Everything on a Buff and Shine pad comes down to its grade, from heavy cut to final finish. Find the pad or compound you already use in the tables below and read across to the Buff and Shine match. If your exact brand is not listed, use the match by grade table near the top. It works for any pad or polish on the market.
People switch to Buff and Shine from all sorts of pads, and they almost always ask the same thing. What is the equivalent of the one I was using, and which pad goes under my compound. So I have put the lot in one place. If you want the full rundown of every pad and what it does, that lives in the Complete Guide to Buff and Shine Pads. This page is just the cross references.
"Equivalent" here means closest match by cutting grade, not an identical product. Foam density, cell structure and finishing characteristics vary between manufacturers, so a matched pad may still feel a touch firmer, softer, or finish slightly differently on the paint than the one you are used to. Treat these as your starting point, then adjust up or down a grade if the result is not quite what you expected.
The Colour and Grade Key
Read this first and every table below makes sense. On the Uro-Tec and EdgeGuard foam pads the colour is the grade.
| Colour | Grade |
|---|---|
| Coarse Blue | Heavy cut |
| Maroon | Medium cut |
| Blueberry | Heavy polish and all in one |
| Yellow | Polishing |
| White | Polishing and finishing |
| Black | Final finishing |
Part number suffixes. CR is Uro-Tec foam, EG is EdgeGuard foam, MFP is Uro-Fiber microfibre, and the K codes are Uro-Wool. The first digit is the size, 6 for 6 inch, 5 for 5 inch, 3 for 3 inch.
Match Any Pad or Compound by Grade
This is the one to use if your brand is not in the tables below. Work out the grade of the pad or polish you have, then read across. It holds for any brand, because every pad on the market sits somewhere on this scale.
| Grade | Foam | Microfibre | Wool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy cut | Uro-Tec Coarse Blue | Uro-Fiber cut polish finish | Heavy pile blueberry, or grey blend |
| Medium cut | Uro-Tec Maroon | Uro-Fiber blueberry | Blue and white knitted |
| Heavy polish and all in one | Uro-Tec Blueberry | Uro-Fiber light blue | Natural, blue interface, soft cut |
| Polishing | Uro-Tec Yellow | Uro-Fiber dark yellow | Yellow knitted, dark yellow interface |
| Finishing | Uro-Tec White | Uro-Fiber white finishing | Foam finish is better here |
| Final gloss | Uro-Tec Black | Uro-Fiber all black | Foam finish is better here |
Coming From Another Pad Brand
Rupes microfibre
| Rupes | Buff and Shine | Grade | Why this match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.MF80H / 130H / 160H | 692 / 592 / 392MFP, black and white | Coarse, extreme cut | Both are the most aggressive microfibre pad in their range |
| 9.MF80M / 130M / 160M | 322 / 522 / 622MFP, dark yellow | Fine, polishing | Both sit mid-range for polishing after a heavier cut |
| 9.MF80S / 130S / 160S | 332 / 532 / 632MFP, white | Ultra fine, finishing | Both are the softest microfibre pad for a final finish |
Koch Chemie pads
| Koch Chemie pad | Buff and Shine equivalent | Why this match |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Cut Pad | Uro-Fiber cut, polish and finish | Dense microfibre built for the heaviest correction stage |
| Fine Cut Pad | Uro-Tec Yellow | A light polishing foam suited to refining after a heavier cut |
| Micro Cut Pad | Uro-Tec Blueberry | The heavy polish and all in one grade, used for a strong single-stage correction |
| Polish and Sealing Pad 126mm / 150mm | Uro-Tec Maroon | A medium cut foam that leaves enough working room for a polish and seal pass |
| Lambswool non pilling natural polishing pad | Uro-Tec White | Both are the softest option, suited to laying down product evenly |
Meguiar's
| Meguiar's pad | Buff and Shine equivalent | Why this match |
|---|---|---|
| DMC DA Microfiber Cutting | Uro-Fiber cut, polish and finish (black and white fibres) | Both are dense cutting microfibre built for the heaviest stage |
| DMF DA Microfiber Finishing | Uro-Fiber all black finishing, or white finishing | Both are the soft finishing fibre used after a cutting stage |
Lake Country
Lake Country runs three foam lines, SDO, HDO and CCS, but the colour means the same thing across all of them. Match on the colour and you are set.
| Lake Country pad | Grade | Buff and Shine | Why this match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow CCS foam, last resort | Cutting | Uro-Tec Coarse Blue | Both are the heaviest cutting grade in their foam range |
| Blue foam (SDO, HDO, CCS) | Cutting | Uro-Tec Maroon | Both sit as the second cutting stage, below the heaviest grade |
| Orange foam (SDO, HDO, CCS) | Polishing | Uro-Tec Yellow, or Orange | Both are a light polishing foam for refining after a cut |
| White CCS foam | Polishing | Uro-Tec White | Both are the softest polishing grade before final finishing |
| Black foam (SDO, HDO, CCS) | Finishing | Uro-Tec Black | Both are the final, softest finishing grade in the range |
| HDO Fiber heavy cutting | Cutting microfibre | Uro-Fiber cut polish finish | Both are dense microfibre built for fast, heavy correction |
| MF OSP one step light cutting fiber | Light cut, one step | Uro-Fiber light blue, or cut polish finish | Similar fine microfibre density suited to a single correction stage |
| Microfiber black finishing | Finishing microfibre | Uro-Fiber all black | Both are the soft finishing fibre used after a cutting stage |
| Purple foamed wool | Heavy cut wool | Uro-Wool heavy pile blueberry | Both are foam backed wool built for aggressive, controllable cutting |
| Low lint lambswool | Cutting wool | Uro-Wool natural knitted | Both are natural wool built to cut with less lint and shedding |
Using a brand that is not here, like 3D or Maxshine? Match it on the grade table above. A cutting pad is a cutting pad whatever the label, and the colour tells you the rest.
