Hermes Schleifmittel

What Hermes Schleifmittel does

Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH is a German-Austrian manufacturer of coated abrasive tools founded in 1927, with primary operations at Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal in Austria and additional manufacturing in Poland. The company produces grinding belts, wide belts, sheet discs, rolls, file belts, and non-woven surface conditioning products, organized under proprietary technology brands including CERAMIT (ceramic grain), ZIRCONIT (zirconia alumina), MERCURIT (agglomerate), HERMESIT, webrax (non-woven), and ProTec Film. Its underlying technology is materials-science driven: coated abrasives on paper, cloth, and non-woven backings using ceramic grain, zirconia alumina, silicon carbide, and corundum with proprietary active-ingredient coatings that reduce grinding temperature and extend tool life.

The company sells to industrial customers across metalworking (stainless steel sheets, plates, coils, tubes, rods, forged and cast parts), steel service centers, pipe/rod/wire processing, automotive body and paint finishing, and woodworking (boards, furniture, lacquered parts, parquet), plus specialty niches including surgical instruments, implants, and watchmaking. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of physical abrasive products priced via quote rather than list, distributed through a hybrid model combining direct regional sales teams with the Hermes Connect online service portal, which was extended with an e-commerce shop function. The company also offers the HERMES PRODUCTION SYSTEM consulting and training service for process optimization.

Hermes Schleifmittel is privately held, operates 251–500 employees, and has been actively restructured over the past several years — successfully reorganized out of insolvency proceedings and having divested its Hermes North America operations to WALTER Surface Technologies. The company holds oSa safety certification and has invested in renewable energy at its Austrian and Polish facilities, signaling a refocused European industrial abrasives specialist rather than a global growth story.

Name

Hermes Schleifmittel

Legal name

Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH

Website

https://hermes-schleifwerkzeuge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH is a privately held German-Austrian manufacturer of coated abrasive tools — grinding belts, discs, rolls, and non-woven products — serving metalworking, steel service centers, automotive, woodworking, and specialty industrial customers in Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Abrasives and Coated Grinding Tools

NAICS

Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515), Fabric Coating Mills (313320)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Coated & Laminated Industrial Fabrics (Tarpaulins/Awnings/Inflatables/Architectural Membranes) (IMAOADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coated & Laminated Base Fabric Mills (Pre-finish Substrates) (IMAOABAI)

Keywords

• Coated abrasive tools
• Industrial grinding belts
• Metal surface finishing
• Ceramic grain abrasives
• Wide belt sanding

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Abrasive Tools Sales: Sale of coated abrasive tools including grinding belts, wide belts, sheets, discs, and rolls for industrial metalworking, woodworking, and automotive applications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hermes Schleifmittel manufactures coated abrasive tools on paper, cloth, and non-woven substrates in delivery forms including grinding belts, wide belts, sheet discs, rolls, and file belts. The products are produced under brands such as CERAMIT (ceramic grain), ZIRCONIT (zirconia alumina), MERCURIT, HERMESIT, and webrax (non-woven) for industrial metalworking, steel service centers, pipe/rod/wire processing, automotive body and paint work, and woodworking applications. The company also operates the Hermes Connect online service portal for stock visibility, pricing, and ordering.

Product overview

Hermes Schleifmittel GmbH is a manufacturer of coated abrasive tools and grinding solutions. The product portfolio is organized as a comprehensive platform of abrasive products across multiple delivery forms including grinding belts (Schleifbänder), wide belts (Breitbänder), sheet discs (Blattscheiben), rolls (Rollen), file belts (Feilenbänder), and surface conditioning products. Key product lines include the CERAMIT premium ceramic grain series (CR 456 Z, CR 476 Z), the ZIRCONIT zirconia alumina series (ZR 494 Z, ZR 496 Z), HERMESIT and MERCURIT agglomerate-based products, BW and RB aluminum oxide and zirconia cloth and paper belts, webrax non-woven surface conditioning products (AN 701 flex, AN 702 neo), and WS flex waterproof silicone carbide discs. The products serve diverse applications in metalworking (sheets, plates, coils, rods, pipes, wire, tanks, vessels), automotive body and paint work, woodworking (boards, furniture, lacquered wood, parquet), and specialized industries including surgical instruments, implants, and watch/jewelry manufacturing. The company also provides the Hermes Connect online service portal for ordering and product information, and the Hermes Production System for process optimization consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• webrax: Non-woven/mesh surface conditioning abrasive products
• CERAMIT
• MERCURIT
• HERMESIT
• ZIRCONIT
• ProTec Film
• MultiNet

