Traditionally the grinding process has been a finishing process and the operating parameters and the results obtained in this mode are well known. However, there is an increasing demand for the use of high rates of metal removal grinding and when allied with the application of adaptive control this has highlighted a need to be able to predict the forces that will be generated during grinding operations. The work reported is part of an overall programme to study the effects of different dressing tools, wheelspeeds, metal removal rates and dress leads on grinding ratio, surface finish and grinding forces. From the results obtained for grinding forces it will be shown that various factors in the dressing and grinding operations influence the initial and subsequent levels of grinding force. These factors are discussed and empirical formulae developed to predict levels of normal and tangential force during grinding. The developed formulae utilise commonly specified parameters in the grinding process and are more easily applied than those of other researchers which rely on measurements obtained during testing.