7232-BCBM bearing: complete specifications & equivalents

Specification table

Source: catalog reference (SKF PUB BU/P1 17000/1 EN (Oct 2018)) · extracted 2026-09-27

Parameters extracted from the official SKF Rolling Bearings catalogue (SKF PUB BU/P1 17000/1 EN (Oct 2018)); SKF® and SKF Explorer® are trademarks of AB SKF, used here for identification only — mpnbase is not an authorized SKF distributor. Boundary dimensions are ISO 15 interchangeable; current production values may differ, verify at skf.com.

Cross references & equivalents

Interchange levels: full standard interchange · partial verify parameters · verify manual confirmation required. Links resolve to the equivalent model's specification page where available.

How the 7232-BCBM model number is decoded

7232 BCBM is SKF's 160 mm-bore single-row angular-contact ball bearing in the 7200 series, nominal 40° (B) contact angle, 160×290×48 mm to the ISO dimension plan. 40° contact angle (suffix B): the steep standard single-row angle, giving the highest axial capacity at the cost of speed, with a recommended load ratio Fa/Fr ≥ 1. machined brass cage, ball-centred (suffix M), the choice for high speed, marginal lubrication and shock duty. CB means universally matchable with Normal axial internal clearance: the two side faces are ground so any two units form DB (back-to-back), DF (face-to-face) or DT (tandem) sets without regrinding. Envelope 160×290×48 mm (6.299×11.417×1.89 in), 65.0 mm radial section height, C 255 kN, C0 300 kN, Pu 8.5 kN.reference speed 2,600 r/min (thermal) and limiting speed 3,000 r/min (mechanical), catalogue mass 14000 g. At the printed limiting speed of 3,000 r/min the mean pitch diameter dm ≈ 225.0 mm implies a dn value around 675k mm·r/min; the 2,600 r/min reference speed is the thermal-planning figure under catalogue load. Envelope economics: the 48 mm width over a 65.0 mm section yields 0.74 mm of ring width per section millimetre, and the bearing weighs 14000 g for 255 kN of dynamic capacity — about 55 g per rated kN. Speed-ratio note for this exact unit: the reference speed is 2,600 r/min against a 3,000 r/min limiting speed, i.e. a reference-to-limit ratio of 0.87. Non-optimized universal execution: BCBM keeps the earlier internal geometry (no E) with CB Normal-clearance set mounting and a machined brass ball-centred cage; it is stocked for positions built around its established ratings rather than the enhanced E ball complement.

Typical equipment & failure modes

Selection pitfalls — read before you substitute

• Greased positions should fill roughly 25–35 % of the free volume on a 7232-BCBM of this section and route the surplus past the outer ring; overpacking churns the grease and reproduces the thermal preload problem mechanically.
• Do not mix execution classes inside one set: a universally matchable BCBM unit is ground for arbitrary pairing, a basic execution is not.
• Reference and limiting speeds are different ceilings: design to both, and remember preload and oil/air cooling move the real thermal limit far from the catalogue reference value.
• Assign interference to the rotating ring — roughly m6 on a 160 mm rotating shaft with an H7 housing — and let the stationary ring slide for axial setting; reverse the logic if the outer ring rotates.
• The steep 40° angle of 7232-BCBM favours thrust-heavy combined loads; for a predominantly radial high-speed position the 25° ACCBM execution of the same size is the alternative order number.
• Universally matchable BCBM bearings arrive ready for set mounting, not preloaded sets: preload results from how the set is clamped, so follow the SKF stand-off-ring and nut-torque procedure.