52218 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 52218 model number is decoded

Listed in SKF 17000 chapter 5, 52218 is an ISO 104 double-direction thrust ball bearing, 75 mm bore and 135 mm OD on a flat housing seat, standing 62 mm high before installation. Construction is a five-component stack: one central shaft washer with tracks on both faces, two outward-facing housing washers and two cage sets, which lets one housing recess accept thrust from either direction. note the bore of 52218 is 75 mm by the dimension table: the double-direction series was deliberately aligned to the 51/53 washer sets with shifted codes, so the familiar 04=20 arithmetic does not apply here. no cage suffix means the standard stamped steel retainer — a pressed sheet-metal ball-cage assembly that covers the bulk of the thrust-ball assortment. Envelope 75×135×62 mm (2.953×5.315×2.441 in), 30.0 mm radial section, C 112 kN, C0 290 kN, Pu 11.6 kN. reference speed 1,500 r/min (thermal) and limiting speed 2,000 r/min (mechanical), catalogue mass 3200 g. Bore-to-OD planning: OD 135 over bore 75 is a 1.80× step for this size, and the 62 mm height gives a bore/height ratio of 1.21; use these ratios when the housing recess around the 75 mm shaft is the first constraint. Preload at the mechanical ceiling: repeating Fam ≈ A·(n·dm/1000)² with factor A 0.55 at the 2,000 r/min limiting speed raises the required axial preload to about 24.3 kN; the reference-speed value 13.6 kN is the thermal design point. Mass and section check: 3200 g inside the 75×135×62 mm outline leaves a 30.0 mm radial section, and the 290 kN static rating is 2.59× the dynamic rating — plan static safety and minimum preload against those figures. Load balance: C0 290 kN against C 112 kN gives a 2.59 ratio — thrust ball bearings are chosen on static rating and F_a/C0 far more often than on L10 life, while Pu 11.6 kN enters the adjusted-life check. Light-load floor: Pu = 11.6 kN is the equivalent-load threshold below which the SKF adjusted-life equation credits very long life for 52218; the number is 10 % of the 112 kN dynamic rating. 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 52218 is done separately per direction: if duty applies 112 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

• The central shaft washer takes the interference fit on the 75 mm shaft while both outer housing washers run loose in their registers; both loose washers need positive axial retention on vertical shafts.
• 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.
• Service both cage sets together: replacing only the noisy side while leaving the worn 290 kN opposite track in place reproduces the failure within weeks — inspect both shaft-washer faces and both loose washers at removal.
• Observe the stack order at fitting: shaft washer central, the two housing washers facing outwards with a cage set on each side; the 62 mm total height is not twice a single-direction bearing height, so reuse of old cover dimensions is a trap.
• Catalogue ratings are SKF PUB BU/P1 17000 figures for 52218 as the double flat pressed steel execution; other order numbers of the 52218 size are different products and may carry different ratings or seating geometry — always quote the full designation when purchasing.