About Cratex
About Cratex
Cratex Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1927 and has supplied the US market with industrial abrasive wheels, wheel mandrels, cones, points, blocks, and sticks for nearly a century. The company is based in Encinitas, California, where it has focused specifically on rubber-bonded abrasive products rather than the harder bonded or coated abrasives more commonly seen elsewhere in the industry.
Cratex abrasives are made from premium-quality silicon carbide with a high level of purity and endurance, bonded in a rubber matrix that allows for controlled, fine finishing and deburring work. This rubber-bonded construction makes Cratex products well suited to polishing, deburring, and blending metal, plastic, and other materials without the aggressive stock removal of traditional grinding wheels.
Cratex has positioned itself as a leading US manufacturer and supplier of rubber abrasives, serving industries from aerospace to jewelry making and general metalworking over its long history. On ChatMRO, machinists and finishers can search by shape, grit, and diameter to find the right Cratex abrasive for a deburring or polishing task.
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Frequently asked questions
What makes Cratex abrasives different from standard grinding wheels?
Cratex abrasives use a rubber bond rather than a hard resin or vitrified bond, giving them a softer, more controlled cutting action suited to fine finishing, polishing, and deburring rather than aggressive material removal. This makes them a preferred choice when precision and surface finish matter more than stock removal speed.
What materials are Cratex abrasives made from?
Cratex abrasives are made from premium-quality silicon carbide bonded in a rubber matrix, chosen for its high purity and consistent wear characteristics. This combination allows the abrasive to maintain a predictable cutting action throughout its usable life.
What shapes do Cratex abrasives come in?
Cratex manufactures abrasives in wheel, mandrel, cone, point, block, and stick forms, covering a wide range of deburring and finishing tool configurations for rotary tools and bench grinders. Specifying your tool holder type and the surface geometry you're finishing helps match the correct Cratex shape.
What industries commonly use Cratex abrasives?
Cratex abrasives are used across aerospace, jewelry making, dental, and general metalworking industries where fine deburring, polishing, or blending work is needed on metal, plastic, or other materials. Their controlled cutting action makes them useful wherever precision finishing matters more than fast stock removal.
How long has Cratex been manufacturing rubber abrasives?
Cratex Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1927 and has operated continuously from its Encinitas, California facility for nearly a century, specializing specifically in rubber-bonded abrasive products. This long, focused history has made Cratex a recognized name in the finishing abrasives category.