Aluminium oxide is generally used in brown form, but refined grades of white and pink are available which contain very low free iron contents (often below 40 ppm).
This abrasive is available in a multitude of grades. Its main use is as a recyclable abrasive in cabinets, However, it is generally more expensive than metallic recyclable abrasives, and it will not recycle as many times, particularly the white, which is very hard. Since it will not corrode and go solid in the blasting equipment, it is very suitable for use where the work is intermittent.
Because if its very low iron content, aluminium oxide is often specified in high-tech applications, such as the aerospace industry, particularly on non-ferrous metals. It is also commonly specified on stainless steel when the substrates is going to be immersed into sea water, because it lessens the chance of an electrolytic corrosion cell setting up between any abrasive left in substrate and the stainless steel.