull kitchen knife and is the one stone everyone needs. Add a 3000–6000 grit stone to refine the edge, and a coarse 220–400 grit stone only if you need to repair chips. A 1000/6000 combination stone covers most home cooks.
On this page 5 sections
What each grit does
| Grit | Stone | What it does | Do you need it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 220–400 | Coarse (repair) | Fix chips, reshape a broken tip, thin a thick edge. Removes steel fast. | Only if your knife is chipped or very damaged. |
| 800–1500 | Medium (sharpening) | Sets a new edge on a dull knife. This is the stone that does most of the work. | Yes. Start here: a 1000 grit stone. |
| 3000–6000 | Fine (refining) | Polishes the edge left by the medium stone so it cuts cleanly and lasts longer. | Recommended. A 1000/6000 combination stone covers both. |
| 8000+ | Finishing (polishing) | Mirror polish for push-cutting and slicing raw fish. Small gains for most home cooks. | Optional. |
Lower numbers are coarser and remove steel faster; higher numbers are finer and polish. Grit numbers aren't fully standard between makers or between Japanese (JIS) and Western scales, so treat the bands as rough ranges.
What order to use whetstone grits
Always go from coarse to fine, and only move up once the coarser stone has done its job. On the medium stone, that means raising a burr (a tiny lip of steel you can feel on the other side) along the whole edge. Each finer stone then removes the scratches of the one before. Skipping from 400 straight to 6000 leaves deep scratches that the fine stone takes ages to remove.
Which grit should a beginner buy?
A 1000 grit stone, or a 1000/6000 combination stone if you want one purchase. 1000 is coarse enough to fix a dull edge in a reasonable time and fine enough to leave a usable edge on its own.
Do you need 8000 grit and above?
Rarely. Very fine stones leave a polished edge that is lovely for push-cutting vegetables and slicing raw fish, but on a home cutting board that polish is gone within days. Most cooks get more from stropping after a 5000–6000 stone.
Grit questions
Is 1000 grit enough to sharpen a knife?
Yes. A 1000 grit edge is sharp enough for everyday cooking. A finer stone makes it smoother and last a little longer.
What is 400 grit used for?
Repairs: grinding out chips, fixing a broken tip, or thinning a blade that has become thick behind the edge after years of sharpening.
How do I know when to move to the next grit?
When you can feel a burr along the full length of the edge on the medium stone, and when the scratch pattern from the previous stone is gone on finer stones.