Miniature Bearings Inch | miniature ball bearings

Chrome steel miniature bearings for shaft sizes from 0.0937" to 1.00"
See product table below for dimensions and technical drawings
See Products Variants below for stainless steel and flanged options

Miniature bearings are sometimes referred to as instrument bearings or micro bearings and are used in applications as varied as gyros, anemometers, flow meters, miniature gearboxes, small motors and radio controlled models. Our chrome steel inch sized miniature bearings are also available with a flange on the outer ring. See Products Variants below for more details

Chrome steel is the most common material for ball bearings due to its high load capacity and good low noise properties. Chrome steel bearings are also more cost-effective. However, many of the very small, instrument bearings are only made from stainless steel as they are not used in high load applications and the cost difference is negligible due to the small amount of steel used. Our smallest inch sized miniature bearings can be found on the stainless steel miniature bearing page (see Products Variants).

Chrome steel bearings, with a steel retainer and a suitable lubricant, can be used at temperatures of 120°C constant or up to 150°C intermittent. Above these temperatures, the load capacity of chrome steel is reduced and the steel undergoes more of a dimensional change than stainless steel.

Chrome steel bearings are not suitable for use in corrosive environments as the steel is not corrosion resistant. Chrome steel miniature bearings are coated with a layer of preservative oil to protect against moisture. We do not recommend using chrome steel bearings without any lubricant (dry) as they are prone to corrosion. This may even occur while in storage or during shipping as a result of condensation forming inside the protective packaging. Protective oil cannot be applied to the outside of a dry bearing as it would find its way inside the bearing making the bearing no longer “dry”.

Most of our imperial chrome steel miniature bearings can be supplied open or with metal shields. The larger sizes may be available with rubber or Teflon contact seals or low friction non-contact rubber seals. Open bearings are supplied with a light oil lubrication. Shielded or sealed bearings are usually supplied with grease lubrication but shielded bearings can be offered with instrument oil for low speed, low friction applications. Thanks to our in-house relubrication facility, these miniature bearings can be offered with customer specified oils, greases or dry lubricants.

The standard cage or retainer for a chrome steel miniature bearing is made from SPCC steel strip. A one-piece crown cage is more common for the smallest and the thinnest bearings due to space constraints. Larger sizes have a two piece ribbon cage. Some sizes are available with a high speed TW nylon crown cage although operating temperatures should be kept under 120°C for this retainer.

Click on INFO in the rows below to display technical drawings of the bearings with load and speed data. Please note that the maximum loads and speeds are used in theoretical life calculations. It is recommended to use bearings at significantly less than the maximum load and speed ratings to ensure reasonable bearing life.

 

Products Variants
flanged bearing | miniature bearings | imperial bearings

Flanged Miniature Bearings - Inch

Chrome Flanged

More Information

miniature bearings | small bearings | fishing reel bearings

Stainless Steel Miniature Bearings - Inch

Stainless

More Information

Miniature bearings

Stainless Steel Flanged Miniature Bearings - Inch

Stainless Flanged

More Information

Product Details Chrome

BORE

(inch)

O.D.

(inch)

OPEN BEARING

SHIELDED BEARING

SEALED BEARING

WIDTH

(inch)

SMB REFERENCE

MORE INFO

WIDTH

(inch)

SMB REFERENCE

MORE INFO

WIDTH

(inch)

SMB REFERENCE

MORE INFO

0.0937

0.1875

0.0625

R133

info

0.0937

R133ZZ

info

 

 

 

0.125

0.25

0.0937

R144

info

0.1094

R144ZZ

info

 

 

 

0.3125

0.1094

R2-5

info

0.1406

R2-5ZZ

info

 

 

 

0.375

0.1094

R2-6

info

0.1406

R2-6ZZ

info

 

 

 

0.375

0.1562

R2

info

0.1562

R2ZZ

info

0.1562

R2-2RS

info

0.5

0.1719

R2A

info

0.1719

R2AZZ

info

0.1719

R2A-2RS

info

0.1562

0.3125

0.1094

R155

info

0.125

R155ZZ

info

 

