6210, 22220, ECP, TVP2, MA, #E, F-212505, LM11949-LM11910, VA405, UCP212D1.  Do any of these ring a bell?  They represent some of the most popular bearing part number components from the world’s largest bearing companies.  They’re always changing, so how can you keep up?  Follow these 6 simple tips for knowing what you’re working with:

The equation is simple enough for most metric bearings: 

• Bearing Part Number = Prefix + Core Part Number + Suffix.  

Start with the core part number, which is the simplest to learn and identify.  For ISO specification bearings with 5 digits (61910, 22220, 33010), the first digit specifies bearing type, the second is width series, the third is height series, and the last 2 digits are the bore code.

Bearings made to ISO specifications from the major global manufacturers - SKF, FAG, Timken, NSK, NTN, and others - have same structured part number that includes the type code, width and height series codes, bore code, radial internal clearance, and precision.  There’s also some commonality between cage material (M for brass cage, TV for polyamide) and callouts for extra capacity design (usually referenced by symbol “E”).

You should also understand what's different.  For example, Schaeffler FAG includes W33 groove and holes as standard on spherical roller bearings (SRB) so it is not included in the part number while SKF uses W33 for some series and includes it standard on other series.  The SKF  22236 CC/W33 and FAG 22236-E1-XL are the same basic design and would be considered direct interchanges.

Manufacturers develop and release new versions of bearings on an ongoing basis, and in turn, change part numbers to reflect improvements or changes.  

• SKF CC to E
• FAG E1 to BE
• INA -B to -C

This is not a bad thing.  It means the manufacturer is continually developing their products through research and development.

It’s also important to check backwards compatibility to prevent issues when replacing an older design with a new design.  Schaeffler, for example, increased some axial spherical roller bearing inner ring retaining ring widths when changing from E to E1 specification to match SKF.  This added width meant that new E1 axial spherical roller bearings couldn’t be mounted in the same applications without modification to the housing.  Schaeffler responded by assigning special F# E1 axial spherical roller bearing designs to match the previous design.

If you trust your distributor aggregator enough to purchase product from them, you should trust them to know your application and what you are looking for.  A distributor aggregator works with various authorized distributors to compile and analyze data including part numbers.

Bearing manufacturers including Schaeffler, SKF, and Timken now offer their entire catalog library on their websites, often available in many different languages.  Additionally, they have published previous catalogs online and are now hosted by a variety of sources.  As a distributor aggregator, BoreCode.com also aggregates catalogs from around the web in a single location.  This makes it easier to find the exact information you need without scouring the deep reaches of the dark web.

But there’s some bearings that, no matter how far and wide you look, just have zero published information in the world.  Maybe it’s an old design, maybe it’s a manufacturer special, or maybe Sven put the drawing in his files and forgot about it.  Whatever the case may be, a manufacturer should be willing and able to share a stripped down customer approval drawing.  

Catalog parts exist in print catalogs or manufacturer websites, but specials always require a drawing.  The customer approval drawing will typically specify the bore, OD, and width with associated tolerances, clearance information, show the basic roller or sliding surface configuration, and details regarding material spec or markings.  What you won’t find on this drawing is information on how to actually make the bearing, but it is enough to verify the design for replacement.