Which term describes a primer that fills imperfections and provides a smooth base?

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A primer surfacer is the term that fits this description. It’s a high-build primer designed to fill in sanding scratches, small dents, and other surface flaws so the underlying surface becomes smooth and uniform. By building thickness, it hides imperfections and provides a solid, adhesive base for the color coats that come next. After it’s sprayed, it’s typically block-sanded to create a flat, even surface before applying basecoat and clearcoat. The other terms don’t describe this filling and smoothing role: buffing/polishing/compounding is used to refine a finished surface, not to fill defects before painting; a three-stage finish refers to the overall paint system rather than the primer itself; and an eraser wheel is a polishing tool used to remove residue, not a primer.