HexGrit vs Ceramic Sand Infused

Two technologies now promise a paddle face that keeps its spin for months instead of weeks. One embeds silicon carbide particles into the surface. The other mixes ceramic sand into the resin before the face cures. They solve the same problem and both call themselves “durable grit.” The difference sits in who controls the build, what the test numbers measure, and what happens when a brand needs to change the spec.

This article compares the two routes head to head for a brand that buys faces rather than finished paddles.

HexGrit Embeds Silicon Carbide Into the Surface

HexGrit is a surface technology from the paddle brand 11SIX24. The brand describes it as a patent-pending process that embeds silicon carbide particles into the face during curing. Silicon carbide ranks just below diamond on the Mohs hardness scale.

The public data comes from three sources. The first is 11SIX24 itself, which reports that accelerated wear tests show 98 percent of original roughness retained after simulated months of play. The second is independent reviewers. Pickleball Studio titled its April 2026 review “HexGrit is Legit,” and reported effectively zero texture change after more than 100 games. The third is Volair, which licensed HexGrit in October 2026 and called it “the best long-lasting grit” on the market.

Those sources do not publish a full abrasion protocol with before-and-after RPM, roughness (Rz and Rt), gloss and COF on the same test rig. The numbers that exist are retention percentages and reviewer observations, not a controlled lab report a buyer can audit.

Ceramic Sand Infused Mixes Grit Into the Resin

Our route takes a different path to the same goal. We mix 80 or 100 mesh ceramic grit into the resin before layup. The slurry coats the face plies, and the whole stack cures inside a heated mold. Each grain locks into the skin as it forms, surrounded by cured resin on every side except the exposed tip.

We ran our own face through a ball cannon at 90 km/h for 100 hits. Mean RPM dropped from 1,668.83 to 1,621.99 — a loss of 47 RPM. A control face with a sprayed coating lost about 100 RPM over the same test, so our loss is roughly 2.1 times smaller. We publish the raw six-shot spread (245 RPM) alongside the mean so a buyer can see the noise floor.

HexGrit’s data is retention-based (“98 percent retained”). Ours is delta-based (“47 RPM lost”). Both are valid, but they answer different questions. Retention tells you how much texture remains. Delta tells you how much spin the player actually loses. A face can retain 98 percent of its roughness and still lose meaningful RPM. That happens when the starting roughness sat near the certification ceiling.

Hardness Matters Less Than How the Particle Is Held

Silicon carbide is harder than the ceramic sand we use. On paper that looks like an advantage for HexGrit. In practice, the bond between particle and resin decides how long either face lasts.

A hard particle that sits loosely on top of the resin breaks off under impact. It leaves the face entirely, and the spot underneath turns smooth. A softer particle that is fully buried in cured resin stays in place and wears down gradually. The face loses height but keeps coverage. For a brand that ships thousands of units, the consistency of that bond across a production run matters more than the Mohs rating of the powder.

Our scrap data bears this out. Faces that fail the roughness spec almost always fail because patches of grit pulled out. The remaining grit rarely wears flat. The cure window and the resin-to-grit ratio drive that failure mode, and both are process controls.

“Zero Degradation” Depends on What You Measure

HexGrit’s claim of one to four percent roughness change after extended play is striking. That figure comes from surface profilometry, which measures peak-to-valley height on the face. It is a real measurement, and if independent labs confirm it across multiple samples the result would represent a genuine achievement.

Profilometry cannot confirm that retained roughness still generates the same spin. A face can keep its peaks and still lose RPM. That happens when the peak shape rounds off or the resin between peaks glosses over. The only way to confirm that retained roughness equals retained spin is to measure both on the same samples before and after the wear run. The raw readings should be published so a buyer can see the spread.

We do not have access to HexGrit’s full data set. We cannot say whether their spin retention matches their roughness retention. Our own 47 RPM loss came from a test that measured spin directly, not roughness as a proxy. Any brand comparing the two should ask both suppliers for the same metric on the same rig.

One Ships as a Finished Paddle; the Other Is a Build You Control

This is the practical difference that decides which route a brand picks.

