There is a whole range of different types of CBN that mainly differ in their crystalline make-up. They may be mono- or micro-crystalline in nature, and on this basis, they offer differing cutting properties.

Mono-crystalline varieties are more solid and generally wear as a unit. Micro-crystalline varieties micro-fracture with increasing cutting forces and keep producing new cutting edges during the process. On the whole, micro-crystalline grains are less solid than mono-crystalline types.