Whether you are a new procurement specialist sourcing components or a mechanical engineer verifying blueprints, looking at a long string of numbers and letters on a bearing can feel like trying to read a foreign language.
However, reading bearing numbers doesn't require memorization. The naming convention follows a strict, logical system. Over our 15 years in industrial manufacturing, we have seen that once you understand the basic formula, you can decode almost any bearing's specifications at a glance.
Here is the master formula to immediately decode any standard metric bearing:
Complete Bearing Code = [Prefix] + [Basic Designation (Type + Series + Bore)] + [Suffix]
Let’s break down each of these three sections using clear, easy-to-read tables.
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