Abrasives are one of the industries with strict requirements for particle size. The classic instrument used for particle size inspection of abrasive micro powders is the microscope. Until now, many enterprises in China still use it as the main means of monitoring abrasive particle size. In 1997, the Standardization Committee of Abrasives and Grinding Tools in China revised the labeling, expression, and measuring instruments for both superhard and ordinary abrasive particle size numbers based on the principle of equivalent adoption of standards. The measuring instrument for superhard abrasives is an imaging instrument, while ordinary abrasives are American style settling tubes and scanning photoelectric (transparent) settling instruments. However, we have learned from various abrasive export companies that importers in developed countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan mostly use laser particle size analyzers as instruments for daily detection of abrasive particle size. The national standard instrument for abrasives in Japan is the Coulter counter (resistance method). It can be seen that in the abrasive industry, there are multiple instruments with different principles being used simultaneously. However, in practical applications, the measurement results of different instruments on the same sample are often different. This article briefly introduces the principles and performance characteristics of various popular particle instruments at home and abroad.