Welcome to Arkansas Stone Grades 101

Natural Arkansas Whetstones are available in various grades and classifications.  Users should be aware that color is not the determining factor in grading novaculite.  Some users have been defining whetstone grades by color, but the same colors may be seen in more than one grade and classification.  Different grades of novaculite also have a noticeable difference in texture.  The softer the stone, the coarser the surface of the stone feels; harder stones, such as the True Hard and Translucent, have  a smoother glassy feel.

How to Choose an Arkansas Stone Grade to Suit Your Needs

Soft Arkansas (Medium) is the most popular of the grades of novaculite.  It is an all-purpose stone used by woodcarvers, sportsmen, butchers, commercial knife sharpeners and even housewives.  This stone is used by people who desire keen, sharp edge on their knives and tools in a minimum amount of time.  Soft Arkansas stones may be  white, gray and black, or pink and gray in color.

Hard Arkansas (Fine) is most suitable for fine polishing and the maintenance of a fine edge on knives or tools.  Hard Arkansas is often referred to as “White Hard.”  However, users should be aware that Hard Arkansas often has color variations also.  To our knowledge, this color does not interfere with the honing process by any means.  Hard Arkansas stones are popular among woodcrafters and a variety of industries including the dental industry.

True Hard Arkansas (Extra Fine) is the finest grade abrasive available today.  It is most commonly used for industrial applications where an extremely fine polish is required.  True Hard Arkansas stones are often referred to as Multi-Colored Translucent; colors, both opaque and translucent, are random and may include black, red, white, and gray–often within the same stone.

 Translucent Arkansas (Extra Fine) stones are classifications included in the True Hard Arkansas grade category according to specific gravity under density standards.  The reason there is a classification in this grade is because of color preferences by customers.  Translucent stones may be a uniform, translucent shade of gray,  white,  yellow, brown and sometimes even pink.

 Black Arkansas (Ultra Fine)  Black Arkansas stones are black or blue-black in color.  This crypto-crystaline novaculite structure is the most dense and therefore has the properties to achieve the finest polished edge possible.

           Dan’s Whetstone Company has TRUE HARD, TRANSLUCENT and BLACK stones available in all published sizes and shapes.

 Arkansas Stone Grade Table
* This table does not reflect man-made stone grades* 

Ever Heard  “Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover?”
The same is true when it comes to your stones.  The texture of the finished stone surface may vary from the natural texture of the stone because the stones are produced using fine grit to lap, or finish, the stone.  After using the stone one may notice a slight change in texture as the surface finish is worn and the true abrasive quality of the stone surfaces.

 Please note that as the table indicates, the specific gravity of novaculite will vary from stone to stone.   Every stone is not measured—the costs involved that would have to be passed on to consumers are too great for that.