Above: Barton’s 80 HPA is 100 percent virgin garnet and sets a new global standard for waterjet cutting applications. Photo: Barton International
November, 2025- Rising demand from the aerospace, automotive and renewable energy sectors continues to drive growth for waterjet cutting applications in 2025. High-quality garnet abrasive is crucial for superior results and cost efficiency. Barton International has partnered with Nordic Mining ASA to strengthen 80 HPA— which it calls a “workhorse” among its garnet abrasive products— with a new supply source.
“Through an exclusive agreement, Barton will co-brand 80 HPA with Nordic, drawing on high-purity garnet from [its] Engebø mine in Norway,” says Barton President Charlie Kashiwa.
The new 80 HPA is a high-purity garnet engineered for precision, speed and consistency, making it ideal for cutting substrates ranging from heavy gauge steel to delicate composites. Its uniform particle size and exceptional purity result in faster cutting speeds, superior edge quality and minimal nozzle wear, according to Barton. Composed of 100 percent virgin garnet, 80 HPA is produced using world-class, sustainable practices that minimize greenhouse gas emissions and meet stringent international environmental standards.
“The new Nordic-sourced 80 HPA product reflects Barton’s decades-long effort to secure a substantial, reliable, high-quality source of industrial garnet for the global market to complement its company-owned mine in New York,” says Kashiwa.
The steadily expanding use of industrial garnet for waterjet cutting and surface preparation has driven global demand upward since the 1990s. Despite consistent output from its company-owned garnet mine, Barton continues to receive greater customer demand for more high-quality waterjet and blast media abrasives. The growing global garnet shortfall has posed challenges for Barton, a sixth-generation family-owned business that Kashiwa says has “staked its reputation on product consistency and quality.”
For a long while, “we had to turn to alternate global sources to meet demand,” says Kashiwa. To manage the ever-changing supply/demand picture, Barton relied on a long-tenured and experienced laboratory, commitment to quality and an engineering staff with deep knowledge of industry-accepted specifications and tolerances. Although the company was always able to deliver high-quality garnet to customers, “it never stopped seeking a better supply solution either,” he says.
TRADE BLOCK
“In 2017, India’s export ban on garnet and other minerals underscored the growing global shortage of high-quality industrial garnet, leaving customers feeling a supply pinch,” Kashiwa continues. “Although intermittent volumes of lower-quality garnet have been available, Barton had to work even harder to secure reliable global sources that would meet our quality standards.”
That is when the Nordic Mining partnership began to take shape. Barton had been watching Nordic Mining’s proposed venture for a new greenfield rutile and garnet mine since 2008. “We thought that it could, potentially, check all the boxes for Barton in terms of garnet quality, quantity and logistics, given its proximity to European markets,” Kashiwa says.
Barton developed a closer relationship with Nordic Mining, seeking first to evaluate the quality of the garnet and, later, to offer technical, engineering and operating collaboration to assist in optimizing garnet production. This collaboration culminated in the January 2023 partnership agreement, through which Barton secured exclusive rights for the full planned garnet production from Nordic’s Engebø mine.
Nordic Mining’s state-of-the-art mining facility in western Norway. Photo: Barton International.
COMMERCIAL QUANTITIES
The partnership provides Barton with a critical solution to the supply challenge that it and the industry have faced over the years. Leveraging its partnership with Nordic, Barton can readily support the European markets and won’t be subject to the kinds of supply chain disruptions seen in the past, Kashiwa says.
“In terms of quality, the garnet produced here is among the best we’ve ever tested,” says Joe Morris, Barton’s vice president of sales, North America. “Our close collaboration with Nordic, throughout the mine development, commissioning and ramp-up process, enables our partnership to ensure quality standards are met throughout mining, shipping, processing and packaging.”
The new, Nordic-sourced garnet, packaged as 80 HPA and featuring Nordic Mining co-branding, will be phased into Barton’s North American and European distribution networks in the coming months. As mine output ramps up to full capacity, Barton’s processing operations in Chesapeake, Virginia, Reserve, Louisiana, and Rotterdam, Netherlands, will increase production to process, package and deliver more of the new garnet product.
Processed to meet high purity and consistent particle size standards, Barton’s garnet abrasives are able to balance cutting speed with the desired edge quality and precision for different materials and thicknesses.
Barton 80 HPA garnet is available in 55 lb. paper bags and supersacks (2,200 lb. and 4,400 lb.).
“We expect commercial quantities of 80 HPA garnet to be available in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2025, followed by North America in 2026,” says Kashiwa.
Compared with most other industrial garnet, Nordic’s operation offers garnet with significant commercial, quality and environmental benefits, according to Barton. In addition to premium almandine garnet, the mine also produces rutile, a source of highgrade titanium dioxide feedstock.
Kashiwa believes that the mine’s integrated approach—producing both rutile and garnet—ensures stronger economic returns and enables more efficient use of natural resources, including abundant hydroelectric energy, over the long term. He notes that the mine also incorporates a strong commitment to international best practices in environmental protection, health and safety. And, because it is located by a deepwater quay, Engebø offers efficient logistics and shipping to Barton’s processing facilities in Europe and North America.
“We’ve worked for years to develop and secure this supply partnership,” says Kashiwa, “and we look forward to bringing top-quality garnet products to global customers for decades to come.”
Barton International, 518/798-5462, barton.com
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