Abstract This paper proposes a simulation method for investigating the through-feed centerless grinding process performed on a surface grinder, where a compact centerless grinding unit, composed of a guide plate, an ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe, a blade, and their respective holders, is installed onto the worktable of a surface grinder, and the through-feed centerless grinding operation is performed as the workpiece located on the guide plate is fed into the space between the grinding wheel and ultrasonic shoe. The geometrical arrangement of the grinding apparatus including the contact lines on the grinding wheel, ultrasonic shoe, and blade are analyzed firstly for building a 3-D simulation model. Then, the workpiece forming process and the effects of major process parameters such as the workpiece eccentric angle, the stock removal, the ultrasonic shoe tilt angle and the applied voltage amplitude on the machining accuracy (i.e. workpiece cylindricity and roundness) are clarified by simulation and experiments. The obtained results indicate that higher machining accuracy can be achieved under the conditions of larger workpiece stock removal, smaller ultrasonic shoe tilt angle and higher applied voltage amplitude, while the workpiece eccentric angle is at 6°.