Stainless steel surface finishes

No.4, hairline, vibration (SB) and 8K mirror are produced by different abrasive sequences. Start from the finish your customers specified.

Quick comparison

Finish	Appearance	Typically produced by	Typical use
No.4	Short, uniform brushed grain; semi-reflective	Coated abrasive belts, grit 120 → 180 → 240	Kitchenware, appliances, lift cabs, general panels
Hairline (HL)	Long continuous directional grain	Linear polishing with fine belts or flap wheels	Lift doors, wall cladding, interior panels
Vibration / SB	Non-directional satin, soft to the eye	Abrasive flap brushes with an oscillating head	High-traffic surfaces, elevator interiors, signage
8K super mirror	Mirror-clear, no visible grain	Grinding → intermediate polishing → buffing	Decorative panels, architectural feature walls

The most common architectural finish: a short, uniform brushed grain produced by a sequence of coated abrasive belts.

A long, continuous directional grain. More decorative than No.4, and much less forgiving of speed variation.

A non-directional satin finish. No dominant grain means fingerprints and handling marks are much less visible.

The most demanding stainless finish. Five stages, and none of them can be compressed without losing reflectivity.

Tell us your material grade, form, width, thickness and target finish, and we will propose a line configuration. Request a Quote →