Everything on a Maxshine 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 Maxshine 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 Maxshine from all sorts of pads, and they tend to ask the same two things. What is the equivalent of the one I was using, and which pad goes under my compound. So here it is in one place. If you want the full rundown of every Maxshine pad and what it does, that lives in the Complete Guide to Maxshine 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
On Maxshine High Pro foam the colour is the grade. Green and blue both cut, green is the more aggressive of the two.
Match Any Pad or Compound by Grade
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.
| Grade | Foam | Microfibre or wool |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy cut | Green | Microfibre cutting, or Premium wool |
| General or medium cut | Blue | Microfibre cutting |
| All in one | Blue | Microfibre one step |
| Polishing | Yellow | Microfibre one step |
| Finishing | Red | Microfibre finishing |
Coming From Another Pad Brand
Buff and Shine
| Buff and Shine | Maxshine | Why this match |
|---|---|---|
| Uro-Tec Coarse Blue | Green heavy cutting | Both are the heaviest cutting grade in their foam range |
| Uro-Tec Maroon | Blue general cutting | Both are the medium, everyday cutting grade below the heaviest pad |
| Uro-Tec Blueberry | Blue general cutting | Both suit an all in one polish or heavier single stage correction |
| Uro-Tec Yellow | Yellow polishing | Both are the light polishing grade for refining after a cut |
| Uro-Tec White | Red finishing | Both are the softest pad before final finishing |
| Uro-Tec Black | Red finishing | Both are the final grade for gloss and product application |
| Uro-Fiber cutting | Microfibre cutting | Both are dense microfibre built for heavy correction |
| Uro-Wool | Premium wool cutting | Both are 100% wool built for the heaviest correction stage |
Lake Country
| Lake Country | Maxshine | Why this match |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow CCS foam, last resort | Green heavy cutting | Both are the heaviest cutting grade in their foam range |
| Blue foam | Blue general cutting | Both sit as the medium cutting grade below the heaviest pad |
| Orange foam | Yellow polishing | Both are the light polishing grade for refining after a cut |
| White CCS foam | Red finishing | Both are the softest polishing grade before final finish |
| Black foam | Red finishing | Both are the final, softest finishing grade in the range |
| HDO Fiber heavy cutting | Microfibre cutting | Both are dense microfibre built for the heaviest correction stage |
| Purple foamed wool | Premium wool cutting | Both are wool built for aggressive, controllable cutting |
Rupes microfibre
| Rupes | Maxshine | Why this match |
|---|---|---|
| 9.MF80H / 130H / 160H | Microfibre Cutting Pad | Both are dense microfibre for the heaviest correction stage |
| 9.MF80M / 130M / 160M | Microfibre One Step | Both sit mid-range for polishing after a heavier cut |
| 9.MF80S / 130S / 160S | Microfibre Finishing Pad | Both are the softest microfibre pad for a final finish |
Koch Chemie pads
| Koch Chemie pad | Maxshine equivalent | Why this match |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Cut Pad | Microfibre Cutting Pad | Dense microfibre for the heaviest correction stage |
| Fine Cut Pad | Yellow polishing | A light polishing foam suited to refining after a heavier cut |
| Micro Cut Pad | Blue general cutting | Sits above yellow for a stronger single stage correction |
| Lambswool non pilling natural polishing pad | Premium Wool Cutting Pad | Both are 100% natural wool for good bonding and buffing |
Using a brand that is not here, like 3D, Meguiar's or Optimum? Match it on the grade table above. A cutting pad is a cutting pad whatever the label, and the colour tells you the rest.
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 Maxshine pad.
Blue general cutting. Both sit as the heavy polish or all in one grade, a step below the heaviest cutting pad in each range.
Yes. For an all in one, reach for blue foam if you want a touch more correction, or the microfibre one step pad if you want more cut in a single stage.
Tell us the pad or compound you are switching from and the machine you run, and we will give you the exact Maxshine pad to grab.
Shop Maxshine Read the complete guideRelated: all buffing pads, polishing compounds and backing plates.