No power tool works harder for its price than the angle grinder. It cuts rebar, trims steel, grinds welds, strips rust and dresses concrete — one motor, a handful of discs. Demand signals run strong and price-led: "best angle grinder" searches are up about 90% year over year, "angle grinder price" about 60%, with "large angle grinder" (+150%) and "small angle grinder" (+100%) rising at both ends of the size range and "angle grinder safety" up about 150% (Google Trends, worldwide, retrieved 2026-09-17).
For a distributor, the category sorts cleanly around one decision — disc size — with safety features deciding the rest of the sheet. This guide walks the specs and the stocking logic for metal and construction channels.
Parameter 1: Disc size — the class decision#
The diameter of disc the machine is engineered for is the primary classifier:
| Class | Typical role | Typical buyer |
|---|
| 115 mm (4-1/2") | The mainstream: rebar, angle steel, pipe, sheet, grinding, surface prep | Every trade, every household with steel to cut |
| 125 mm (5") | Slightly deeper cut, same handling | Fitters preferring more capacity per pass |
| 230 mm (9") | Production cutting of structural steel, deep cuts, heavy stock removal | Structural and site contractors |
The 115 mm class outsells everything else combined in most markets: it is light, one-handed for many tasks, cheap to feed with discs, and covers the daily work. The 230 mm class is a deliberate purchase for depth and speed of cut. A third class — compact and mini machines (mini grinder interest +110% YoY) — serves detail work and the household shelf.
Power follows disc size (typical industry classes — exact figures per spec sheet):
- 115 mm class: compact machines around the 700–900 W band.
- 230 mm class: around the 2,000 W band and above — the class needs torque at lower rpm to drive big discs through steel.
More watts in the same disc class means faster, cooler cutting in sustained use — the difference shows in production cutting, not in occasional trimming.
Parameter 3: Speed and spindle#
- No-load speed (rpm) is inversely sized with the disc: small discs spin faster (around the 11,000 rpm class), large discs slower (around the 6,500 rpm class) to keep rim speed in the safe band. This is why discs must never be oversized — see the safety section.
- Spindle thread (commonly M10 on small classes, M14 on larger) must match the disc bores you stock; it is a small spec with real shelf consequences when accessories do not fit.
Parameter 4: Switches, guards and handles#
- Slide switch locks on — preferred for long controlled cuts by experienced users.
- Paddle (deadman) switch stops when released — the safer default for sites and mixed-skill crews; increasingly the market favourite.
- Adjustable guard must be on every machine (and positioned between the disc and the operator); check that it adjusts without tools.
- Anti-vibration side handle — hours of grinding punish hands; the feature sells itself once demonstrated.
The safety section your buyers are searching for#
With "angle grinder safety" up about 150% YoY, a counter-side safety card is a sales asset, not a compliance chore:
- Never oversize the disc — guard, spindle and speed class are engineered for the rated diameter; a bigger disc exceeds its rim-speed rating.
- Match maximum disc rpm to machine rpm — printed on every quality disc.
- Guard between disc and body — always fitted, always positioned correctly.
- Two hands, disc away from the body, cable over the shoulder for corded work.
- Eye and ear protection, no gloves near the disc — standard practice on any site.
Reading the spec sheet: the importer's checklist#
- Disc diameter class and rated input power (W).
- No-load speed (rpm) and spindle thread (M10 / M14).
- Switch type (slide / paddle) and lock-off presence.
- Guard adjustability and included side handle positions.
- Cord length and strain relief on corded models.
- Weight, G.W., CBM, carton QTY — grinders pack dense; the freight math matters at 65-model depth.
Decision matrix: buyer to class#
| Buyer situation | Recommended class |
|---|
| General construction, rebar and light steel | 115 mm, 700–900 W |
| Household / occasional steel cutting | 115 mm compact or mini class |
| Fitter wanting deeper cuts | 125 mm class |
| Structural steel, production cutting | 230 mm, 2,000 W class |
| Scaffold / remote work (cordless demand) | Cordless class per channel demand |
Building the assortment#
The working grinder wall: two or three 115 mm SKUs across the power band (one at the sharp price point, one with paddle switch and anti-vibration handle), one 125 mm for fitters, one or two 230 mm machines for the structural trade — then the part that pays for the wall: the disc rail. Cut-off wheels, grinding wheels, flap discs and diamond discs in both spindle threads, including the TIANLY cutting-disc line, turn one machine sale into years of reorders. The full angle grinder range (AD-25123 to AD-25230, corded and cordless models) ships with factory spec sheets for every field above, and runs under the power tools OEM programme — housing colors, kit configuration, packaging and labeling, samples before volume. Tell us the split of metalwork versus general construction in your market, and we will size the 115-to-230 ratio accordingly.
