Cutting Compound

A cutting compound is used in the first stages of machine polishing. It has coarser abrasives and is designed to remove paint more quickly. These products are often labelled as coarse or heavy compounds.

What it means

A cutting compound is the heavy end of the polishing range. It contains larger or more aggressive abrasives than a normal polish so it can remove sanding marks, deeper swirl marks, oxidation and other more serious defects in the top layer of paint. Used with a suitable machine polisher and pad, it quickly levels the clearcoat, ready to be refined with milder polishes and finishing compounds.

Why it matters

• Removes heavier defects: Cutting compounds let technicians tackle deeper swirls, etching, overspray and sanding marks that gentler polishes simply will not touch.
• Saves time on repairs: After bodywork and repainting, a good cutting compound can quickly clear sanding scratches and overspray, making fresh paint look smooth before refining.
• Must be used with care: Because the cut is high, it can remove material quickly. Proper technique and paint thickness checks are important so only the minimum safe amount of clearcoat is removed.
• First step in multi stage polishing: In paint correction, the cutting stage is usually followed by one or more refining stages to restore full gloss and clarity.

Where you’ll see it

You will see cutting compounds in bodyshops, detailing studios and paint factors, usually labelled as heavy cut or coarse compound. Service menus may refer to “cut and polish”, “compound and polish” or “heavy machine cut” when cutting compound is included as part of the work.

Context

In day to day trade language, people often shorten it to “compound” when they mean a strong cutting product. It sits above general polishing compounds and finishing polishes in terms of aggression. On modern clearcoat it is normally used by dual action or rotary machine with matching heavy cut pads, then followed by medium and finishing polishes to remove haze and holograms.

Common mistakes

• Using a strong cutting compound as a one step product and not refining afterwards, leaving heavy haze and holograms in the paint.
• Choosing a very aggressive compound and pad on thin or unknown paint without checking thickness, risking strike through on edges and high spots.
• Working too fast or with a dirty pad so the compound scours the surface instead of cutting cleanly.
• Assuming a cutting compound will fix deep chips or damage that has gone through the paint layers and really needs repainting.

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 17/11/2025 16:03