Increasing competition and short product life cycles make it necessary to optimize and evaluate the outcome of manufacturing processes. In tool grinding, models for the final workpiece geometry and cutting forces are of particular interest. To establish a valid general grinding model, we investigated the cutting process and the influence of local grinding wheel engagements on the material removal. We consequently developed models of material removal and grinding wheel topography, which capture the main correlations in grinding. In combination, temporal cutting forces and final workpiece geometry are predictable and are in excellent agreement with experimental data. The introduced models are valid for grinding in general, since they are solely based on the geometry and process parameters, and hence are applicable for manufacturing process optimization.