Steel wool is the name given to fine metal wire that are bundled together to form a cluster of abrasive, sharp-edged metal strips. The metal strips are massed together in a sheet, folded, and turned into pads that are easily held in the hand. These steel wool pads are used for a variety of purposes, but primarily as an abrasive material, sometimes replacing sandpaper. Steel wool may be best known to consumers as the pink-colored abrasive pads that have soap added so that they may be used to scrub pots and pans. Steel wool comes in a variety of grades, or thicknesses, from coarse to extra fine. The coarser the wire, the more abrasive the steel wool is against the surface. Fine sanding is always done with the finest steel wool grade (generally referred to as extra fine).