The bandsaw blade wizard

Read the published reference tables the bandsaw blade wizard computes from.

Updated 23 September 2026

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Why: A blade recommendation you can trust names the chart behind it.
How: The tables below are the engine's own data, exactly what it reads.

The bandsaw blade wizard at its first step: the material question, the 3D cut in the centre and the specification waiting for the answers. — `/app/wizard/bandsaw-blade`, demonstration data, captured 23 September 2026. Open full size Open full size

Every value is a published starting point, tuned at the machine. Outside a table the wizard says so.

Materials

Thirteen materials drive the blade family and the speed. Stainless asks its grade and tool steel its condition, as the charts split on them.

Material	Blade families, ranked	Note
Mild steel	Bi-metal (M42 tooth edge); Carbide tipped (TCT)	Bi-metal M42 carries general mild steel work; carbide earns its keep on high production.
Stainless steel	Bi-metal (M42 tooth edge); Carbide tipped (TCT)	Bi-metal M42 first; carbide offered for production runs.
Aluminium	Bi-metal (M42 tooth edge); Carbide tipped (TCT)	Bi-metal covers general aluminium; carbide for production on purpose built saws.
Titanium	Bi-metal, high tier (M51 class production ranges); Carbide tipped (TCT)	High tier bi-metal (M51 class) first, then carbide.
Tool steel	Bi-metal (M42 tooth edge); Carbide tipped (TCT)	Annealed tool steel cuts on bi-metal; hardened tool steel needs carbide.
Cast iron	Bi-metal (M42 tooth edge); Carbide tipped (TCT)	Bi-metal for machined iron; carbide for scale and chill.
Hardwood	Carbon steel (flexback and hardback); Sawmill and resaw; Bi-metal (M42 tooth edge)	Carbon for general work, resaw bands for deep sections, bi-metal wood ranges for abrasive or reclaimed timber.
MDF and chipboard	Carbon steel (flexback and hardback)	Carbon fine pitch for man made board.
Foam	Bandknife	Knife edges: straight, wavy or scallop. No teeth.
Insulation	Bandknife	Knife edges: straight, wavy or scallop. No teeth.
Leather	Bandknife	Knife edges: straight, wavy or scallop. No teeth.
Glass and ceramics	Grit and diamond	Grit and diamond only; no conventional teeth.
GRP and composites	Grit and 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 the band whose centre is nearest, then the nearest standard pitch. The why line says which.

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.

Pitch for tubes, pipes and profiles

Rows are section width W, columns wall thickness T, both in mm; cells are TPI. An empty cell is outside the chart, and the wizard says so.

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
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 to 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 to 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 to 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 to 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 to 400 mm	4/6	4/6	3/4	3/4	3/4	3/4	2/3
450 to 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.

Blade width and minimum contour radius

Straight cuts want the widest blade the machine takes; contour cuts the widest that still turns the radius.

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.

Band speed starting ranges

Metres per minute, bi-metal blades unless noted. Silver curled chips are right, powdery chips mean feed too low, blue chips mean speed or feed too high.

Material group	Start range m/min	Notes
Free machining steels (EN1A, 12L14, 1215)	90 to 105
Low carbon and structural (S275, A36, EN3, 1018)	60 to 80
Medium carbon (EN8, 1045)	60 to 72
High carbon (EN42, 1080, 1095)	50 to 60
Alloy steels (EN19, 4140 class)	50 to 70
Bearing and spring (52100, 6150, 5160)	45 to 60
Stainless austenitic 304	30 to 45
Stainless 316 and duplex	25 to 40	Start at the lower end of the range.
Tool steels annealed (D2, H13, O1)	20 to 40
Hardened steel above 45 HRC	20 to 40	Cut with carbide only and follow the blade maker.
Grey cast iron	40 to 60	Can be cut dry.
Aluminium alloys	80 to 300	The top of the range is machine dependent: 84 to 104 m/min is a conservative bi-metal production range, and carbide on a purpose built saw runs far higher.
Copper	60 to 90
Brass	65 to 110
Bronze alloys	35 to 90	Depends on the alloy.
Titanium	15 to 25
Nickel superalloys (Inconel, Hastelloy)	10 to 20	Carbide preferred, on a rigid setup.
Wood on carbon blades	see note	Follow the machine plate. Woodworking band speeds run far higher than metal, typically tens of metres a second.
Glass, ceramics and composites on grit bands	see note	Run a low band speed for the machine and follow the blade maker.

Source: Blade Serpent per alloy speed chart and the Emin Academy family chart, accessed 2026-07-28.

Wood pitch guidance

Each depth takes the coarsest standard pitch inside the Dakin-Flathers rule of three to six teeth in the workpiece.

Depth of cut	TPI
under 15 mm	10 to 14 (finish work and tearout control)
15-40 mm	6 to 8
40-90 mm	4 to 6
90-180 mm	3 to 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.

Other sources

Blade break in follows Starrett, corroborated by Cutting Tool Engineering and Canadian Metalworking. Radius cutting practice follows Saw Service of Washington.

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