Wire sawing, sometimes referred to as wafer slicing, is a method for cutting silicon wafers, granite, marble and stone. In wire sawing, a taut steel wire is run through an abrasive slurry of silicon carbide, which acts as the cutting agent between the workpiece and the wire. Wire sawing is commonly used in the granite and stone-cutting industry, silicon wafer production, and other crystal-cutting applications.

Washington Mills is a leading manufacturer of silicon carbide abrasive powders for the wire sawing and wafer slicing industries for solar and semiconductor applications. Silicon carbide for wire sawing can be provided in both green and black and according to ANSI, FEPA or JIS standards. Washington Mills can also provide uniquely specified material, customizing size distribution, surface chemistry treatment, and particle shape to meet the specific application demands.

Washington Mills's group-graded silicon carbide grains and precision-sized powders can also be used as a loose abrasive in the cutting of silicon wafers.