A combined experimental and modeling approach has been devised to understand the material removal mechanism during abrasion of ductile copper discs. First, single grit scratch intersection experiments are conducted at the micro-scale (with 1-30 mm depth of cut). This is followed by FEM analysis. Then a simple analytical model is developed, and the model prediction is verified against experimental observations and results from numerical simulations. A characteristic material detachment length is correlated between experimental observations and model predictions. The insights gained from this exercise may be used to develop a mechanistic model of material removal in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of ductile materials.