Which Pad for Your Compound
Find the polish you already run and it tells you what to put under it. If your brand is not here, match the compound to its cut level on the grade table and pick that Buff and Shine pad.
Menzerna
| Compound | Stage | Pad |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Gloss HC400 | Heavy cut | Uro-Wool grey blend, or heavy pile blueberry |
| Medium Cut Polish 2400 | Medium cut | Uro-Tec Blueberry, or Uro-Fiber black finisher |
| Super Finish 3500 | Finish | Uro-Tec Yellow, or Blueberry |
| One Step Polish 3 in 1 | All in one | Uro-Tec Yellow, or Blueberry |
| Power Lock Polymer Sealant | Sealant | Uro-Tec White |
Sonax Profiline
| Compound | Stage | Pad |
|---|---|---|
| Cutmax | Heavy cut | Uro-Tec Blueberry, Uro-Fiber blueberry, or Uro-Wool heavy pile |
| Ultimate Cut 6+ | Heavy cut | Uro-Fiber cut polish finish, or Uro-Wool heavy pile blueberry |
| ExCut 05-05 | Cut and finish | Uro-Tec Blueberry |
| EX 04-06 One Step | Medium cut and finish | Uro-Tec Yellow, or Blueberry |
| Perfect Finish One Step | Medium cut and finish | Uro-Tec Yellow, or Blueberry |
| NP 03-06 Fine Polish | Finish | Uro-Tec Black contour edge, or Yellow |
| All in One Glaze OS 02-06 | Polish and seal | Uro-Tec White |
Koch Chemie
| Compound | Stage | Pad |
|---|---|---|
| H9.01 and H9.02 | Heavy cut | Uro-Tec Blueberry, Uro-Fiber black finisher, or Uro-Wool heavy pile |
| F6.01 Fine Cut | Medium cut | Uro-Tec Black contour edge, Yellow, or Blueberry |
| M3.02 Micro Cut | Finish | Uro-Tec Black contour edge, Yellow, or Blueberry |
| P6.01 One Cut and Finish | Cut, finish and seal | Uro-Tec White |
| P1.01 Lack-Polish | Finish | Uro-Tec Black contour edge, or Yellow |
Labocosmetica
| Compound | Stage | Pad |
|---|---|---|
| AUDACE Supreme Cut | Heavy cut | Uro-Fiber cut polish finish, or Uro-Wool heavy pile blueberry |
| LEALE Medium Cut | Medium cut | Uro-Tec Blueberry |
| FIERO Super Finish and coating primer | Finish and prep | Uro-Tec Black contour edge, or Yellow |
These pairings are a starting point, not a rule. Paint hardness moves everything. On a soft Japanese clear you can often drop a grade, and on a hard German clear you go up one. Do a test section first, read the result, then commit to the panel. Two minutes there saves you an hour of chasing your tail.
Backing Plate Cross Reference
Match the pad family to the right plate. The one that trips people up is the difference between the Y plates and the vented S plates.
| Pad family | Plate |
|---|---|
| Uro-Tec, Uro-Fiber, Uro-Wool (orbital) | 600Y, 500Y, 300Y. URO3DA for 3 inch |
| EdgeGuard (orbital) | Vented 600S, 500S, 300S |
| Rotary wool and large foam | 658Y, 1938HD, 700Y, 1800. Threads in 5/8 inch and 14mm |
Sizes go 3 inch for tight areas, 5 inch as the everyday size, 6 inch for big flats, and 1 to 2 inch spot pads for badges and corners. Not sure which plate your machine takes? Tell us the polisher and we will sort it.
Cross Reference Questions
Use the match by grade table. Work out whether your pad or polish is a heavy cut, medium cut, polish or finish, then read across to the Buff and Shine pad. Grade is grade whatever the label on the box.
The Rupes yellow medium microfibre lines up with the 322, 522 or 622MFP, the Uro-Fiber with the dark yellow interface, which is the polishing grade.
Yes. For an all in one, reach for Uro-Tec Blueberry if you want a touch more correction, or Yellow if you are leaning towards finish and gloss. White if you are mostly laying product down.
Because you have a choice of material. Foam is more forgiving and finishes easier, microfibre and wool cut faster. On harder paint reach for the microfibre or wool option, on softer paint the foam is plenty.
As long as the size and thread match, yes. Just remember EdgeGuard wants the vented S plate, while the rest of the orbital range runs on the Y plates.
Tell us the pad or compound you are switching from and the machine you run, and we will give you the exact Buff and Shine pad to grab. For the full rundown of every pad, read the complete guide.
Shop Buff and Shine Read the complete guideRelated: all buffing pads, polishing compounds and backing plates.