HexGrit lives on paddles that 11SIX24 manufactures and sells, and on paddles that Volair builds under license. A brand that wants HexGrit on its own line would need to license it from 11SIX24. Those terms are not public. The brand would specify HexGrit as a surface finish on its PO. The factory would apply it according to the licensor’s process. The brand controls the shape, weight and core. The brand does not control the grit formula or the application parameters.

Ceramic sand infused lives on faces we mold in our plant. A brand that orders from us specifies the mesh size (80 or 100), the grit density, the face material and the core. We mix the batch, press the faces and ship the finished paddles. The brand owns the spec. If the market asks for a coarser or finer texture, we adjust the formula on the next run without needing anyone’s permission.

For a private-label brand, that distinction is the difference between a SKU option and a material system.

Cost Structures Point in Opposite Directions

A HexGrit paddle retails at USD 209.99 (11SIX24 Power 2) and USD 179.99 (Volair CMD HYB). Those are consumer prices. The B2B cost depends on the license fee, the unit royalty or the price the licensed factory charges. None of those numbers are public.

A ceramic-sand-infused face adds cost through the grit grade, the extra mixing step and any yield loss from faces that miss the roughness spec, USD 25.00 to 35 at MOQ 100 for a flagship build in our factory. The grit itself is not the main cost driver at any tier — the face material and the core are.

The real question is which cost structure scales with your order size. A license fee that stays fixed while the unit cost drops at volume behaves differently from a material cost. The material cost moves with the spec regardless of quantity.

Both Routes Pass Through the Same Certification Gate

USAP sets average Rz ≤ 30 µm and Rt ≤ 40 µm for all textured faces. It also sets COF ≤ 0.1875 and gloss ≤ 80 GU. Those limits apply regardless of how the texture got there.

The difference is how much room each build has before it hits the ceiling. A coarse 80-mesh ceramic face starts closer to the limit than a finer 100-mesh one. HexGrit’s particle size and distribution are set by the licensor’s process — a brand using it does not have a mesh-size knob. A brand using our route picks the mesh, accepts the roughness range that comes with it, and certifies accordingly.

What a Brand Should Actually Compare

If you are evaluating these two routes, the table that matters has five rows:

The first row usually decides the answer. If your brand needs to tune grip level for different player segments, you need a spec you can adjust. The same applies if retailers ask for a softer version and a grippier version of the same shape.

Where Our Knowledge Stops

We do not manufacture HexGrit faces, and we have not tested one on our own abrasion rig. Everything we have said about HexGrit here comes from public statements by 11SIX24, Volair, independent reviewers and industry news outlets. We have not seen a full before-and-after data pack with RPM, Rz, Rt, gloss and COF measured on the same samples. We do not know whether such a pack exists outside the licensors’ labs.

We also cannot predict whether HexGrit will become an industry-wide license the way T700 carbon did, or whether it will stay tied to the brands that developed it. If it goes wide, the license terms will decide whether it competes with infused-grit builds on cost and flexibility or occupies a separate premium tier.

We speak with confidence about what our own faces do under controlled test conditions. We can also say what a brand that works with us can change and what it cannot.

FAQ

Does HexGrit last longer than ceramic sand infused?​
The published HexGrit data shows higher roughness retention (98%) than most infused faces deliver. Roughness retention and spin retention are not the same metric, and no side has published a head-to-head test measuring both on the same rig. Until that data exists, HexGrit appears to hold texture longer on paper, but the spin difference in actual play has not been independently confirmed.

Can I put HexGrit on a paddle built at your factory?​
Not unless you bring a license from 11SIX24. We mold ceramic-sand-infused faces using our own process. If you want HexGrit, order it through a factory that holds the license.

Which costs less for a 1,000-piece order?​
We cannot quote HexGrit pricing because we do not license it. The HexGrit unit cost depends on the license structure — ask 11SIX24 or your licensed factory.

Can I switch from one to the other mid-production?​
Switching mesh sizes on our line requires a new sample run and possibly a new plate. Switching from ceramic sand infused to HexGrit means changing factories or retooling under a new license. Neither switch happens between POs without lead time and tooling cost.

Do both pass USAP approval?​
Both can pass if the roughness, COF, gloss and deflection sit inside the limits. Approval attaches to the finished model, not to the surface technology. Each variant must be submitted and tested separately.