The grind is the shape ground onto the top of each tooth. It decides what the tooth does to the fibers, and it matters as much as tooth count.
ATB — alternate top bevel
Teeth are beveled alternately left and right, so each one carries a sharp point at the outside of the kerf. Those points sever the surface fibers before the body of the tooth clears the waste, which is exactly what a crosscut needs. Most general purpose and crosscut blades are ATB.
FTG — flat top grind
Square-topped teeth that chisel the waste out of the kerf. Efficient along the grain, where there are no cross fibers to sever, and poor across it. Rip blades are FTG or close to it, with fewer teeth — see how many teeth a ripping blade needs.
TCG — triple chip grind
Alternates a tooth with its corners chamfered and a flat-topped tooth. The chamfered tooth takes a narrow first cut and the flat one widens it. Splitting the work between two tooth shapes protects the carbide, which is why TCG is used on melamine, laminate, plastics and non-ferrous metal — and why a standard ATB wood blade is the wrong tool for cutting aluminum.
Hi-ATB
A steeper bevel angle. Cleaner still on veneer and melamine, and it dulls faster, because a fine point is fragile.
Match the grind to the material first. Tooth count second. The grind and tooth count are printed on the blade body; the circular saw blades we cover list both; see also whether a cheap blade is ever worth buying.
Combination blades
A combination blade mixes grinds, typically groups of four ATB teeth followed by one flat-top raker with a deep gullet in front of it. The ATB teeth crosscut cleanly, the raker and gullet help it rip, and the result is a blade that does both acceptably — which is why it is the blade most table saws wear.
Last reviewed October 27, 2026