The bandsaw blade wizard
Read the published reference tables the bandsaw blade wizard computes from.
The bandsaw blade wizard computes tooth pitch, blade family, blade width, band speed and loop length from the published charts below, then ranks your bandsaw blade catalogue against the result. The tables on this page are rendered from the engine's own data module, so what you read here is exactly what the engine computes from.
All values are starting recommendations from published manufacturer and distributor guidance, to be tuned at the machine. Where your inputs fall outside a table the wizard says so rather than guessing.
Materials
Thirteen materials drive the blade family ladder and the speed selection. Stainless prompts for the grade and tool steel for its condition, because the charts split on them.
| Material | Blade families, ranked | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mild steel | bi-metal, carbide-tipped | Bi-metal M42 carries general mild steel work; carbide earns its keep on high production. |
| Stainless steel | bi-metal, carbide-tipped | Bi-metal M42 first; carbide offered for production runs. |
| Aluminium | bi-metal, carbide-tipped | Bi-metal covers general aluminium; carbide for production on purpose built saws. |
| Titanium | bi-metal-high, carbide-tipped | High tier bi-metal (M51 class) first, then carbide. |
| Tool steel | bi-metal, carbide-tipped | Annealed tool steel cuts on bi-metal; hardened tool steel needs carbide. |
| Cast iron | bi-metal, carbide-tipped | Bi-metal for machined iron; carbide for scale and chill. |
| Hardwood | carbon-steel, sawmill-resaw, bi-metal | Carbon for general work, resaw bands for deep sections, bi-metal wood ranges for abrasive or reclaimed timber. |
| MDF and chipboard | carbon-steel | Carbon fine pitch for man made board. |
| Foam | bandknife-blades | Knife edges: straight, wavy or scallop. No teeth. |
| Insulation | bandknife-blades | Knife edges: straight, wavy or scallop. No teeth. |
| Leather | bandknife-blades | Knife edges: straight, wavy or scallop. No teeth. |
| Glass and ceramics | grit-diamond | Grit and diamond only; no conventional teeth. |
| GRP and composites | grit-diamond | Grit and diamond, including carbide grit ranges. Dust extraction required. |
Family branches follow the Addler hardness tiers and the Dakin-Flathers M42 and M51 guidance, accessed 2026-07-28.
Pitch for solid sections
The engaged width picks a band; the bands overlap by design and the engine takes the band whose centre is nearest, then snaps to the nearest pitch available in the catalogue vocabulary. The snap is always reported in the why line.
| Section width | TPI |
|---|---|
| 0-5 mm | 18 |
| 4-8 mm | 14 |
| 2-15 mm | 10/14 |
| 8-20 mm | 8/12 |
| 16-30 mm | 6/10 |
| 25-40 mm | 5/8 |
| 35-70 mm | 4/6 |
| 60-120 mm | 3/4 |
| 80-200 mm | 2/3 |
| 120-400 mm | 1.5/2 |
| 250 mm and up | 1.1/1.6 |
| 400 mm and up | 0.75/1.25 |
Source: Addler (Excision) bandsaw blade tooth selection guide, accessed 2026-07-28. Starting recommendations, to be tuned at the machine.
Pitch for tubes, pipes and profiles
Rows are section width W in mm, columns are wall thickness T in mm and cells are TPI. Width and wall snap to the nearest published row and column, reported in the why line. An empty cell is a combination the chart does not publish: the wizard reports it as outside the published matrix rather than guessing.
| W (section) | T 1 | T 1.6 | T 2 | T 2.5 | T 3 | T 4 | T 5 | T 6 | T 7 | T 8 | T 9 | T 10 | T 12 | T 15 | T 20 | T 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | |||||||||||||
| 20 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | |||||||||||
| 25 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | 8/12 | ||||||||||
| 30 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | 8/12 | 6/10 | |||||||||
| 40 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | 8/12 | 6/10 | 5/8 | 5/8 | 5/8 | ||||||
| 50 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | 8/12 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/8 | 5/8 | 5/8 | ||||||
| 60-120 mm | 14 | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | 8/12 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/8 | 5/8 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 3/4 | 3/4 | |
| 130-150 mm | 10/14 | 10/14 | 8/12 | 8/12 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/8 | 5/8 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | |
| 150-180 mm | 10/14 | 8/12 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/8 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | ||
| 190-300 mm | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/8 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 4/6 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 2/3 | ||||
| 350-400 mm | 4/6 | 4/6 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 2/3 | |||||||||
| 450-500 mm | 4/6 | 4/6 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 2/3 |
Source: Addler (Excision) tooth selection guide, corroborated by the Shark Bandsaw Blades UK wall by diameter matrix, accessed 2026-07-28. Starting recommendations, to be tuned at the machine.
