6201-FAG bearing: complete specifications & equivalents

Specification table

Source: catalog reference (HR 1 Rolling Bearings (Jan 2020)) · extracted 2026-09-25

Parameters extracted from the official FAG Rolling Bearings catalogue (HR 1 Rolling Bearings (Jan 2020)); FAG® is a trademark of Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, used here for identification only — mpnbase is not an authorized FAG/Schaeffler distributor. Boundary dimensions are ISO 15 interchangeable; current production values may differ, verify at schaeffler.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 6201-FAG model number is decoded

6201 is supplied open, without shields or seals, so the arrangement around it must supply and retain the lubricant. Within the light 62xx section (diameter series 2 of ISO 15), multiplying bore code 12 by five gives the 12 mm bore; the 32 mm outside diameter and 10 mm width follow the same boundary-dimension plan. For a rotating inner ring on a 12 mm shaft under normal load, catalogue practice seats it on a j5 shaft fit with an H7 housing bore — confirm against the actual load direction and magnitude before committing. In the Schaeffler HR 1 catalogue this open execution carries the bare designation; protected variants are ordered separately with suffixes 2Z (steel shields), 2RZ (non-contact rubber seals) and 2RSR (lip-contact rubber seals).

Typical equipment & failure modes

Selection pitfalls — read before you substitute

• At 12 mm bore, induction heating to roughly 80–100 °C is the clean mounting method; never exceed 120 °C, and hold 6201 against the shaft shoulder while it cools so the ring cannot creep back.
• The 62xx light series is the default general-purpose section at 12 mm bore; before upgrading to a 6312 for extra capacity, confirm the housing accepts a 32 mm OD and 10 mm width — it is not a drop-in swap.
• The open 6201-FAG has no lubricant retention: grease escapes and contaminants migrate straight into the 12×32×10 mm raceway, so specify a sealed arrangement for dusty or washdown duty.
• Open bearings tolerate the highest speeds in the 6200-series but need a defined regreasing interval; run-to-failure lubrication is the dominant cause of early failure in open 6201 units.
• Axial location must clamp the ring face, not the seal area: a shoulder or circlip bearing on the seal side of the 10 mm-wide ring of 6201-FAG drags the lip and overheats it.
• Assign fits by which ring rotates: an interference shaft fit for a rotating inner ring; if the outer ring rotates instead, reverse the logic — a loose rotating ring creeps and frets its seat.
• The open 6201 has no integral sealing; in the Schaeffler HR 1 catalogue the protected variants carry suffixes 2Z (two steel shields), 2RZ (two non-contact rubber seals) and 2RSR (two lip-contact rubber seals). Do not confuse FAG's 2RZ with a contact seal — the RZ lip does not touch the inner ring, which is why its speed capability stays close to the open bearing.
• The 37000 r/min mechanical limiting speed puts 6201 at the top of the HR 1 deep-groove speed range (thermal reference speed 24600 r/min); at these speeds cage design and grease shear dominate — run open with oil-mist or air-over-oil lubrication and verify the thermal reference speed for the actual load before committing.
• At 12 mm bore the 6201 sits in Schaeffler's small-bore range; HR 1 ships these sizes with a pressed steel or plastic cage and P0 tolerance as standard — for instrument or spindle accuracy order the P6/P5 variant explicitly, since P0 runout figures will not hold.
• FAG rates 6201 at 8 kN dynamic (C) and 3.1 kN static (C0); this light-to-medium rating suits fractional-horsepower drives and instruments — verify the equivalent dynamic load stays well below C for conveying or gearbox duty with shock.
• At only 37 g, 6201 is a lightweight FAG bearing that can be handled by hand; still press it onto the shaft with a sleeve against the inner ring — never through the balls or outer ring.
• The 12×32×10 mm envelope of 6201 gives a D/d ratio of 2.67 and 10.0 mm radial section height — a heavy FAG section for high-load, lower-speed duty; specifying it in a high-rpm motor generates excess heat and shortens grease life, so prefer a 62/63-series there.
• The 8/3.1 kN load ratings, mass 37 g here are Schaeffler HR 1 Rolling Bearings (Jan 2020) catalogue figures for 6201-C on the 12×32×10 mm ISO 15 envelope; internal geometry and ratings legitimately differ between brands, so re-verify before substituting another manufacturer's 6201 in a rated drive. Where FAG has since released an X-life version of this size, its expanded C/C0 ratings supersede the HR 1 print values quoted here.
• Mixing old and new FAG generations of the same designation in one arrangement is dimensionally acceptable, but where ratings matter — preloaded or matched sets — order both positions from the same generation and lot.
• FAG standard tolerance for this size is P0 (PN); P6/P5 precision executions exist for spindle-adjacent duty but carry different order numbers in the Schaeffler system — they are not a selectable sorting of standard stock.