Cutting depth, blade speed, bond selection and silica rules. The same answers our experts give on the phone.
Pick your blade size. See how deep it cuts on each saw and how fast to run it.
Large-print PDF| Blade | Cutting depth (in.) | Speed (RPM) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Flat saw |  Wall saw |  Masonry |  High speed |  Tile | Recommended | Max | |
| 4″ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1 | ¾ | 9,075 | 15,000 |
| 4½” | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1¼ | 1 | 8,065 | 13,300 |
| 5″ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1½ | 1¼ | 7,255 | 12,000 |
| 6″ | not listed | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1¾ | 6,045 | 10,185 |
| 7″ | 1½ | not listed | not listed | 2½ | 2¼ | 5,185 | 8,730 |
| 8″ | 2 | not listed | not listed | 3 | 2¾ | 4,535 | 7,640 |
| 9″ | not listed | not listed | not listed | not listed | 3¼ | 4,030 | 6,790 |
| 10″ | 3 | not listed | not listed | 3¾ | 3¾ | 3,630 | 6,115 |
| 12″ | 3⅝ | not listed | not listed | not listed | not listed | 3,025 | 5,095 |
| 12″HS | not listed | not listed | not listed | 4 | not listed | not listed | 6,300 |
| 14″ | 4⅝ | 4⅝ | 5 | not listed | not listed | 2,595 | 4,365 |
| 14″HS | not listed | not listed | not listed | 4⅝ | not listed | not listed | 5,460 |
| 16″ | 5⅝ | not listed | 6 | not listed | not listed | 2,270 | 3,820 |
| 16″HS | not listed | not listed | not listed | 6 | not listed | not listed | 4,725 |
| 18″ | 6⅝ | 6½ | 7 | not listed | not listed | 2,015 | 3,395 |
| 20″ | 7⅝ | not listed | 8− | not listed | not listed | 1,815 | 3,055 |
| 20⅝” | not listed | not listed | 8+ | not listed | not listed | 1,760 | 2,965 |
| 24″ | 9⅝ | 9½ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1,510 | 2,550 |
| 26″ | 10⅝ | not listed | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1,395 | 2,350 |
| 30″ | 11¾ | 11½ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1,120 | 2,040 |
| 36″ | 14¾ | 14½ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 1,010 | 1,700 |
| 42″ | 17¾ | 17¾ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 865 | 1,455 |
| 48″ | 19¾ | 20¾ | not listed | not listed | not listed | 755 | 1,275 |
HS = high-speed diamond blade. Depths are in inches; actual depth varies with blade diameter, flange diameter and saw components. A blank cell has no value in the ECS chart.
Concrete. Smaller bits run faster. Too slow and the segments glaze.
| Core bit | Min RPM | Ideal RPM | Max RPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1″ | 2,400 | 3,200 | 4,000 |
| 2″ | 1,200 | 1,600 | 2,000 |
| 3″ | 800 | 1,050 | 1,300 |
| 4″ | 600 | 800 | 1,000 |
| 5″ | 475 | 640 | 800 |
| 6″ | 400 | 530 | 665 |
| 7″ | 340 | 450 | 600 |
| 8″ | 300 | 400 | 500 |
| 10″ | 240 | 320 | 400 |
| 12″ | 200 | 265 | 330 |
| 14″ | 170 | 225 | 285 |
Core bit speeds: CS Unitec, Core Drills Bulletin 01-12, Chart A.
The bond runs opposite to the material. Find the material, follow its line to the bar, read the bond number.
Point at a material, or tap it, to trace it to its bond number. Source: ECS Material Application Guide.
A segment is diamonds held in a metal bond. The bond has to wear at the rate the diamonds do.
Cement paste is soft. The stone mixed into it sets the hardness. Ask what the aggregate is before you pick the bond.
Grading: Empire Blades catalog, p.29. For reference, quartz-rich stone such as flint, chert and quartzite rates 7 on the Mohs scale; limestone is about 3. Not sure what is in your slab? Send us the job details.
Same inverse rule on the floor. Hard slab, soft bond.
Source: Empire Floor Prep catalog, p.9. Segments wearing out in an afternoon: the bond is too soft. Tooling polishing instead of cutting: the bond is too hard.
Bevel or round the edge of an existing joint in one pass. Pick the finished edge: see the cut, the blade and the part.
| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut bevel blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 3/8" |
| Existing saw cut | .100-.120" |
| 45° bevel | 1/8" x 45° |
Part # B-KLK-6-38-100-BB-GT
$174.99 per blade
| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut bevel blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 5/8" |
| Existing saw cut | .100-.120" |
| 45° bevel | 1/4" x 45° |
Not a stocked part.
