Many Red Heat products now have a stronger, heavier, and more resilient Y-weight polyester backing, a more aggressive grain weight in 36 and 40 grits resulting in an overall improved Norton Red Heat grit sequence, all while keeping the same great scratch pattern Norton Red Heat is known for.

• Increased grain weight by 30% in 36 and 40 grits for improved performance and longer life
• Stronger, heavier, and more resilient Y-weight polyester backing.
• No major visual change in appearance

What changed with Norton Red Heat Abrasives?

In early 2024, Norton announced changes to their Red Heat lineup, and the new products started rolling out in June of 2024. The main change is the backing. Previously, these sanding belts and abrasive rolls had an X-weight poly-cotton backing. Now, they'll have a heavier Y-weight polyester backing. This is the same backing used on the BlazePlus, and it's much stronger and more resilient.

Benefits of this change include:

• Better grain retention
• Increased durability, making it longer lasting
• Easier to track and stay tracked on sanders

Additionally, certain lower grits got a grain upgrade. These graphs illustrate the efficiency of 30% more grain to the 36 grit and the 40 grit:

While this grain change wasn't applied to all Red Heat products, it will revolutionize your sanding sequence when you have to take off tough finishes. 

What did NOT change with Norton Red Heat Abrasives?

The scratch pattern is virtually identical between the X-weight Poly-Cotton and the new stronger, heavier, and more resilient improved Y-weight Polyester backing. Because of this, Norton says it's "Still The Cleanest Scratch Pattern In Floor Sanding."

These scans of the scratch pattern show just how similar the two are.

Additionally, the appearance of these belts and rolls is not changing. It's still going to look like it did before. So how can you tell the difference in the field? How do you know if you have the new version? You can visually identify this change by seeing the letter “Y” on the back of the Red Heat belt. 

On the front of the box, there is also a “Y” weight marked on the case label.

Which Red Heat products changed?

These changes to grain and backing mainly affect belts and rolls. Grain weight change apply only to 36 and 40 grit belts and rolls as indicated by the asterisk in the charts below.

Do you want to learn more about the science behind Norton Abrasives?

If you want to know more about the science behind Norton's amazing floor sanding abrasives or shop for Norton products, check out the Norton page on our website. We also cover the different sandpaper grains, proper storage, and more in our Norton video playlist.