Blade width and minimum contour radius
Straight cutting wants the widest blade the machine permits, for beam strength. Contour cutting wants the widest blade that can still turn the target radius, read conservatively from this chart.
| Blade width | Minimum radius |
|---|---|
| 3 mm (1/8") | 5 mm (3/16") |
| 5 mm (3/16") | 8 mm (5/16") |
| 6 mm (1/4") | 16 mm (5/8") |
| 10 mm (3/8") | 38 mm (1 1/2") |
| 13 mm (1/2") | 64 mm (2 1/2") |
| 19 mm (3/4") | 140 mm (5 1/2") |
| 25 mm (1") | 180 mm (7") |
Source: Ravenview bandsaw blade radius chart, corroborated by the Dakin-Flathers width guide, accessed 2026-07-28. Starting recommendations, to be tuned at the machine.
Band speed starting ranges
Starting ranges in metres per minute for bi-metal blades unless the note says otherwise. Check the chips: silver curled chips are right, powdery chips mean feed too low and blue chips mean speed or feed too high.
| Material group | Start range m/min | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free machining steels (EN1A, 12L14, 1215) | 90-105 | |
| Low carbon and structural (S275, A36, EN3, 1018) | 60-80 | |
| Medium carbon (EN8, 1045) | 60-72 | |
| High carbon (EN42, 1080, 1095) | 50-60 | |
| Alloy steels (EN19, 4140 class) | 50-70 | |
| Bearing and spring (52100, 6150, 5160) | 45-60 | |
| Stainless austenitic 304 | 30-45 | constant feed, flood coolant, never dwell (work hardens) |
| Stainless 316 and duplex | 25-40 | constant feed, flood coolant, never dwell (work hardens); lower end |
| Tool steels annealed (D2, H13, O1) | 20-40 | |
| Hardened steel above 45 HRC | 20-40 | carbide only, follow the blade maker |
| Grey cast iron | 40-60 | dry cutting possible |
| Aluminium alloys | 80-300 | machine dependent; conservative bi-metal production range 84-104; far higher with carbide on purpose built saws |
| Copper | 60-90 | |
| Brass | 65-110 | |
| Bronze alloys | 35-90 | alloy dependent |
| Titanium | 15-25 | constant feed, flood coolant |
| Nickel superalloys (Inconel, Hastelloy) | 10-20 | carbide preferred, rigid setup |
| Wood on carbon blades | see note | follow the machine plate; woodworking band speeds run far higher than metal, typically tens of m/s, not a metal chart value |
| Glass, ceramics and composites on grit bands | see note | low band speed, machine dependent; follow the blade maker |
Source: Blade Serpent per alloy speed chart and the Emin Academy family chart, accessed 2026-07-28. Starting recommendations, to be tuned at the machine.
Wood pitch guidance
Derived from the Dakin-Flathers three to six teeth in the workpiece rule applied to the catalogue pitch vocabulary. Deep wood wants the coarsest gullet available, so the recommendation snaps to the coarsest catalogue pitch inside the published range.
| Depth of cut | TPI |
|---|---|
| under 15 mm | 10-14 (finish work, tearout control) |
| 15-40 mm | 6-8 |
| 40-90 mm | 4-6 |
| 90-180 mm | 3-4 |
| over 180 mm | 3 (or a dedicated resaw or sawmill band where the machine takes 27 mm and up) |
Source: derived from the Dakin-Flathers teeth per inch rule, accessed 2026-07-28. Starting recommendations, to be tuned at the machine.
All sources
Compiled 2026-07-28 from published manufacturer and distributor guidance (accessed 2026-07-28):
- Dakin-Flathers: the teeth per inch chart, the blade width guide and the M42 versus M51 metal cutting guide
- Addler (Excision): the bandsaw blade tooth selection guide
- Shark Bandsaw Blades UK: the blade TPI and speed selection chart
- Blade Serpent: the per alloy bandsaw blade speed chart
- Emin Academy: cutting speed and feed rate settings for bandsaw machines
- Ravenview: the bandsaw blade radius chart
- Saw Service of Washington: radius cutting
- Starrett: why and how to break in band saw blades, corroborated by Cutting Tool Engineering and Canadian Metalworking