52208 bearing: complete specifications & equivalents

Specification table

Source: catalog reference (SKF PUB BU/P1 17000/1 EN (Oct 2018)) · extracted 2026-09-28

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 52208 model number is decoded

52208 is SKF's 30 mm-bore double-direction thrust ball bearing in the 52200 series to the ISO 104 dimension plan, with a flat housing seating surface, measuring 30×68×36 mm. The unit stacks one central shaft washer (ground bore, tight on the shaft), two outward-facing housing washers and two ball-cage assemblies, reacting axial force in both directions. double-direction 52/54 numbering does NOT decode the bore by the usual single-direction ×5 code — read the 30 mm bore from the dimension table; codes recur across the 522/523/524 sections and systematically trail the 51/53 code values. with no cage suffix this is the standard execution with a stamped sheet-steel ball-cage assembly (pressed cage) — the light, quiet and economical cage for small and medium thrust-ball sizes. Envelope 30×68×36 mm (1.181×2.677×1.417 in), 19.0 mm radial section, C 44.2 kN, C0 96.5 kN, Pu 3.6 kN. reference speed 2,800 r/min (thermal) and limiting speed 3,800 r/min (mechanical), catalogue mass 550 g. Load balance: C0 96.5 kN against C 44.2 kN gives a 2.18 ratio — thrust ball bearings are chosen on static rating and F_a/C0 far more often than on L10 life, while Pu 3.6 kN enters the adjusted-life check. Selection figures for 52208: the C0/C ratio is 2.18, Pu 3.6 kN is about 8 % of C, and the catalogue mass works out to roughly 18 g per millimetre of bore; the printed minimum-load factor is A 0.058. Minimum-load arithmetic: with dm ≈ 49.0 mm and factor A 0.058, Fam ≈ A·(n·dm/1000)² at the 2,800 r/min reference speed is about 1.1 kN for 52208; below that preload the balls skid and smear the tracks. Mass and section check: 550 g inside the 30×68×36 mm outline leaves a 19.0 mm radial section, and the 96.5 kN static rating is 2.18× the dynamic rating — plan static safety and minimum preload against those figures. Bore-to-OD planning: OD 68 over bore 30 is a 2.27× step for this size, and the 36 mm height gives a bore/height ratio of 0.83; use these ratios when the housing recess around the 30 mm shaft is the first constraint. Double-direction order-number note: the unit is built around one central shaft washer with a ground bore and tracks on both faces, flanked by two housing washers and two independent ball-cage assemblies; observe the assembly orientation (the two housing washers face outwards) and note that a 52-series unit replaces a mirrored pair of 51-series bearings only after the stack height and seat drawings are re-checked. Life accounting for 52208 is done separately per direction: if duty applies 44.2 kN C predominantly one way, the idle side's skid risk — not the loaded side's L10 — usually sets the relubrication and preload interval.

Typical equipment & failure modes

Selection pitfalls — read before you substitute

• Where shaft and housing cannot be kept square, the sphered 54-series execution of the same bore with two U seat washers is the self-aligning counterpart; the flat 52200 unit has no alignment capacity.
• Do not replace a 52208 with two single-direction 51-series bearings without re-checking the arrangement: envelope heights, seat details and catalogue ratings differ, even at the same 30×68 mm bore and OD.
• Each direction independently needs the minimum axial load (factor A 0.058): the side that is momentarily unloaded during slow reversal skids first, so arrange preload or symmetry rather than assuming the loaded side drives the idle side.
• The double-direction 52208 is one central shaft washer with tracks on both faces, two housing washers and two ball-cage assemblies — a single unit locating the 30 mm shaft axially in both directions instead of a mirrored pair.
• Catalogue ratings are SKF PUB BU/P1 17000 figures for 52208 as the double flat pressed steel execution; other order numbers of the 52208 size are different products and may carry different ratings or seating geometry — always quote the full designation when purchasing.