61972 bearing: complete specifications & equivalents

Specification table

Source: catalog reference (NTN Ball and Roller Bearings CAT.No.2203-3/E (2024)) · extracted 2026-09-25

Parameters extracted from the official NTN Ball and Roller Bearings catalogue (NTN Ball and Roller Bearings CAT.No.2203-3/E (2024)); NTN® is a trademark of NTN Corporation, used here for identification only — mpnbase is not an authorized NTN distributor. Boundary dimensions are ISO 15 interchangeable; current production values may differ, verify at ntnglobal.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 61972 model number is decoded

In the 61900-series (diameter series 9 of ISO 15) the last two digits encode the bore: 61972 carries bore code 72 = 360 mm. Outside diameter 480 mm and width 56 mm come from the ISO 15 boundary-dimensions general plan. With no seal suffix the bearing is open: no shields or seals are fitted and lubrication is supplied by the application. For normal-load mounting with a rotating inner ring on a 360 mm shaft, typical catalogue practice is a m6 shaft seat with an H7 housing bore — verify against the actual load direction and magnitude. In the NTN catalogue this open execution carries the bare designation; protected variants are ordered separately with suffixes ZZ (shields), LLB/LLF (non-contact seals), LLH (low-torque contact seal) and LLU (contact seal).

Typical equipment & failure modes

Selection pitfalls — read before you substitute

• Large bores like the 360 mm of 61972 demand clean, burr-free seats; one raised burr under a ring this size cocks the bearing and concentrates load at the raceway edge, cutting life drastically.
• The 619xx thin section at 360 mm bore (60.0 mm section height) cannot shrug off the misalignment a standard section tolerates; keep the housing bores round and aligned, or edge contact will spall the raceways early.
• Storage matters for open bearings: 61972 leaves the factory with rust preventive only, so clean it and apply the service grease at assembly even if the rings look oily from the wrapper.
• Open bearings tolerate the highest speeds in the 61900-series but need a defined regreasing interval; run-to-failure lubrication is the dominant cause of early failure in open 61972 units.
• Never mix components between two 61972 units: rings, cage and balls are factory-matched and are not field-interchangeable, even between identical designations.
• Deep-groove ball bearings tolerate only minutes of misalignment; if the 480 mm housing cannot be aligned, switch to a self-aligning type rather than shimming 61972.
• The open 61972 has no integral sealing; in the NTN 2203 catalogue the protected variants carry suffixes ZZ (non-contact steel shields), LLB/LLF (non-contact rubber seals), LLU (contact rubber seals) and LLH (a low-torque contact seal with higher speed capability than LLU). A JR or JRX suffix (printed for some thin-section sizes) denotes a pressed-steel cage, not a seal.
• The 360 mm bore places 61972 in NTN's maximum-size range at the lower end; this is a heavy-engineering bearing where centrifugal force and cage inertia dominate the design envelope. NTN supplies a machined brass cage (suffix M) and expects oil lubrication; do not use catalogue grease speed figures for this size without an NTN engineering review.
• NTN lists the grease limiting speed at 1100 r/min for 61972; this is a large-section size where the pressed-steel cage is speed-limited — NTN recommends the machined brass cage (suffix M) and oil lubrication for any continuous operation above this figure.
• NTN rates 61972 at 330 kN dynamic (C) and 455 kN static (C0), 14.8 kN fatigue load limit Cu; this is an upper heavy-load rating where the pressed-steel cage is not recommended — NTN supplies a machined brass cage (suffix M) and the static C0 must be verified against any shock or lifting loads the bearing sees during mounting.
• At 27500 g (27.5 kg), 61972 is a very heavy bearing where handling and mounting method directly affect service life; NTN requires induction heating of the inner ring (max 120 °C), a mechanical puller for removal, and a defined lifting procedure to avoid damaging the machined brass cage.
• The 360×480×56 mm envelope of 61972 gives a D/d ratio of 1.33 and only 60.0 mm radial section height — this is an ultra-thin section where shaft deflection and housing ovality directly load the ball-raceway contact; verify shaft stiffness (target deflection under 0.05 mm) before specifying it over a 62-series.
• The 330/455 kN load ratings, 14.8 kN fatigue load limit Cu NTN lists the grease limiting speed at 1100 r/min for this designation; oil-mist or jet lubrication raises the ceiling but requires a sealed-housing review. and 27500 g mass here are NTN Ball and Roller Bearings CAT.No.2203-3/E figures for 6972 on the 360×480×56 mm ISO 15 envelope; internal geometry and ratings legitimately differ between brands, so re-verify before substituting another manufacturer's 61972 in a rated drive.
• Factory-fill grease in NTN sealed units is a general-duty lithium-soap grease; food-grade, low-temperature and high-temperature fills are request options at order time, because LLU/LLB units are not meant to be opened and re-greased in the field.
• NTN date-codes its packaging; rotate stock first-in-first-out, because the grease inside sealed units ages on the shelf — after three to five years of storage, check the grease condition before putting the bearing into service.