Sandblasting Sand in Saudi Arabia: What Aramco Allows

Sandblasting sand in Saudi Arabia: what Aramco allows in the pot

On any Saudi Aramco facility, project or construction site, silica sand is prohibited as a blasting abrasive. Garnet, grit and slag do the work instead, with two conditions that are easy to miss: reclaimed slag is not allowed, and reclaimed garnet is allowed only through an approved recycling system. This guide sets out the rule, the abrasives, the dew point limit and how the blast hose fits into the bonding circuit.

Flexihose sand blast hose: 175 PSI / 12 BAR working · 700 PSI / 48 BAR burst · 1/2" to 2" bore · 40 m coils · copper element against static build-up · Exceeds IS 5894 · Saudi specification

Is silica sand blasting banned in Saudi Arabia?

On Saudi Aramco work, yes. Aramco’s General Instruction on abrasive blasting safety is direct about it:

“The use of silica sand for abrasive blasting operations is prohibited at all Saudi Aramco facilities and on all Saudi Aramco projects and construction sites.”

Saudi Aramco GI 6.021, Safety Requirements for Abrasive Blast Cleaning, section 8.1. Issue of 25 April 2007.

The same instruction calls silica sand “an extremely hazardous abrasive material” and adds that safer alternatives are available. Aramco’s coating standard, SAES-H-100, repeats the prohibition and points back to GI 6.021.

Outside Aramco work, the answer is in your contract. We looked for a national Saudi regulation that bans silica sand as a blasting abrasive in the way India’s Factories Rules do, and did not find one. That is not proof that none exists, and it does not make silica safe. It means the ban a Saudi contractor actually meets is usually contractual: the client’s coating specification, or an EPC contractor’s own procedure. Ask for that document before you order media.

For comparison, the Indian rule sits in state Factories Rules and has for decades. We set that out in our guide to whether sand blasting is banned in India.

What abrasive is used instead of sand on Aramco work?

SAES-H-100 does not hand you a single approved product. It says the type of abrasive is decided by the degree of cleanliness and the surface profile your coating needs, as specified in SAES-H-101. Then it sets the limits. Three abrasives are named, and reuse is where the rules differ.

Garnet: the one you can recover, with conditions

Garnet is the only abrasive the standard lets you reclaim, and only through a recycling system approved by Aramco’s Consulting Services Department. The recovered garnet still has to meet the abrasive requirements it met when new, which in practice means testing it. If your job has no approved system on site, plan to buy garnet as a single-use abrasive.

Slag: single use, never reclaimed

Copper slag and other slags are named as non-silica abrasives, but reclaimed slag is prohibited. Every tonne goes through the nozzle once. Budget the volume and the disposal accordingly.

Grit: named, reuse not addressed

The standard lists grit alongside garnet and slag, and the issue we read says nothing either way about reclaiming it. If you plan to run recoverable steel grit in a shop, get the reuse question answered in writing by the client’s coating inspector before the job starts.

Not automatically safer

Switching off silica satisfies the rule. It does not make the dust harmless. OSHA’s fact sheet on abrasive blasting materials states that coal slag and garnet sand may cause lung damage similar to silica sand, based on preliminary animal testing, and that slags can carry trace amounts of arsenic, beryllium and cadmium (OSHA FactSheet 3697). Aramco requires a Type CE supplied-air hood for the blaster for the same reason. Each material’s hazards and uses are covered in our guide to choosing blasting media.

When is it too humid to blast on an Aramco job?

SAES-H-100 allows abrasive blasting only when the steel surface is at least 3 °C above the dew point. Below that margin, moisture can condense on freshly blasted steel and flash rust starts before the primer goes on. Measure surface temperature on the steel itself, not the air, and compare it with the dew point for the air temperature and humidity on site. How to take and record those readings on the day is in our blasting and painting procedure.

The same section of the standard requires the compressed air to be free of oil, moisture and contamination. That matters twice: wet air carries water into the pot and clumps the abrasive, and oily air leaves a film that the coating will not bond to. Drain the receiver and check the separators before the first pot of the day.

The dew point rule governs when you blast. The cleanliness grade you blast to is a separate question, often Sa 2½ for a high-performance coating. Our guide to the Sa 2.5 surface preparation standard covers what that grade means on the steel.

Does the blast hose have to be grounded on an Aramco site?

Yes, as part of the whole line. Abrasive moving through a hose builds static charge, and on a plant that handles hydrocarbons a spark is not a nuisance. GI 6.021 requires an electrical bonding system that ties the nozzle, hose, blasting equipment and the material being cleaned together, grounded, and tested.

Where Flexihose sand blast hose fits. The hose is reinforced with single or double high-tenacity synthetic yarn braids and carries a copper element that reduces static build-up. We do not yet publish a resistance value for that element, so the number that counts on an Aramco job is the one your electrician measures on the assembled line. Send us your continuity requirement with the enquiry and we will tell you what we can supply against it.

On tanks in hydrocarbon service the instruction goes further: the blasting machine and hose couplings are grounded at grade or bonded to the tank, and the nozzle is bonded to the work surface (section 7.3.3). Couplings, nozzle holders, whip checks and the deadman are explained part by part in our guide to blast line parts and set-up.

The hose that carries garnet, grit and slag

Whatever the specification puts in the pot, it wears the same place: the hose lining. The Flexihose catalogue rates this hose for blasting casting metal, stone and concrete surfaces “with wet or dry sand or other abrasive material”, so it is not a sand-only product.

• Working pressure 175 PSI / 12 BAR, minimum burst 700 PSI / 48 BAR, the same across every bore.
• Six bores, 1/2" to 2" (12.00 to 50.00 mm), supplied in 40 m coils.
• Extra-thick seamless lining, free from mineral filler. Filler is what lets an abrasive tear a cheap lining out in weeks.
• DIN abrasion loss below 60 mm³ on the cover, which resists abrasion, ozone and weather.
• Service temperature −40 °C to +75 °C. Exceeds IS 5894. It is not BIS licensed and we do not describe it as certified.

What it is not rated for: anything above 175 PSI / 12 BAR, anything above +75 °C, and steam, oil or chemical duty. This page is not a statement that any Flexihose product is approved by Saudi Aramco. If your contract requires an approved-manufacturer listing for hose, check that before you order.

Bore is chosen from the nozzle, not the compressor. Our nozzle and CFM sizing guide walks through the pairing.

Getting blast hose to a Saudi site

We ship from Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra on FOB, CIF and CFR terms, to both coasts. Every consignment carries a commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading and test certificates. Import conformity registration sits with the importer of record.

When you enquire, send the nozzle size, the run length, the abrasive you will run, the bore, the coupling type, your continuity requirement and the port you clear through. We quote FOB and CIF side by side. The full Saudi specification is on our sand blast hose page for Saudi Arabia.