Ask for a quote| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut bevel blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 5/8" |
| Existing saw cut | .250" |
| 45° bevel | 3/16" x 45° |
Part # B-KLK-6-58-14-BB-GT
$239.99 per blade
| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut bevel blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 3/4" |
| Existing saw cut | .380" |
| 45° bevel | 1/4" x 45° |
Part # B-KLK-6-34-38-BB-GT
$279.99 per blade
| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut bevel blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 1" |
| Existing saw cut | .500" |
| 45° bevel | 5/16" x 45° |
Part # B-KLK-6-1-500-BB-GT
$324.99 per blade
| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut radius blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 5/8" |
| Existing saw cut | .100-.120" |
| Radius | R .250" |
Part # B-KLK-6-58-100-RB-GT
$254.99 per blade
| Blade | 6" Kleen Kut radius blade |
|---|---|
| Finished top width | 3/4" |
| Existing saw cut | .100-.120" |
| Radius | R .500" |
Part # B-KLK-6-34-100-RB-GT
$324.99 per blade
Also in stock: 6" Bevel · 1/2" $399.99 · 6" Radius bevel · V23 x .625 $399.99
The standard names fabricators use. The two in red are cut with a Kleen Kut bevel or radius blade; the rest are router-bit or profile-wheel work. Call us for those.
Profiles redrawn from the Kleen Kut 3D Diamond Matrix bevel sheet, for general reference. The blade and saw manufacturer’s instructions govern; confirm fit and depth for your saw before you cut.
The same table our product experts work from. Find the material, read the lines that cover it.
Source: ECS field guidance and the Empire Blades catalog. Confirm the rating on the blade before you cut.
This says what a line is for. Where two will do the job, we lead with the one crews already know. Core drilling is its own thing: see Core Drilling.
Early entry is a three-part sale. The saw, the blade and the skid plate all have to match.
SawKnow the model. Early-entry saws take set diameters.
BladeKleen Kut colour matched to the aggregate below.
Skid plateSized to the blade. It holds the green surface down so the cut edge does not ravel.
14″ is X-5000 only. The most common ordering error in this range is a diameter the customer’s saw cannot accept. Confirm the saw model before the blade size.
Ask what the aggregate is, not what the concrete is.
Source: Empire Blades catalog, p.29. Gray is not on the 2021 grading chart: call us before ordering gray. We would rather not guess at a grade a crew will cut on.
Most “bad blade” calls are a bond mismatch, a speed problem or a machine problem. Tell them apart before you replace anything.
The diamonds glazed over. The bond is too hard for the material.
The bond is too soft. It is releasing diamond before the diamond is used up.
Usually the machine: worn arbor bearings, a bent shaft, a loose flange, or side pressure.
Overheating, a wet-only blade run dry, or a material the blade is not rated for.
Source: ECS field guidance. Follow the blade and saw manufacturer’s instructions before adjusting or dressing a blade.
Still not right? Call 1-866-878-4213 with the material, the saw, the blade part number and what you are seeing. Usually a two-minute diagnosis.
Every blade we stock is rated wet, dry, or wet and dry. The rating is what the core and bond were built to survive.
Water is required. It cools the core and flushes slurry from the cut. Run dry, the core overheats and can throw a segment.
Sheds heat through the segment design. Cut in short passes and let the blade spin free between them.
Most of the ECS line. Runs either way, but wet cuts faster, lasts longer and controls the dust.
Source: ECS field guidance. The manufacturer’s wet/dry rating on the blade governs.
The wet/dry rating is on the product card for every blade we list. If it is not clear, ask us.
Cutting, grinding and drilling concrete releases respirable crystalline silica. OSHA’s construction standard, 29 CFR 1926.1153, gives you two ways to comply.
Cutting, grinding or drilling concrete
Match your task in Table 1 and run the control it lists, fully and correctly.
No air monitoringMeasure your crew’s exposure and keep it under the permissible limit.
Exposure assessmentMost concrete crews follow Table 1.
Integrated water delivery at the blade, keeping the cut wet.
A dust collector with a HEPA filter and a shroud sized to the tool, running.
Where the task in Table 1 calls for it, on top of the control.
This page is orientation, not compliance advice. Requirements depend on your task, your equipment and your site. Confirm against the current OSHA standard and your own exposure control plan.
The charts and guides on this page summarize published manufacturer and industry sources, and ECS field experience, for general information only. They are not engineering, safety or compliance advice. They do not replace the instructions, markings and ratings from the manufacturer of your tool, blade or machine, the OSHA and other regulations that apply to your work, or your site’s safety and exposure control plan.
Where anything here differs from the original source, the original source governs. Every job is different: confirm speeds, depths, bonds and controls for your equipment and material before you cut, and get qualified advice where the work calls for it.
This information is provided as is, without warranty of any kind, and may change without notice. You use it at your own risk. To the fullest extent the law allows, Empire Construction Supply is not liable for any injury, loss or damage arising from its use.