Products and services

• CERAMIT CR 476 Z Grinding Belts Long-lasting premium grinding belts with self-sharpening high-performance ceramic grain and optimized coating for maximum stock removal in shortest possible time, targeted at industrial metalworking applications.
• CERAMIT CR 456 Z Wide Belts Very heavy and stiff high-performance fabric wide belts with ceramic grain and temperature-reducing active ingredient coating for calibration grinding and decorative grinding of thick stainless steel sheets.
• Fastlock CERAMIT CR 456 Z Disc Sheets High-performance fabric disc with ceramic grain, temperature-reducing active ingredient coating and Fastlock quick-release system for point processing of metal surfaces in hard-to-reach areas.
• CERAMIT CR 476 Z File Belts Long-lasting premium file belts with ceramic grain for maximum stock removal in shortest possible time, designed for demanding power grinding with higher grinding pressure and high cutting speed.
• ZIRCONIT ZR 494 Z / ZR 496 Z Belts Aggressive zirconia alumina belts for metalworking applications with maximum stress and high economy requirements, available with heat-reducing coating.
• MERCURIT RB 591 Y OP Belts High-performance belt with open coating using MERCURIT agglomerate corundum and silicon carbide, delivering excellent stock removal and long service life for tube grinding.
• RB 486 44 Z Narrow Belts / Fastlock Discs Very heavy, stiff zirconia alumina cloth belts and discs with additional active ingredient coating for universal applications in dry and wet conditions, especially suitable for stainless steel grinding.
• webrax AN 701 flex Surface Conditioning Belts Flexible, adaptable non-woven belts with cloth reinforcement for surface preparation, cleaning, rust removal, light deburring, and creation of matt finish on metal surfaces.
• AN 702 neo Surface Conditioning Belts Medium-flexible, robust non-woven belts with open non-woven structure and cloth reinforcement (aluminum oxide grain) for demanding surface preparation applications.
• webrax AN 701 flex Surface Conditioning File Belts Flexible, adaptable non-woven file belts with cloth reinforcement for cleaning, rust removal, surface preparation, light deburring, and matt finish creation on file belt machines.
• AN 702 neo Surface Conditioning File Belts Medium-flexible, robust file belts with open non-woven structure and cloth reinforcement (aluminum oxide grain) for use on file belt machines.
• FB 637 Grinding Film Rolls Tear-resistant grinding film rolls with aluminum oxide grain for process-safe micro-finishing with tight tolerance ranges and excellent stock removal rates.
• BW 115 Sandpaper Rolls Very firm aluminum oxide sandpaper rolls with antistatic coating for high-stress applications in wood, metal, paint, and composite processing.
• BW 115 Sheet Discs Very firm aluminum oxide paper sheet discs for high-stress applications, suitable for pre-, intermediate, and fine sanding of parquet floors.
• BW 115 Velcro Sheet Discs Long-lasting, stock-removing aluminum oxide paper sheet discs with velcro attachment for wood and metal applications including pre-sanding of wood before staining and lacquering.
• ProTec Film FC 161-Longlife VEL Discs Edge-stable and tear-resistant film discs with longlife coating for demanding surface preparation applications.
• MultiNet VEL Mesh Sheet Discs Powerful mesh sheet discs with open mesh structure and grit range 80–800, enabling dust-free grinding across diverse applications.
• HERMES DIA DF 638 Diamond Film Rolls Diamond film rolls designed for micro-finishing and superfinishing applications delivering excellent surface results.
• WS flex 18 C micro Sheet Discs Firm, waterproof special sheet discs with silicone carbide grain for micro-finishing of intaglio cylinders and stainless steel fine finishing in the watch and jewelry industry.
• WS flex 18 C micro Self-Adhesive Sheet Discs Firm, waterproof and self-adhesive special sheet discs with silicone carbide grain for precise micro-finishing applications.
• WS flex 18 C micro Film Sheet Discs Firm, waterproof special sheet discs with film backing coating and special grain/binding mixture for optimal polishing results in metallographic sample surface preparation.
