The paper proposes a model of an equal-wear shape of the working surface of grinding wheels operating in the self-sharpening mode, where the principles of system workability are used. It is established that to obtain engineering solutions, the wheel should be considered as a ceramic body that cuts into the ‘Voicht medium’. A disadvantage of the adopted model is that it does not consider the lag caused by strain. In addition, when grinding, the process temperature and the deformation rate are significantly higher than when the machine parts rub together. It is shown that the condition of equal wear of the wheel surface is provided by equal wear of the abrasive grains on the entire working surface, the density of the working grains on the elementary section of the contact surface. The paper presents conditions under which equal-wear shapes of wheels working with a longitudinal feed are provided.