Diamond Blade Saw RPM FAQ

Diamond Blade Speed Guidelines
  • Diamond blades are designed to operate within a specific range of revolutions per minute (RPM). Operating these blades outside the effective RPM range will likely result in significant blade damage and can potentially cause severe injury or death to an operator or bystander if the blade shatters.
  • The formula for calculating the surface feet per minute (SFM) at which a segment on the periphery of a blade is travelling is: SFM = diameter of the blade (in feet) x RPM x 3.14. Conversely, the RPM for a known SFM is determined as follows: RPM = SFM / (diameter of the blade (in feet) x 3.14).
Diameter Recommended
RPM*
Never Exceed
RPM
4" (102mm) 9,000 15,200
4-1/2" (114mm) 8,000 13,500
5" (127mm) 7,200 12,200
5-1/2" (140mm) 6,500 11,090
6" (152mm) 6,000 10,185
7" (178mm) 5,100 8,730
8" (203mm) 4,500 7,640
9" (229mm) 4,000 6,700
10" (254mm) 3,600 6,115
12" (305mm) 3,000 5,095
12" High Speed Blades 6,300
14" (356mm) 2,500 4,365
14" High Speed Blades 5,460
16" (406mm) 2,200 3,800
16" High Speed Blades 4,725
18" (457mm) 2,000 3,300
20" (508mm) 1,800 3,000
22" (559mm) 1,600 2,780
24" (610mm) 1,500 2,550
26" (660mm) 1,300 2,350
28" (711mm) 1,200 2,185
30" (762mm) 1,200 2,040
32" (813mm) 1,100 1,910
36" (914mm) 1,000 1,700
42" (1067mm) 800 1,455
48" (1219mm) 700 1,275
* Recommended RPM based on 9,500 SFPM