• WS flex 18 C Film Sheet Discs Firm, waterproof special sheet discs with silicone carbide grain and film backing coating for uniform, fine grinding patterns.
• Hermes Connect Online Service Portal Online service portal providing stock availability, prices, and ordering functionality (with shop feature) for Hermes coated abrasive products, serving as the company's digital ordering and information platform.
• HERMES Production System Consulting Service Consulting, training, and manuals service tailored to customer needs for optimizing grinding processes, delivered by Hermes application engineers.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• WALTER Surface TechnologiesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024WALTER Surface Technologies acquired Hermes North America operations, strengthening its premium coated abrasives portfolio. This acquisition represents a significant restructuring of Hermes's North American presence.
• oSa - Organisation für die Sicherheit von Schleifwerkzeugen e.V.coreOthersHermes is a member of oSa (Organisation for the Safety of Abrasives), the organization for the safety of grinding tools, demonstrating commitment to product safety standards.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Klingspor: German family-owned manufacturer of coated abrasives (belts, discs, sheets, rolls) serving metalworking, woodworking, and stone/paint industries with comparable product breadth and a similar direct-to-industrial customer model.
• VSM Abrasives (Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken): German manufacturer of coated abrasives headquartered in Hanover with comparable grain technologies (ceramic, zirconia alumina, silicon carbide), serving overlapping metalworking, automotive, and steel-service-center applications.
• sia Abrasives: Swiss-based coated abrasives specialist serving automotive refinish, wood, and metal industries with comparable film, paper, and cloth-backed belts and discs — a direct competitor across Hermes's core European accounts.
• Walter Surface Technologies: North American surface finishing specialist that acquired Hermes North America; now a direct competitor to Hermes in premium coated abrasives for metal finishing while also offering broader solutions (tools, fluids, safety).
• Tyrolit: Austrian-based abrasives manufacturer (part of the Swarovski group) with overlapping coated and bonded abrasive portfolios for metalworking, tool grinding, and surface finishing — a direct regional competitor with shared DACH market exposure.
• Mirka: Finnish manufacturer of coated abrasives and sanding systems with comparable product breadth, strong focus on dust-free sanding solutions, and overlapping woodworking/automotive/painting customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Norton | Saint-Gobain Abrasives: Global coated and bonded abrasives leader and division of Saint-Gobain; competes with Hermes across all metalworking applications while offering a much broader product portfolio, global distribution, and significantly larger R&D resources.
• 3M Abrasives: Global diversified industrial conglomerate whose Abrasives division competes with Hermes in coated abrasives, with superior scale, distribution, and cross-selling into adjacent industrial product lines.

Regional players

• Kure Grinding Wheel / Kure Noritake: Japanese abrasive products manufacturer offering coated and bonded abrasives for metalworking and precision finishing — comparable product technology but with regional (APAC) focus rather than direct European competition.
• Fujimi Incorporated: Japanese precision abrasives manufacturer focused on high-spec lapping, polishing, and micro-finishing applications, comparable to Hermes's specialty niches (jewelry, semiconductor, precision metalworking) but serving primarily APAC markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hermesschleifmittel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hermes-schleifmittel-gmbh-&-co-kg
• Facebookfacebook.com/hermesschleifmittel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hermes Schleifmittel