To explore the influence of grinding speed and maximum undeformed chip thickness(M-UCT) on material removal mechanisms in high-speed grinding process, a single grit grinding experiment is carried out on silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics with tangential infeed grinding method. The grinding force and the specific grinding energy are analyzed. The results show that the grinding force and the specific grinding energy tend to decrease with the increase of grinding speed at M-UCT of 0.03 and 1 μm. However, when M-UCT is 0.3 μm, the grinding force and the specific grinding energy firstly increase and then decrease as the grinding speed rises, and 80 m/s is the turning point. The grinding force shows the periodic growth with the gradually increasing M-UCT. When the M-UCT is less than a critical value, the grinding force varies slowly. Nevertheless, the specific grinding energy declines quickly. The critical M-UCT value increases with the increase of grinding speed. High speed grinding can significantly reduce the grinding force and the specific grinding energy, and appropriate increment of M-UCT can not worsen the grinding quality.