Stock removal depends very much on the type of sanding belt that you have installed on your belt sander. If you are wanting to remove a lot of stock then 36 – 80 grit sanding belts should be used, approximately 1/8″ – 1/32″ can be removed in a single pass.
For less intensive lighter stock removal, sanding belts with a grit of 100 – 120 should be used, these sanding belts will remove around 1/32″ – 1/64″ on a single pass.
It’s important to remember that the power of the belt sander needs to be taken into consideration too, along with how much pressure is applied to the belt sander while working.