Two TCT circular saw blades can look almost identical on a rack: same diameter, same arbor, same red enamel on the teeth. Yet one will shear cleanly through an aluminum extrusion and the other will tear plywood into splinters and scream doing it. The difference is not diameter or price; it is tooth geometry, tooth count and kerf. Understanding these three specifications is what turns a generic blade assortment into a range that fits customers' actual work.
What Tungsten Carbide Tipping Buys You
TCT stands for tungsten carbide tipped. Tips of sintered tungsten carbide are brazed onto a laser-cut steel body, giving the blade a cutting edge many times harder than the steel it cuts with. A quality TCT blade lasts dozens of times longer than high-speed steel in clean wood, holds its edge against abrasive sheet goods and can be resharpened on diamond wheels. For a B2B buyer, two tip details matter: the carbide grade (finer micro-grain carbide holds a sharper edge longer and survives more resharpenings) and the braze quality, because a tip that detaches at speed is a safety incident, not just a defect.
Tooth Count: the Speed-versus-Finish Dial
Tooth count controls how much material each tooth removes and how clean the finish comes out.
Low counts, roughly 24 to 40 teeth on a full-size blade, are for ripping along the grain and fast stock removal. The large gullets between teeth clear big chips quickly. Cuts are fast but rough.
Mid counts, 40 to 60 teeth, are the general-purpose workhorse zone for construction lumber and plywood, balancing speed and finish.
High counts, 60 to 100 or more teeth, are for crosscutting and finish work in hardwood, veneered panels and non-ferrous metals. Feed is slower, but the surface can come off the saw ready to use.
More teeth is not better. An 80-tooth blade pushed hard through wet framing lumber will burn the wood and load its gullets; a 24-tooth rip blade will shred a melamine face. The blade should always be specified against the dominant material and cut direction.
Grind Geometry: Where Blades Truly Differ
This is the most misunderstood specification on the spec sheet, and the one that separates a wood blade from a metal blade even when tooth counts match.
ATB, alternate top bevel, alternates teeth leaning left and right like a series of small knives. The bevels shear wood fibers cleanly, which is why ATB is the standard grind for crosscutting and plywood work. Steeper bevel angles on Hi-ATB teeth give nearly splinter-free cuts in melamine and delicate veneers.
FTG, flat top grind, square-topped teeth that rip aggressively and clear chips fast, where speed matters more than polish.
TCG, triple chip grind, alternates a high trapezoidal tooth with a lower flat tooth. The trapezoid scores the material and the flat tooth cleans the groove. This sequence prevents galling, the soft-metal welding that ruins aluminum cuts, and it is the correct grind for aluminum, brass, non-ferrous metals, laminates and dense plastics. Using an ATB wood blade on aluminum is one of the most common and destructive mistakes on any job site.
Hook angle completes the picture: positive rake angles pull the blade aggressively into the material for fast rip cuts, while neutral to negative rake angles control the feed, which is essential for metals and miter-saw work.
Kerf, Plate and Application
Kerf is the width of the cut. Thin kerf blades, around 2.0 mm, remove less material and reduce motor load, which suits lower-powered saws and cordless machines. Full kerf plates around 2.8 mm resist deflection under heavy feed on high-horsepower table saws. Below the blade, look for a laser-cut, tensioned and balanced steel body, expansion slots that relieve heat stress, and anti-friction coating that reduces pitch buildup.
FANXI's TCT range is organized exactly along these lines: saw blades for wood working across the full tooth spectrum, circular saw blades for aluminum in TCG grinds, blades for steel cutting with negative rake, and grass-cutting blades for brushcutters. Custom diameters, tooth counts and bore sizes are available through our OEM program, with technical datasheets supplied per item.