 

 

0.1875

0.3125

0.1094

R156

info

0.125

R156ZZ

info

0.125

R156-2RS

info

0.375

0.125

R166

info

0.125

R166ZZ

info

0.125

R166-2RS

info

0.5

0.1562

R3

info

0.196

R3ZZ

info

0.196

R3-2RS

info

0.625

0.196

R3A

info

0.196

R3AZZ

info

0.196

R3A-2RS

info

0.6875

0.25

1601

info

0.25

1601ZZ

info

0.3125

1601-2RS

info

0.25

0.375

0.125

R168

info

0.125

R168ZZ

info

0.125

R168-2RS

info

0.5

0.125

R188

info

0.1875

R188ZZ

info

0.1875

R188-2RS

info

0.625

0.196

R4

info

0.196

R4ZZ

info

0.196

R4-2RS

info

0.6875

0.25

1602

info

0.25

1602ZZ

info

0.3125

1602-2RS

info

0.75

0.2188

R4A

info

0.2812

R4AZZ

info

0.2812

R4A-2RS

info

0.3125

0.5

0.1562

R1810

info

0.1562

R1810ZZ

info

0.1562

R1810-2RS

info

0.875

0.2812

1603

info

0.2812

1603ZZ

info

0.3438

1603-2RS

info

0.9062

0.3125

1605

info

0.3125

1605ZZ

info

0.3125

1605-2RS

info

0.375

0.625

0.1562

R1038

info

0.1562

R1038ZZ

info

0.1562

R1038-2RS

info

0.875

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.2188

R6-2RSW21

info

0.875

0.2188

R6

info

0.2812

R6ZZ

info

0.2812

R6-2RS

info

0.875

0.2812

1604

info

0.2812

1604ZZ

info

0.3438

1604-2RS

info

0.9062

0.3125

1606

info

0.3125

1606ZZ

info

0.3125

1606-2RS

info

1.125

0.375

1614

info

0.375

1614ZZ

info

0.375

1614-2RS

info

0.4375

0.9062

0.3125

1607

info

0.3125

1607ZZ

info

0.3125

1607-2RS

info

1.125

0.375

1615

info

0.375

1615ZZ

info

0.375

1615-2RS

info

1.375

0.4375

1620

info

0.4375

1620ZZ

info

0.4375

1620-2RS

info

0.5

0.75

0.1562

R1212

info

0.1562

R1212ZZ

info

0.1562

R1212-2RS

info

1.125

0.25

R8

info

0.3125

R8ZZ

info

0.3125

R8-2RS

info

1.125

0.375

1616

info

0.375

1616ZZ

info

0.375

1616-2RS

info

1.375

0.4375

1621

info

0.4375

1621ZZ

info

0.4375

1621-2RS

info

0.5625

1.375

0.4375

1622

info

0.4375

1622ZZ

info

0.4375

1622-2RS

info

0.625

1.375

0.2812

R10

info

0.3438

R10ZZ

info

0.3438

R10-2RS

info

1.375

0.4375

1623

info

0.4375

1623ZZ

info

0.4375

1623-2RS

info

1.625

0.5

1628

info

0.5

1628ZZ

info

0.5

1628-2RS

info

0.75

1.625

0.3125

R12

info

0.4375

R12ZZ

info

0.4375

R12-2RS

info

1.625

0.5

1630

info

0.5

1630ZZ

info

0.5

1630-2RS

info

0.875

1.875

0.375

R14

info

0.5

R14ZZ

info

0.5

R14-2RS

info

1.0

2.0

0.375

R16

info

0.5

R16ZZ

info

0.5

R16-2RS

info

Our determination to remain specialised gives us a high level of product knowledge, providing bearing and lubrication solutions to existing or potential customers, whether individuals or large corporations. We don’t just sell bearings, we help to solve your problems. - Chris Johnson, managing director of SMB Bearings.